Romans 9:31

But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. BUT ISRAEL, WHICH FOLLOWED ('FOLLOWING') AFTER THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, HATH NOT ATTAINED ('ATTAINED NOT') TO THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. [Here again Lachmann and Tregelles omit the second dikaiosunees (G1343) - in which case the meaning will be 'attained not to the law'-with 'Aleph (') A B D E G, three cursives, three copies of the old Latin, and one or two fathers. But Tischendorf rightly inserts it, though on the far less external authority of F K L, nearly all cursives, two copies of the old Latin (though a late corrector only of the one), the Vulgate, both the later Syriac and other later versions, with several fathers. Manifestly this reading was occasioned by a misunderstanding of the sense, and the recurrence of the same word.] The difficult...

31._But Israel, by pursuing, etc. _Paul openly states what seemed incredible, — that it was no wonder that the Jews gained nothing by sedulously following after righteousness; for by running out of the way, they wearied themselves in vain. But in the first place it seems to me that the law of righteousness is here an instance of transposition, and means the righteousness of the law; (315) and then, that when repeated in the second clause, it is to be taken in another sense, as signifying the model or the rule of righteousness. The meaning then is, — “That Israel, depending on the righteousness of the law, even that which is prescribed in the law, did not understand the true method of justification.” But there is a striking contrast in the expression, when he teaches us that the legal righteousness was the cause that they had fallen away from the law of righteousness. What follows the qu...

30-33 The Gentiles knew not their guilt and misery, therefore were not careful to procure a remedy. Yet they attained to righteousness by faith. Not by becoming proselytes to the Jewish religion, and submitting to the ceremonial law; but by embracing Christ, and believing in him, and submitting to the gospel. The Jews talked much of justification and holiness, and seemed very ambitious to be the favourites of God. They sought, but not in the right way, not in the humbling way, not in the appointed way. Not by faith, not by embracing Christ, depending upon Christ, and submitting to the gospel. They expected justification by observing the precepts and ceremonies of the law of Moses. The unbelieving Jews had a fair offer of righteousness, life, and salvation, made them upon gospel terms, which they did not like, and would not accept. Have we sought to know how we may be justified before Go...

Verse Romans 9:31. _BUT ISRAEL, WHICH FOLLOWED AFTER_] But the _Jews_, who have hitherto been the people of God, though they have been industrious in observing a _rule_ by which they supposed they could secure the blessings of God's peculiar kingdom, yet have not come up to the _true_ and _only rule_ by which those blessings can be secured....

BUT ISRAEL - The Jews. The apostle does not mean to affirm that none of the Jews had obtained mercy, but that “as a people,” or acting according to the prevalent principles of the nation to work out their own righteousness, they had not obtained it. WHICH FOLLOWED AFTER THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - The phrase, “the law of righteousness,” means the law of justice, or “the just law.” That Law demands perfect purity; and even its external observance demanded holiness. The Jews supposed that they rendered such obedience to that Law as to constitute “a meritorious” ground of justification. This they had “followed after,” that is, pursued zealously and unremittingly. The reason why they did not obtain justification in that way is fully stated in Rom. 1–3 where it is shown that the Law demands perfect compliance with its precepts; and that Jews, as well as Gentiles, had altogether failed in rende...

EXPOSITION ROMANS 11:1 2. _The present position and prospects of the Jewish nation con-sidereal._ ROMANS 9:1 (1) _Deep regret expressed for the present exclusion of the Jewish nation from inheritance of the promises. _This section is not necessary for the main argument of the Epistle, which would have been complete without it for an exposition of God's righteousness, Romans 12:1. following naturally the conclusion of Romans 8:1., and these intervening chapters having no immediate connection with the preceding or succeeding context. But it was a subject too deeply

BUT ISRAEL, WHICH FOLLOWED AFTER THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... The Israelites, the far greater part of the Jews, who were not called by the grace of God, were all very zealous of the law, called "the law of righteousness"; because the matter of it was righteous, it was so in its own nature; and because perfect obedience to it is righteousness; as also because they sought for righteousness by the deeds of it. They very violently and eagerly pursued after it, they tugged and toiled, and laboured with all their might, as persons in running a race, to get up to the law, and the righteousness of it; and yet Israel, with all the pains and labour taken, HATH NOT ATTAINED TO THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: some of them fancied they had, supposing an external conformity to it, to be all that it insisted upon; not knowing the spirituality of it, that it required truth and holiness in the inward parts;...

Paul begins by expressing his great sorrow because the Jews had rejected Christ. Romans 9:1. _I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:_ They hated Paul intensely; nothing could surpass the malice of the Jews against the man whom they reckoned to be an apostate from the true faith, because he had become a follower of Christ, the Nazarene. Yet note what is Paul's feeling towards his cruel countrymen; he is willing, as it were, to put his own salvation in pawn if by doing so the Jews might but be saved. You must not measure these words by any hard grammatical rule, you must understand them as spoken out of the depths of great loving heart; and when such a

RIGHTEOUSNESS (_ See Scofield) - (Romans 10:3). _...

II. DISPENSATIONAL. GOD'S DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL. Chapter s 9-11. 1. Israel and God's Sovereignty. CHAPTER 9 _ 1. Paul's Yearning over Israel. (Romans 9:1 .)_ 2. What Israel Possesseth. (Romans 9:4 .) 3. God's Unconditional Election. (Romans 9:6 .) 4. God's Sovereignty. The Vindication of His Justice and Mercy. (Romans 9:14 .) 5. Mercy for the Remnant. (Romans 9:27 .) 6. Israel's Rejection of God's Righteousness. (Romans 9