Romans 11:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

NIV: You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.'

NASB: You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.'

CSB: Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."

NLT: Well,' you may say, 'those branches were broken off to make room for me.'

KJV: Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

NKJV: You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”

Paul has warned Gentile Christians not to be arrogant about their position before God. Some might have slipped into thinking their relationship was superior to that of the Jewish people. In the previous verse, Paul wrote that Gentiles have been transplanted onto an existing root: the reality of God's relationship with Israel. That root supports them, not the other way around.

Paul imagines these arrogant Gentile Christians arguing back the words of this verse. Paul himself has said as much in his olive tree illustration. Some branches of the tree of God's people Israel have been broken off because of their refusal to receive Christ as the Messiah. That pruning left room on the trunk, as it were, for new branches to be grafted in to the root. Those branches are the Gentiles who have trusted in Christ for their salvation.

As such, Paul's imagined debaters seem to be saying, "Are we not superior to the branches that have been broken off?" Paul's response in the following verses will be that the branches had to be broken to make the new branches all the more humble about their position. After all, couldn't they be broken off, as well?

Romans 11:11–24 describes why God has hardened Israel in her unbelief in Christ. It is to make room on God's figurative olive tree for the Gentile Christians. The old branches of unbelieving Jews have been broken off for now, and the new branches have been grafted in to the root. In turn, the salvation of so many Gentiles will provoke Israel to jealousy, drawing her back to God through faith in Christ when He removes the hardening of her unbelief. When that happens, after enough Gentiles have believed, the old branches of Jewish believers will be grafted back into the tree.

In Romans 11, Paul concludes his exploration of God's plan for His chosen people Israel. It's true that as a nation, Israel has rejected faith in Christ, but a remnant of Israelites has believed in Jesus. God has hardened the rest in unbelief, but will bring Israel back to faith when enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then many Israelites will trust in Christ, as well, and God will renew His covenant with His people. Paul concludes this section with a powerful poem or hymn about God's independence and how He is beyond our full comprehension.

Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then God will release Israel to believe in Christ and restore His covenant with her as many individual Jews come to faith in Christ, as well. Paul stands in awe of God's vast and unknowable mind and complete ownership of all things.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.