Romans 9:5 – God Over All
of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Truth to Learn
Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Creator of heaven and earth.
Behind the Words
The word translated “fathers” is pater, which is a primary word meaning “father” but it is often used as a reference to any ancestor. It is the word from which we get our English word patriarch (father-ruler).
“Eternally” is from the expression eis tous aiōnas, which literally means “unto the ages.” The Greek word aiōn refers to an indefinitely long period of time (an age). Hence, eis tous aiōnas is a reference to eternity.
Meaning Explained
In this verse Paul continues listing the special privileges that the Jews had in Jehovah God:
“Of whom are the fathers” – This is a reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who each had a special relationship with God. Paul will refer to these three as well as others in this chapter as examples of those whom God chose for special blessing.
“From whom, according to the flesh, Christ came” – This is the greatest privilege and promise that was given to the Israelites: that the promised Messiah, the Christ, would (and did) descend directly from the same lineage as theirs. Before Jesus came to earth to take on human form, He was promised as the Savior of the Jews. They believed that he would rescue them from all foreign rulers. To no other people did God promise the Savior of the world to be of their lineage. The Jews took great pride in this and believed that it meant He would come only for the Jews.
In the Greek the expression “according to the flesh” comes after “Christ came.” So it should read “from whom Christ came, according to the flesh.” Paul’s point is that Christ is a descendant of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob) but only in regard to his flesh. This is a clear statement against the Catholic theology stating that Mary is the mother of God. Paul says that she is the mother of Jesus only with regard to the flesh.
“Who is over all, the eternally blessed God.” – He then clearly states that Christ is over all things. That is, His position is above all creatures of all creation. But Paul does not stop there. He now declares that Jesus Christ is God. It would be nearly as appropriate to translate this as “who is God over all.” The apostle is making a statement of the deity of Jesus Christ (He is God), but he is not simply saying that He is a god but the God who is above all things.
The words translated “eternally blessed” appear after the word for God (theos) in the Greek text. It was commonplace for Jewish writers to include this doxology immediately after mentioning the title of God when used in reference to Jehovah God.
Application
This verse shows that the Jewish people had bragging rights as to the lineage of the Messiah. But He is not just a Jewish man. He is Almighty God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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