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I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham,<\/strong><\/span> of<\/em> <\/span>the tribe of Benjamin.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n We are to preach the gospel to everyone, whether they will believe or not.<\/p>\n You will notice in this translation the word \u201cnot\u201d doesn\u2019t appear in the first sentence, whereas in other translations it does. The word actually is<\/strong> in the Greek text but it should not necessarily be written in the translation. Let me explain why. The Greek word in question is me<\/em><\/span>, which is a negative particle and should in most cases be translated as \u201cnot.\u201d There is another Greek word that is translated as \u201cnot,\u201d however, which is ou<\/em><\/span>. The difference is that ou<\/em> <\/span>has an absolute negative interpretation whereas me<\/em> <\/span>has a relative negative interpretation. In fact, me<\/em> <\/span>is often used, as is the case in the current verse, to express a question that anticipates a negative answer.<\/p>\n The words \u201cCertainly not!<\/span>\u201d are translated from me<\/em> genoito<\/em><\/span>, which is often translated as \u201cMay it not be.\u201d In today\u2019s vernacular we would say \u201cNo way!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeed<\/span>\u201d is translated from sperma<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cthat which is sown, containing the germ of life which will produce new fruit.\u201d It is an indication that Paul is a direct descendant of Abraham.<\/p>\n The word \u201ctribe<\/span>\u201d is from phul\u0113<\/em><\/span>, which is based on the verb phu\u014d<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto generate or produce.\u201d In the common usage of this word, phul\u0113<\/em><\/span>, refers to \u201ca tribe or a clan.\u201d<\/p>\n To a Christian Jew living in Rome reading through this letter (or listening to someone read it to him or her), it may have appeared that Paul was teaching that God had rejected the Jews. This would seem preposterous to them since God had chosen them as a covenant people. So in order to clarify what he means, Paul anticipated the objection and states it as a rhetorical question, \u201chas God cast away His people?<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n As we pointed out above, this question is asked in such a manner that it requires a negative answer. This would make it immediately clear to the reader (or hearer) that Paul does not even entertain the notion that God would totally reject all Jews. So, he is asking the rhetorical question in such a way that the reader would not immediately reject his statement and would continue on.<\/p>\n He follows-up the question with his familiar me genoito<\/em><\/span>, \u201cNo way!\u201d As proof that God has not rejected all Jews, Paul demonstrates that he, himself, is an Israelite and not an adopted one but a natural born Israelite, a direct descendent of Abraham. The Israelites took great pride (and still do today) in knowing the tribe and sometimes even the family of Israel of which they descended. Paul states at the end of this verse that he is of the tribe of Benjamin. He will continue this thought in the following verse.<\/p>\n In verse seven of this chapter, Paul will explain that many of the Jews have been blinded from seeing the truth. However, that does not excuse us from preaching the gospel even to those who cannot see the truth. It is not our responsibility to determine who will believe. It is simply our responsibility to preach the gospel truth. The rest is up to God.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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