Romans 9.4a-Paul And His Fellow Jewish Countrymen Are Israelites
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday February 19, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:4a-Paul And His Fellow Jewish Countrymen Are Israelites
Lesson # 294
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1.
Last Wednesday we presented an overview to Romans chapter nine.
Then, last Thursday we studied Romans 9:1 and in this passage the apostle Paul appeals to Christ and the Holy Spirit as witnesses as to the veracity of his statements in Romans 9:2-3.
Sunday we noted Romans 9:2 and in this passage Paul expresses his great sorrow and unceasing grief over the nation of Israel’s rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Tuesday we studied Romans 9:3 and in this passage the apostle communicates to his readers his great love for the nation of Israel by expressing his desire to be separated from Christ for their sake.
This evening we will begin to note Romans 9:4-5 where Paul lists eight privileges that were given to the nation of Israel by God and in this passage, he ascribes deity to Jesus Christ.
We will study this passage in five classes due to the content of these two verses.
Therefore, this evening we will note Romans 9:4a where Paul identifies himself and his fellow Jewish countrymen as Israelites.
Then, Sunday, we will study the first of three privileges given to the Israelites that appear in Romans 9:4b.
Next Tuesday we will note Romans 9:4c, which presents the four, fifth and sixth privileges given to Israel by God.
Next Wednesday we will study Romans 9:5 where Paul presents the final two privileges and then lastly next Wednesday we will complete this verse by noting that Paul ascribes deity to Jesus Christ.
Let’s read the first paragraph in the chapter and then concentrate on verse 4-5 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 9:1-5, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
Corrected translation of Romans 9:1-5:
Romans 9:4-5, “I am speaking the truth in accordance with the code of Christ. I am by no means lying, while my conscience does confirm to me in accordance with the code of the Holy Spirit, that, as far my feelings are concerned, there is always great sorrow as well as unceasing anguish in my heart. In fact, I could almost wish that I myself could be accursed, totally and completely separated from Christ as a substitute for my brothers, specifically, my fellow countrymen with respect to racial descent who indeed by virtue of their unique and privileged character are, as an eternal spiritual truth, Israelites. To them belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service and the promises. To them belong the fathers and from them, the Christ with respect to human racial descent, the one who is, as an eternal spiritual truth, God over each and every living and non-living thing, worthy of praise and glorification throughout eternity. Amen!”
Let’s now concentrate on verses 4 and 5.
Romans 9:4-5, “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
The eight privileges listed by Paul in Romans 9:4-5 are as follows: (1) “To whom belongs the adoptions as sons” (2) “The glory” (3) “The covenants” (4) “The giving of the Law” (5) “The temple service” (6) “The promises” (7) “The fathers” (8) “From whom is the Christ according to the flesh”.
The term “Israelites” serves to identify who are Paul’s fellow countrymen with respect to racial descent and as a heading for the list of eight privileges that identify Paul and his fellow countrymen.
“Who” is the nominative masculine plural form of the qualitative relative pronoun hostis (o^sti$) (hos-tis), which is composed of the relative pronoun hos and the interrogative pronoun tis.
The relative pronoun hostis agrees in gender (masculine) and number (plural) with its antecedent, which is the genitive masculine plural form of the adjective sungenes “kinsman” in Romans 9:3, which refers to Paul’s “fellow countrymen.”
It is used by Paul in a “qualitative” sense indicating that Paul’s fellow countrymen with respect to racial descent belong to a certain class who are identified as “Israelites.”
It emphasizes the character or nature of this group or the characteristic quality of this group.
Therefore, hostis emphasizes the descendants of Jacob by virtue of their unique character as the privileged, covenant people of God who are identified by Paul as “Israelites”
They are a unique and privileged group of people since God chose them as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be His covenant people and no other group of people.
Exodus 19:1-6, “In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
Romans 9:4-5, “Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
“Are” is the third person plural present active indicative form of the verb eimi (ei)miv) (i-mee), which denotes individuals that “belong to a particular group of individuals in the human race” who are identified as “Israelites.”
“Israelites” is the nominative masculine plural form of the name Israelites ( )Israhvl) (is-rah-ale-ee-tace), which is related to the proper name Israel ( )Israh/l), “Israel.”
There are three titles used in Scripture for the racial descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: (1) Hebraios ( (Ebraio$) (heb-rah-yos), “Hebrew” (2) Ioudaios ( )Ioudaio$) (ee-oo-dah-yos), “Jew” (3) Israelite (’Israhlivth$) (is-rah-ale-ee-tace), “Israelite.”
The term “Hebrew” appears first in Scripture in Genesis 14:13 where it is used to describe Abram after rescuing his nephew Lot from the Eastern Mesopotamian Kings.
Genesis 14:13, “Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram.”
“The Hebrew” is the articular form of the proper noun ‘ivri (yr!b+u!) (iv-ree), which designates that Abram was a legitimate and well-known descendant of Shem through Eber and was therefore, in the Messianic line, or the Promised Seed of Genesis 3:15.
The term “Hebrew” denotes Abram’s nationality in contrast with other nationalities in the land of Canaan (cf. Gen. 43:32; Ex. 1:15; 2:11; 21:2) and the contrast in Genesis 14:13 is with the Amorites who inhabited the land of Canaan.
“Hebrew” distinguishes a Hebrew-speaking Jew from a Greek-speaking one and this is illustrated by Paul when describing his pre-salvation distinctions in Philippians 3:5.
Philippians 3:4-5, “Although I myself having confidence in the flesh, if anyone of the same race (i.e., Jewish) claims to have confidence in the flesh and some claim to have confidence in the flesh, I more. With respect to circumcision: eighth day, descended from the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew (speaking Jew) from Hebrews (Hebrew speaking parents), legalistically: a Pharisee, zealously persecuting the church, self-righteously religious: I conducted myself irreproachably! Nevertheless, what pre-salvation distinctions were assets for me, these I have come to regard as a liability because of the Christ.”
The second title, “Jew” distinguishes a Jew from a Gentile and denotes nationality.
The third title, “Israelite” speaks of the fact that the Jew is a member of a theocracy and is the heir of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name was later changed by the Lord to “Israel.”
Paul employs this term in Romans 11:1.
Romans 11:1, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
Prior to the first century, the most common terms used for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were “Hebrew” and “Israelite.”
However, by the first century, the term “Jew” had become the most common designation for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
“Jew” is from “Judah,” (“praise”) and was one of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob’s son Judah and was also a designation for the southern half of Solomon’s kingdom after his death. From the time of the Babylonian captivity, the whole race bore this title.
The name “Israel” first appears in Genesis 32 in the context of the story of Jacob (Iakob) wrestling with God prior to his reunion with Esau.
Genesis 32:24-28, “Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he (the Lord) saw that he (the Lord) had not prevailed against him (Jacob), he (the Lord) touched the socket of his (Jacob’s) thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he (the Lord) said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he (Jacob) said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ So he (the Lord) said to him (Jacob), ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.’”
“Israel” is the proper noun yisra’el (la@r*c+y!) (yis-raw-ale), which means, “one who fights and overcomes with the power of God” since the Lord states the reason for the name is that Jacob has fought with both God and men and has prevailed.
The bestowal of the name “Israel” upon Jacob constituted the essence of the blessing that he requested from the Lord recorded in Genesis 32:26.
The change of name from “Jacob” to “Israel” marks a change in Jacob’s character and reorientation in his life in the sense that no longer does he solve his problems with people by means of deception as denoted by the name “Jacob” but now solves them with the power of God by claiming the promises of God in prayer.
Just as the name “Jacob” reflects character produced by the function of the power of the old sin nature so the name “Israel” reflects character produced by appropriating the power of the Word of God by claiming the promises of God in prayer.
The cognate noun of “Israel” is “Israelites” and is the absolute name used to express the dignity and glory of a member of the theocratic nation in a unique covenant relation with God.
The term “Israelites” was the Jew’s special badge and title of honor.
In Romans 9:4, the plural form of the name Israelites, “Israelites” speaks of the fact that the Jew is a member of a theocracy.
It identifies them as members of a unique, privileged covenant people of God, heir of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name was later changed by the Lord to “Israel.”
In Romans 9-11, Paul no longer uses the term “Jew” but rather the names “Israel” and “Israelites” since he is no longer emphasizing the Jews from the perspective of the Gentiles but rather the Jews from the perspective of their covenant relationship with God.
In Romans 9:4, the name “Israelites” is not the first in the list of privileges that God bestowed upon the Jewish people.
Rather, it serves as further identification of the last clause that appears at the end of Romans 9:3, namely, to adelphon mou ton sungenon mou kata sarka, “my brothers, specifically, my fellow countrymen with respect to racial descent.”
Also, it serves as a heading for the list of eight privileges that God bestowed upon the Jewish people that are listed in Romans 9:4-5.
Therefore, the eight privileges that follow the term “Israelites” serve to identify Paul and his fellow Jews who are the unique, chosen, privileged, covenant people of God.