Jesus was the deliverer

JESUS WAS THE DELIVERER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Romans 11:26 26andin this way all Israel will be
saved. As it is written: "The delivererwill come from
Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Divine Philosophy Of History
Romans 11:25-32
T.F. Lockyer
The apostle has cautioned them not to be high-minded because ofany seeming
preference shownto them; he now guards againsttheir gross speculations as
to the nature of Israel's rejectionby setting forth emphatically its true
characterand intent. And in so doing he takes also a bird's-eye view of the
religious history and destinies of the world, especiallyas regards the mutual
relations of Jews and Gentiles. We have here the religious dualism and
universalism of the natural history of mankind.

I. THE DUALISM. As Godetvery strikingly says, "The entire course ofthe
religious history of the world is determined by the antagomsmcreatedamong
mankind by the calling of Abraham, betweena people speciallydestined by
God to receive his revelations, and the other nations given over to themselves.
From that moment (Genesis 12.)there begin to be described those two
immense curves which traverse the ages ofantiquity in opposite directions,
and which, crossing one anotherat the advent of Christianity, are prolonged
from that period in inverse directions, and shall terminate by uniting and
losing themselves in one another at the goalof history."
1. The early period of the history of the world, after the call of Abraham,
consistedof the contrastbetweenbelieving Israel and the unbelieving nations.
The Gentiles, as the beginning of the Epistle reminded us, were given over to
their ignorance and sin. Why? Becausethey "were disobedientto God."
Theirs was a negative discipline to fit them for the receptionof the truth. They
were "shut up unto disobedience,"that they might be prepared to receive
unmerited mercy at the hands of God. And the discipline did its work. For
them there came a "fulness of the times." They became sick oftheir own
endeavours after wisdom and righteousness,and when Christ was preached
unto them they receivedhim. How had it been with the Jews? Theywere
chosenby God to receive his truth, and the preparations for his salvation, in
trust for the world. Theirs was a positive discipline. But the same sinful nature
was in them as in the Gentiles, and it operatedagainstthe truth. They became
hardened. Their very privileges became a snare to them. And at last, the
"fulness of the times" having arrived for them also, when their own Christ
came unto them, they receivedhim not!
2. The later period of the world's history, after Christ, consistedof a contrast,
which itself was in contrastwith the former one. The Jews were givenover,
are given over still, to their hardness of unbelief. They are the stoutest
opponents of the gospel. They are "enemies." Godwas compelledto castthem
off, that the gospelwhichthey refused might be setfree for the acceptanceof
the world. And the Gentiles are reaping the benefits of their rejection still. Not
as dogs, eating the crumbs from the children's table, but themselves admitted
to the forsakenfestalboard.

II. THE UNIVERSALISM. The dualism shall not always last; Godis
preparing the way for the religious fusion of all the peoples of the world; they
shall become one in Christ.
1. The gospelwhich the Jews despised, and the salvationof their own Saviour,
is leavening the Gentile world; the nations, one by one, are passing out of
heathendom into Christendom. Apart from the question of the conversionto
true spiritual religion of individuals, the world is being won for Christ.
2. But what of Israel? "The fulness of the Gentiles" shall"come in; and so all
Israelshall be saved." Oh, the strange irony of history! By the agencyof the
Israelites the world should have been won; now by the example and agencyof
Gentiles the Israelites shallbe won. Yes; the hardening was but "in part,"
some being believers from the first; but likewise only temporary - "until." For
they are still the people fitted by their gifts for God's greatwork, and
therefore his callis not revoked. And the very working of their disobedience,
as in the case ofthe heathen nations once, is but to fit them to receive his
grace. And according to their ownprophecies the Deliverershall come, and
"from Jacob" ungodliness shallbe turned away. So then God will "have
mercy upon all." Let us learn his ways of judgment. He will give us up to our
sins, if we persist in cherishing them, till we repent. But let us learn also his
marvellous love: repenting, he will receive us freely! - T.F.L.

Biblical Illustrator
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery.
Romans 11:25-27
The mystery of the conversionof the Jews
Bishop Villiers.
I. TO WHAT MYSTERYDOES THE APOSTLE REFER?
1. "Thatblindness has happened to Israel" This "blindness" —
(1)Is national blindness (1 Corinthians 3:14).
(2)Is in no wise a contradictionto God s dealings — for God foresaw it, and
predicted it (Isaiah 29:10-14;cf. Romans 11:7-10).
(3)Is but partial (ver. 5).
2. This blindness is temporary.
(1)What led to it (see ver. 20;cf. Deuteronomy 28:15, 29;John 8:24).
(2)What followed(ver. 11, 15)? Blessings came from the fall of the Jew, but
still greaterblessings wouldcome from his restoration.
(3)Now we readily gatherfrom this, that God is not unfaithful (ver. 29).
(4)But furthermore. This blindness is only until the "fulness of the Gentile
shall come in."In Luke 21:24. the same truth is laid down. Now to see exactly
what this "time" is, refer to Acts 15:13, etc. The Lord is acting with the whole
Gentile world in this manner: sending His gospelfor a witness. Thenmen
come out of the world and are a people elect— the true Church. And when
this work shall have been accomplished, then the Lord will restore Israel.
Therefore, from comparing these Scriptures together, we may draw this
conclusion, that the time will come when the Jews shallbe restored(vers. 11,

23; Jeremiah32:37, etc.). Nor is there anything improbable in this. At the
present moment there are materials which have only to be put together to
form cites which will hold ten, or twenty, or thirty thousand inhabitants. And
moreover, the thorns and briars as protecting them from decay and injury.
II. WHAT IS SAID OF "THIS MYSTERY." The day is gone by when it was
consideredabsurd to speak ofthese things; but still there are numbers who
think that this is an unnecessaryor unimportant study. But the apostle,
writing to the Gentiles, says, "Iwould not that ye should be ignorant of it."
Why?
1. Becausehe "would not, that you should be ignorant" of the Bible; for many
passagesofScripture conveyno idea whatevertill we understand that
Jerusalemmeans Jerusalem, and IsraelIsrael.
2. But independently of this. If God has mercy in store for these people, may
not we also look forward to God's mercy, backsliders and sinners as some of
us are? And where do we find this warranted but in God's own Word.
III. THE GROUND OF HIS ANXIETY. "Lestye should be wise in your own
conceits."This Epistle was addressedto the Church of Rome? Now, note one
or two of the leading features of this Church.
1. They keepthe Scriptures back from the people. And what is the
consequence ofthat? Many of them remain in perfect blindness as regards the
truth. They keepthe traditions of men, and therefore believe what is told them
of Rome's power, and of no one but those connectedwith Rome being safe for
heaven; whereas, if they had only the Scriptures before them, they would see
what a place Rome will hold in the last greatday.
2. Rome upholds a formal religion. How many externals had the Jew!and
what did the externals profit him?
3. Rome is completely eatenup, as it were, with its ownconceit(Revelation
18:7). And therefore the apostle says, "'Iwould not... lest ye should be wise in
your own conceits';for you may indeed speak of your greatness, but you shall
fall, while Jerusalemshall stand in that day." Conclusion:

1. Beware —(1)Of trusting to external privileges.(2)Of giving countenance to
any unbelief whatever. It was unbelief which led to the fall of Israel.
2. Encourage yourselveswith the remembrance that the time is very short for
your sojourning in this world.
3. Help forward this blessedwork.
(Bishop Villiers.)
The Mystery of the calling of the Jews
Elnathan Parr, B.D.
I. THE CALLING OF THE JEWS IS A MYSTERY. Seek not further than is
revealed, and believe that. If thou askesthow, and when? I know not, because
I find not revealed. God knows, which satisfies me. He that too earnestlylooks
upon the sun comes in the end to see nothing, and he that stands too near fire
may burn himself instead of warming him. Secretthings are for the Lord, but
things revealed for us and our children for ever.
II. THE END OF THE WORLD SHALL NOT BE TILL THE JEWS ARE
CALLED, and how long after that none yet can tell.
1. There are certainfoolish prophecies dispersedthat the world shall end
within so many years. In Paul's time there were such, and. they would have
fathered their brainless toys upon Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2). So also from
Paul's time to this day — a note of greatfolly and rashness.(1)Becausethere
are no plain Scriptures for it but againstit.(2) Because the grounds of their
conceitare uncertain, idle and frivolous: as from Peter's saying, that a
thousand years is but as a day, and from divers mystical numbers in Daniel
and the Revelation.(3)If the last day be unknown (as all acknowledge), then
the day before the last, and so by consequence the last week, month, year,
age.(4)All the diviners about this point have been hitherto shamed. Such,
therefore, that shall yet attempt it must expect the same as a just recompense
of their madness.

2. It is not possible to know nor lawful to inquire. If it had been for the
Church's profit to have known it God would have revealedit.
3. Whensoeverthe time comes it shall come well for God's children; prepare
for it that it may be a joyful and not a dismal time unto thee. If God should
now come to judgment, how ready art thou?
III. TILL THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN. There is an
emptiness among the Gentiles, both in regardof number and of grace, which
last is a greatimpediment to the calling of the Jews. The idolatry of some, and
the profaneness ofothers are a stumbling-block unto them. Let us remove it
that we may make a passage fortheir calling.
IV. COME IN. WHITHER? INTO THE CHURCH. All they which believe
are within; without are unbelievers. It is our Father's house, where is bread
enough; without is nothing but hog's meat. Examine how thou art within,
whether as Ham in the ark, as Judas among the apostles, as chaffin flour; for
in respectof their bodies many are within, who in respectof faith and
obedience are without. It is all one to be without and to deserve to be without.
V. BLINDNESS OR OBSTINACYIS IN PART COME TO ISRAEL, BUT IN
THE END ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED. An obstinate man is not in the
state of salvation. Who have this obstinate heart? The Jews;but we need not
seek a Jew to find it. Concerning which note —
1. The misery of an obstinate heart. There are two estatesofthe heart most
fearful: to feel sin too much; and to be past feeling. The softrepenting heart is
a heavenly heart.
2. The means whereby we come to such a state.(1)Customin sinning. Even as
a path is hardened by the continual trampling of the passengers, so by custom
in evil is the conscience by little and little crushed and made insensible.(2)
Neglectofthe means of grace offered. This shut up the Jews in obstinacy; and
ordinarily for this is this judgment of God inflicted upon men.
3. Its effects.(1)A. departing from the faith, broaching the doctrines of devils,
denying manifest truth, and holding and seeming anything to obtain our own
ends (1 Timothy 4:1-3; Ephesians 4:18). As when men will be Papists,

Protestants, neuters, anything, nothing, as they see it best serve their politic
plots.(2) Committing and delighting in sin.
4. Its signs.(1)When no judgment.(2) When no mercy canmove to remorse.
When the word, which is a hammer, a sword, and watercan neither by the
thundering of judgment, bruise, or make any dent into our hearts, not by the
pleasing sound of mercy, molify us and make us relent; there is hardness
unspeakable.
(Elnathan Parr, B.D.)
Why do we hope for the conversionof the Jews
J. Lyth, D.D.
I. BECAUSE IT IS PREDICTED—
1. By Paul (ver. 25). Their blindness is partial and temporary.
2. By the Old Testamentprophets (vers. 26, 27). They shall acknowledge
Christ and share in the promise of the new covenant.
II. BECAUSE THE GIFTS AND CALLING OF GOD ARE WITHOUT
REPENTANCE.
1. Their exclusionis for a temporary purpose.
2. Their electionpermanent.
3. The purpose of God unalterable (vers. 28, 29).
III. BECAUSE OF GOD'S PLAN OF PROCEDURE WITHTHE
GENTILES.
1. Once excluded by their own unbelief.
2. Now acceptedthrough the unbelief of Israel.
3. So they also shall obtain mercy.

4. That God may have mercy upon all.
(J. Lyth, D.D.)
Our duty to the Jew
J. Lyth, D. D.
I. HOW WE SHOULD REGARD HIM.
1. Notwith contempt, but with respect.
2. Notas cast away, but blinded.
II. WHAT WE SHOULD HOPE FOR HIM.
1. His restorationwith the fulness of the Gentiles.
2. Notsimply the conversionof a few, but of the nation.
III. HOW WE SHOULD TREAT HIM. We should —
1. Hate his self-righteousness.
2. Love himself.
3. Seek his Salvation.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)
The fulness of the Gentiles
The fulness of the Gentiles and the conversionof the Jews
J. W. Burn.
Take as an illustration the case ofa river bed nearly dry from long-continued
drought. What waterthere is flows languidly, and produces no effecton an
islet in mid-stream. Rain comes and the volume of wateris increasedand the
flow becomes strongerand more rapid. In proportion to the copiousnessofthe

rain, and therefore to the power of the current the islet is affected. By little
and little its banks are washedaway, and more and more of its surface is
coveredby the victorious waters which gradually rise. The rain becomes a
flood, and the river bed now full, and the river a mighty torrent, the islet,
after long resistance,ultimately succumbs, and is coveredor washedaway. So
the conversionof the Jews will be proportionate to the amount of missionary
energy, fed by Divine grace, onthe part of the Gentile Churches. And when
the fulness of grace shall fill all Christian agencieswith a fulness of
enthusiasm we may expect Judaism to be submerged. Or to change the figure.
A king returns from his journey into a far country and finds his whole
kingdom in a state of revolt. He first appeals to that province with which he
has the closestand tenderestties. But his claims are ignored and his overtures
treated with contempt. Collecting, however, a loyal few, he marches forth to
subjugate his own provinces. The work is a long and arduous one, and the
fortunes of the brave band are varied. Victory is followedby defeat. Here a
subjugated territory maintains its allegiance,there another revolts as soonas
the army is withdrawn, and has to be conquered again. But the army is ever
increasing, and year by year there is less and less to conquer, and each
conquered territory sends its contingent to reduce the rest. Eventually the
work is done, and the whole kingdom brought to subjection with the exception
of the province to which the king made his first appeal. All through the
campaignindividual citizens have come over, but there is now a stubborn
residuum left. On this the whole of the now loyal empire concentrates its
forces, and partly perhaps from a sense of helplessness, but, mostly from a
sense ofthe rectitude of the conqueror's claims, it yields, and the kingdom is
once more united under one rightful head. So Christ, the King of man, made
His first appealto the Jews;but rejectedby them, His kinsmen, He with His
apostles turned to the Gentiles, and not in vain, as the history of the bye-gone
centuries with all their vicissitudes for His cause has proved. Much yet
remains to be done, but past successesare prophetic of future triumphs, and
Jesus will yet have the heathen for His inheritance, etc. The powerof
Christian influence will then be irresistible and Israel will yield.
I. THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES WILL BE THE RESULT OF A
FULL OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The gift of Pentecostwas

only the earnestof a larger blessing. That equipped the Church for her
warfare, this will inaugurate her triumph. Specialmanifestations of the Spirit
have been vouchsafedin every age, and these have been uniformly followedby
an outburst of missionary zeal. It is not, then, incredible that God should
literally pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and thus bring the fulness of the
Gentiles in.
II. THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES WILL BE THE FULL
CHRISTIANISATION OF THE GENTILES.
1. As yet this is only partial. Vast tracts lie outside Christian influence, but
these are being narrowedevery year.
2. A greatmass of Christianised Gentilism is only nominal. Multitudes have
only the form without the power, and weara name they only disgrace.
3. The time will come when both in name and reality all tribes and kingdoms
and tongues will become Christians.
III. THE FULNESS OF THE GENTILES WILL HAVE AN IRRESISTIBLE
EFFECT ON THE JEWS. During the process offilling this effecthas been
more or less marked, and will, we may well believe, be more marked still as
the Galileangoes onconquering and to conquer. But when the Jew looks back
and sees religionafterreligion overthrown, and nation after nation brought
into obedience to the faith of Christ and His religion, and his nation the only
one left — the time will not be far distant when overwhelming external
pressure will combine with overwhelming internal convictionto bring Israel
to the feetof Christ. Conclusion:
1. What a glorious outlook!What an argument for Christian missions!
(J. W. Burn.)
And so all Israelshall be saved.
The salvationof Israel
C. Simeon, M.A.

I. THEIR PRESENT BLINDNESS.
1. Awful in its character.
2. Partialin extent.
3. Fixed in its period.
II. ITS REMOVAL.
1. Complete.
2. General.
3. Certain.Conclusion. Consider —
1. Its aspecton the Jews.
2. Its proper effectupon your own kinds.
(C. Simeon, M.A.)
The restorationof Israel
J. Lyth, D.D.
I. THE EVENT.
1. All Israel, as a nation —
2. Shall be saved, delivered from the curse which has so long restedupon
them.
II. THE MEANS BY WHICH IT SHALL BE ACCOMPLISHED.
1. The deliverer, Christ —
2. Shall come out of Zion —
3. And take awaytheir sin (Isaiah 59:17-21).
III. THE CERTAINTYOF IT.

1. The covenant —
2. Of salvation(Jeremiah 31:31).
(J. Lyth, D.D.)
For this is My covenantwith them
The new covenant
J. Lyth, D. D.
I. UNTO WHOM SENT.
1. To all who believe.
2. Notonly Jews but Gentile.
II. WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE.
1. The promise of the Spirit (Isaiah59:21; Jeremiah31:31).
2. Of eternal salvation(Isaiah 55:3).
III. HOW IT IS SEALED. In the pardon of sin.
(J. Lyth, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(26) When this ingathering of the Gentiles is complete, then the turn of Israel
will come round again, and the prophecies of their conversionwill be fulfilled.

There shall come . . .—This prophecy is peculiarly appropriate, as it refers to
the exiles who had apostatisedin Babylon. Then, as now, a part of the nation
had remained true, and those who had not would come back to their
obedience.
Out of Sion.—There is a curious variation here from the original, which is
rather, to Sion. The LXX. has “for Sion”—i.e., in the cause of Sion. The
Apostle appears to be quoting from memory, and is influenced by a
reminiscence of other passages. Zion is the centre and capitalof the theocracy,
but the Messiahmust first take up His abode there before He canissue from
it.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
11:22-32 Of all judgments, spiritual judgments are the sorest;of these the
apostle is here speaking. The restorationof the Jews is, in the course ofthings,
far less improbable than the callof the Gentiles to be the children of
Abraham; and though others now possess these privileges, it will not hinder
their being admitted again. By rejecting the gospel, and by their indignation
at its being preachedto the Gentiles, the Jews were become enemies to God;
yet they are still to be favoured for the sake oftheir pious fathers. Though at
present they are enemies to the gospel, for their hatred to the Gentiles;yet,
when God's time is come, that will no longer exist, and God's love to their
fathers will be remembered. True grace seeks notto confine God's favour.
Those who find mercy themselves, should endeavourthat through their mercy
others also may obtain mercy. Not that the Jews will be restoredto have their
priesthood, and temple, and ceremonies again;an end is put to all these;but
they are to be brought to believe in Christ, the true become one sheep-fold
with the Gentiles, under Christ the GreatShepherd. The captivities of Israel,
their dispersion, and their being shut out from the church, are emblems of the
believer's corrections for doing wrong; and the continued care of the Lord
towards that people, and the final mercy and blessedrestorationintended for
them, show the patience and love of God.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible

And so - That is, in this manner; or when the greatabundance of the Gentiles
shall be converted, then all Israelshall be saved.
All Israel - All the Jews. It was a maxim among the Jews that "every Israelite
should have part in the future age." (Grotius.)The apostle applies that maxim
to his own purpose; and declares the sense in which it would be true. He does
not mean to say that every Jew of every age would be saved; for he had
proved that a large portion of them would be, in his time, rejectedand lost.
But the time would come when, as a people, they would be recovered;when
the nation would turn to God; and when it could be saidof them that, as a
nation, they were restoredto the divine favor. It is not clearthat he means
that even then every individual of them would be saved, but the body of them;
the greatmass of the nation would be. Noris it saidwhen this would be. This
is one of the things which "the Father hath put in his own power;" Acts 1:7.
He has given us the assurance that it shall be done to encourage us in our
efforts to save them; and he has concealedthe time when it shall be, lest we
should relax our efforts, or feel that no exertions were needed to accomplish
what must take place at a fixed time.
Shall be saved- Shall be recoveredfrom their rejection;be restoredto the
divine favor; become followers ofthe Messiah, andthus be saved as all other
Christians are.
As it is written - Isaiah 59:20. The quotation is not literally made, but the
sense ofthe passageis preserved. The Hebrew is, "There shallcome to Zion a
Redeemer, and for those who turn from ungodliness in Jacob." There canbe
no doubt that Isaiah refers here to the times of the gospel.
Out of Zion - Zion was one of the bills of Jerusalem. On this was built the city
of David. It came thus to denote, in general, the church, or people of God. And
when it is said that the Redeemershould come out of Zion, it means that he
should arise among that people, be descendedfrom themselves, or should not
be a foreigner. The Septuagint, howeverrender it, "the Redeemershall come
on accountof Zion." So the Chaldee paraphrase, and the Latin Vulgate.
And shall turn away... - The Hebrew is, "to those forsaking un godliness in
Jacob." The Septuaginthas rendered it in the same manner as the apostle.

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
26, 27. And so all Israelshall be saved—To understand this greatstatement,
as some still do, merely of such a gradual inbringing of individual Jews, that
there shall at length remain none in unbelief, is to do manifest violence both to
it and to the whole context. It canonly mean the ultimate ingathering of Israel
as a nation, in contrastwith the present "remnant." (So Tholuck, Meyer, De
Wette, Philippi, Alford, Hodge). Three confirmations of this now follow: two
from the prophets, and a third from the Abrahamic covenantitself. First, as it
is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and
shall—or, according to what seems the true reading, without the "and"—"He
shall"
turn awayungodliness from Jacob—The apostle, having drawn his
illustrations of man's sinfulness chiefly from Ps 14:1-7 and Isa 59:1-21, now
seems to combine the language of the same two places regarding Israel's
salvationfrom it [Bengel]. In the one place the Psalmist longs to see the
"salvationof Israelcoming out of Zion" (Ps 14:7); in the other, the prophet
announces that "the Redeemer(or, 'Deliverer') shall come to (or 'for') Zion"
(Isa 59:20). But as all the glorious manifestations of Israel's God were
regardedas issuing out of Zion, as the seatof His manifested glory (Ps 20:2;
110:2;Isa 31:9), the turn which the apostle gives to the words merely adds to
them that familiar idea. And whereas the prophet announces that He "shall
come to (or, 'for') them that turn from transgressionin Jacob," while the
apostle makes Him say that He shall come "to turn awayungodliness from
Jacob," this is taken from the Septuagint version, and seems to indicate a
different reading of the original text. The sense, however, is substantially the
same in both. Second,
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Here is a third and chief part of the aforementionedmystery, that in the end,
all Israel shall be saved. By Israel is not meant the whole church of God,
consisting of Jews and Gentiles;so that word is used, Galatians 6:16, and

elsewhere;for then, what he spake would have been no mystery at all: but by
Israelhere (as in the precedentverse)you must understand, the nation and
people of the Jews. And by
all Israel is not meant every individual Israelite, but many, or (it may be) the
greatestpart of them. So all is to be taken in Scripture: see John 6:45 1
Timothy 2:6, and elsewhere. Look,as when he speaks ofthe conversionof the
Gentiles, and the coming in of their fulness, there are many (too many of
them) still unconverted; so, notwithstanding the generalcalling of the Jews, a
greatmany of them may remain uncalled.
As it is written; the apostle had this by revelation, but he proves it also by
Scripture. All are not agreedfrom whence these testimonies are taken;the
former is found (with some little variation) in Isaiah 59:20:as for the latter,
some think it is takenfrom Jeremiah31:33. Others think, that he joineth two
places in Isaiahtogether, (as he did before, Romans 11:8), and the lastwords
are takenout of Isaiah27:9. The Seventyhave the very words used by the
apostle. These prophecies andpromises, though they were in part fulfilled
when Christ came in the flesh, {see Acts 3:26} yet there will be a more full and
complete accomplishment thereofupon the Jewishnation and people towards
the end of the world.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And so all Israelshall be saved,.... Meaning not the mystical spiritual Israel of
God, consisting both of Jews and Gentiles, who shall appearto be savedin the
Lord with an everlasting salvation, when all God's electamong the latter are
gatheredin, which is the sense many give into; but the people of the Jews, the
generality of them, the body of that nation, called "the fulness" of them,
Romans 11:12, and relates to the latter day, when a nation of them shall be
born againat once;when, their number being as the sand of the sea, they shall
come up out of the lands where they are dispersed, and appoint them one
head, Christ, and greatshall be the day of Jezreel;when they as a body, even

the far greaterpart of them that shall be in being, shall return and seek the
Lord their God, and David their King; shall acknowledgeJesusto be the true
Messiah, andshall look to him, believe on him, and be savedby him from
wrath to come. There is a common saying among them (c), , "all Israelshall
have a part", or "portion in the world to come";and in support of this they
usually produce the passage inIsaiah 60:21, "thy people also shall be all
righteous":yea, they even go so far as to say(d),
"that hell fire will have no powerover the transgressors ofIsrael;''
fancying, that every individual personof their nation will be saved; though
they sometimes exceptsuch who deny the resurrectionof the dead, and that
the law is from heaven, or is an epicure, and he that reads foreign books, oris
an enchanter, or pronounces the ineffable name: but the apostle is not to be
understood with such a latitude; he refers to the last times, and to a very
generalconversionof them to the Messiah:
as it is written, Isaiah59:20,
there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer:the words of the prophet are, "and
the Redeemershallcome to Zion": by the Redeemer, or Deliverer, words of
the same signification, is meant the Messiah, as the Jews (e) themselves own,
and apply this passageto him; who is the "Goel",ornear kinsman of his
people, to whom the right of their redemption belongs as man; and who as
God was able to effectit, and, as God-man and Mediator, was every way
qualified for it, and has obtained it for them: and whereas, in the prophet
Isaiah, he is saidto "come to", and by the apostle, "out of Zion", this may be
reconciledby observing, that the servile letter sometimes signifies "from", as
well as to, when it is put in the room of of which instances may be given, as
Exodus 16:1 comparedwith 2 Chronicles 11:4. Besides,the Messiahwas to
come out of Zion, as well as to come to it, according to Psalm 14:7; so that the
apostle fitly expressesthe faith and expectationof the old Jewishchurch in
this citation:
and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob;in the prophet it is, "and unto
them that turn from transgressionin Jacob",Isaiah59:20. The apostle follows
the translationof the Septuagint, and which is favoured by the Chaldee

paraphrase, which runs thus; "the Redeemershall come to Zion, and to turn
the rebellious ones of the house of Jacobto the law"; so that the Jew (f) has no
reasonto charge the apostle with a perversionof the prophet's words, when
they are cited so agreeablyto their ownTargumist: and the sense ofthem
relates not to what Christ did on the cross, whenthe iniquities of his people
were laid on him, and he bore them, and removed them all in one day from
them; but to what he will do to the Jews in the latter day, in consequence
thereof; he will convince them of their ungodliness, give them repentance for
it and remissionof it.
(c) Misn. Sanhedrin c. 11. sect. 1.((d) T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 19. 1. & Chagiga, fol.
27. 1.((e) Aben Ezra in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 1.((f) R. Isaac, Chizzuk
Emuna, par. 2. c. 81.
Geneva Study Bible
And so all Israelshall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion
the Deliverer, and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob:
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Romans 11:26 f. Καὶ οὕτω]And so, namely, after the πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν
shall have come in. The modal characterof the οὕτω therefore lies in the
successionoftime conditioning the emergence ofthe fact (comp. 1 Corinthians
11:28), as it also in the classics, in the sense of so then, embraces whathas
been previously said. See Schweighäuser, Lex. Herod. II. p. 167;Thucyd. iii.
96. 2; Xen. Anab. iii. 5. 6; Dem. 644. 18, 802. 20. Theodoretrightly says:τῶν
γὰρ ἐθνῶν δεξαμένων τὸ κήρυγμα πιστεύσουσι κἀκεῖνοι, andthat, according
to Romans 11:11, under the impulse of powerful emulation. We may add that
this greatfinal result is brought into more important prominence, if we take
ΚΑῚ ΟὝΤΩΚ.Τ.Λ. independently, than if we make it form part of the
statementdependent on ὍΤΙ(Lachmann, Tischendorf, Fritzsche, Ewald,
Hofmann, and others).

Πᾶς ἸΣΡΑΉΛ] This notion, so definitely expressed, of the totality of the
people is in no way to be limited; the whole of those are intended, who, at the
time that the fulness of the Gentiles shall have come in, will compose Israel.
All Israelites who up to that time shall be still unconverted, will then be
convertedto salvation, so that at that term entire Israelwill obtain the saving
deliverance;but comp., as to the quite unlimited expression, the remark on
Romans 11:25. Limitations from other interests than that of exegesis have
been suggested:such as that the spiritual Israel, Galatians 6:6, is meant
(Augustine, Theodoret, Luther, Calvin, Grotius, and others, including
Krummacher); or only the selectportion of the Jews (Calovius, Bengel,and
severalothers, including Olshausen:“all those members of the Israelitish
people who from the beginning belongedto the true λεῖμμα”);or that πᾶς is to
be taken comparativelyonly of the greaternumber, of the bulk (Oecumenius,
Wetstein, Rückert, Fritzsche, Tholuck). To this comes in substance also
Hofmann’s explanation: “that the people, as a people, will be converted;” but
πᾶς Ἰσραήλ is, in fact, not “Israelas a whole,” but rather the entire Israel, as
is also meant in 2 Chronicles 12:1 and in all O. T. passages, incontrastto ἀπὸ
μέρους, Romans 11:25. Comp. πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσρ., Acts 2:36, πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Ἰσρ., and
the like. This also againstWeiss, bibl. Theol. p. 404.
σωθήσεται]will be saved, unto Messianic salvation, by their conversionto
Christ.
καθὼς γέγρ.] Forπᾶς Ἰσρ. σωθής. Paul finds a Scripture warrant, not merely
a substratum for his own ideas (Tholuck), in Isaiah 59:20-21 (not quite closely
after the LXX., and, from ὅτανonwards, with a bringing in of Isaiah 27:9; see
Surenhus. καταλλ. p. 503 f.); to the prophetic sense of this passage the future
salvationof all Israelcorresponds as result.
ἐκ Σιών] for from God will the deliverer come;the theocratic central-point
and dwelling-place of the divine kingdom is the holy mount of Zion. Comp.

Psalm14:7; Psalm53:6, et al. See also Romans 9:33. The LXX. have,
following the original, ἕνεκεν Σιών (‫צְל‬ ִ‫ּי‬ ‫,ןֹו‬ i.e. for Zion). Our ἘΚ ΣΙΏΝ is a
variation of memory, occasionedby the reminiscence of other passages(comp.
Psalm14:7; Psalm53:6; Psalm 110:2);for ἕνεκεν Σ. would have been quite as
suitable to the apostle’s purpose (in opposition to Reiche, Fritzsche, van
Hengel); hence to discoverintentional reasons forthis deviation (Philippi: in
order to bring into strongerrelief the claim of the people as contrastedwith
the Gentiles)is groundless. Norwas this deviation more convenient
(Hofmann) for the apostle, namely, in order to designate Christ’s place of
manifestation; but it involuntarily on his part found its wayinto the citation
freely handled.
ὁ ῥυόμενος] i.e. not God (Grotius, van Hengel), who first emerges in Romans
11:27, but the Messiah. In the Heb. we find ‫ן‬‫,לְאֹו‬ a deliverer, without the
article, by which, however, no other is intended. The future coming of the
deliverer which is here predicted is, in the sense ofthe fulfilment of this
prophecy, necessarilythat whereby the Πᾶς ἸΣΡΑῊΛ ΣΩΘΉΣΕΤΑΙwill be
effected;consequently not the Parousia, becausethe conversionof all Israel
must be antecedentto this, but rather that speciallyefficacious self-revelation
of Christ in the preaching of His gospel(comp. Ephesians 2:17), to be expected
by the future, whereby He will bring about that final sacred-historicalepoch
of the people, the conversionof its totality. Erroneously, however, Augustine,
Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Beda have supposedit predicted that Elijah or
Enoch would appear before the end of the world as converterof the Jews.
ἈΠΟΣΤΡ. ἈΣΕΒ. ἈΠῸ ἸΑΚ.] He will turn away, i.e. (comp. Bar 3:7; 1Ma
4:58) remove, do awaywith impieties from Jacob. By this, in the sense ofthe
apostle, is meant the atoning, reconciling work of the Messiah(comp. John
1:29 : αἴρων τ. ἁμαρτ.), whichHe will accomplishin Israelby its conversion.
Hence there follows, as the correlative to this in Romans 11:27, the forgiveness
of sins on the part of God, procured through Him, and that as the actually
saving essence ofthe covenant, which the people possessesfrom God.

Compare the original text, which, however, instead of Κ. ἈΠΟΣΤΡ. ἈΣΕΒ.
ἈΠῸ ἸΑΚΏΒ has ‫ּו‬‫שְל‬ָׁ‫ב‬ֵ ‫ֹו‬ ֶ ‫ב‬ַׁ‫ע‬ ֵ ‫ּוֹו‬ ‫ע‬ַׁ ‫,בןֹו‬ and for those turning from apostasyin
Jacob. Paul, however, because following generallyin this quotation the LXX.,
retains also its deviation from the original text, but not as if this could have
been more welcome to him for his object, for in that respecthe might have
just as well made use of the words of the original.
αὕτη]points to the following (comp. 1 John 5:2), so that the sense of Romans
11:27 is: “And when I shall have forgiven their sins, this, this remissionof sins
conferredby me, will be my covenantto them, i.e. they will therein have from
me the executionof my covenant.” Both in the original and in the LXX.
ΑὝΤΗ points to the following, in which the words of the covenant (ΤῸ
ΠΝΕῦΜΑ ΤῸ ἘΜῸΝ … Οὐ ΜῊ ἘΚΛΊΠῌ ἘΚ ΤΟῦ ΣΤΌΜ. Κ.Τ.Λ.)are
adduced; but instead of them, Paul, for the objectwhich he has in view, puts
ὍΤΑΝ ἈΦΈΛΩΜΑΙ Κ.Τ.Λ. from Isaiah27:9, where likewise a preceding
demonstrative (ΤΟῦΤΌ ἘΣΤΙΝ Ἡ ΕὐΛΟΓΊΑΑὐΤΟῦ)points forward to
ὍΤΑΝ. Hence we may not, with others (including Köllner and Hofmann),
refer ΑὝΤΗ to the preceding, in which case ἀποστρ. ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ Ἰακ. is
supposedto point to the moral conversion, and ἈΦΕΛ. Τ. ἉΜΑΡΤ. ΑὐΤ. to
the forgiveness,on the ground of which that conversiontakes place (see
Hofmann). According to this view, the essenceofthe covenantwould lie in
sanctification, not in reconciliation, which would be conceivedratheras
antecedentto the covenant,—a view which runs counter to the N. T. doctrine
(Matthew 26:26; Hebrews 9:15 ff; Hebrews 10:29;Hebrews 12:24; Hebrews
13:20).
Ἡ ΠΑΡʼ ἘΜΟῦ ΔΙΑΘΉΚΗ] The covenantwhich proceededfrom me, which
was made on my part. See Bernhardy, p. 255 f.; Fritzsche, ad Marc. p. 182 f.;
van Hengel, in loc.
REMARK.

The conversionof entire Israelpromised by Paul as a μυστήριονrevealedto
him, has not yet taken place;for the opinion, that the promise had been
fulfilled already in the apostolic age throughthe conversionof a greatpart of
the people (comp. Euseb. H. E. iii. 35;Judaizantes in Jerome;Grotius,
Limborch, Wetstein), is set aside, notwithstanding Acts 21:20, by the literal
meaning of πᾶς Ἰσραήλand of πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν. The fulfilment is to be
regardedas still future, as the last step in the universal extensionof
Christianity upon earth. In respectoftime no more specialdefinition can be
given, than that the conversionof the totality of the Gentiles must precede it;
whence only this is certain, that it is still a time very distant. Paul has certainly
viewed the matter as near, seeing that he conceivedthe Parousia itself to be
near (not merely, perhaps, its possible, but its actualemergence—in
opposition to Philippi),—a conceptionwhich was sharedby him with the
whole apostolicalchurch, although it remained without the verification of the
event, as this was conceivedof. But the promise of the conversionof the people
of Israel is not on that accountitself to be regardedas one, the fulfilment of
which is no longerto be hoped for,—as though, with the non-verified
conceptionof the time of the event, the event itself should fall to the ground
(Ammon, Reiche, Köllner, Fritzsche);for it is the factin itself, and not the
epochof it, which is disclosedby the apostle as part of the μυστήριονwhich
was revealedto him; and therefore this disclosure restedon the ἀποκάλυψις
received, not on individual opinion and expectation. The duration of time until
the Parousia was notsubject-matter of revelation, Acts 1:7, and the
conceptionof it belongs, therefore, not to that in the apostolic teaching which
has the guarantee of divine certainty, but to the domain of subjective hope
and expectation, which associatedthemselves with what was revealed,—a
distinction which even Philippi does not reject. The latter, however,
endeavours to remove from the categoryof error the apostolic expectationof
the nearness ofthe Parousia, because itwas not cherishedwith that divine
certainty; but cannot thereby prevent it, where it is presupposedso definitely,
as e.g. Romans 13:11, or is expressedso unconditionally, as e.g. 1 Corinthians
15:51-52, from being characterizedby an unprejudiced mind as a human
error, which did not, however, exclude occasionallyothermoods, as in 2

Corinthians 5:8, Php 1:23. Of such human mistakes and vacillations, which lie
outside the range of revealedtruth, that truth is independent (against
Hoelemann, neue Bibelstud. p. 232 ff., and others).
We may further notice that our passagedirectly controverts the Ebionitish
view, now renewedin various quarters (Chr. A. Crusius, Delitzsch,
Baumgarten, Ebrard, Auberlen, and others; expositors of the Apocalypse), of
an actual restorationof Israelto the theocratic kingdom in Canaan, as to be
expectedon the ground of prophetic predictions (Hosea 2:2; Hosea 2:16 ff.,
Hosea 3:4-5; Isaiah11:11; Isaiah24:16, chap. 60;
Expositor's Greek Testament
Romans 11:26. καὶ οὕτως = and thus; not merely temporal, but = under the
influence of the jealousyso excited—under the impression produced on the
Jews by the sight of the Gentiles in their fulness peopling the kingdom—all
Israelshall be saved. This is an independent sentence. Forπᾶς Ἰσραὴλ see 1
Kings 12:1, 2 Chronicles 12:1. It means Israelas a whole. Paul is thinking of
the historicalpeople, as the contrastwith Gentiles shows, but he is not
thinking of them one by one. Israela Christian nation, Israelas a nation a
part of the Messianic kingdom, is the content of his thought. To make πᾶς
Ἰσραὴλ refer to a “spiritual” Israel, or to the elect, is to miss the mark: it
foretells a “conversionofthe Jews so universal that the separationinto an
‘electremnant’ and ‘the rest who were hardened’ shall disappear” (Gifford).
καθὼς γέγραπται Isaiah59:20 f., but the last words ὅτανἀφέλωμαι κ.τ.λ. from
Isaiah27:9. The prophet says ἕνεκεν Σίων Paul’s ἐκ Σιὼν is probably a lapse
of memory, due to the impression of passageslike Ps. 14:7, 53:7, Isaiah2:3,
though Philippi thinks it intentional—the objectbeing to emphasise the title of
the Jews, as againstthe Gentiles, to a share in the kingdom. It is then as if he
said: Salvationis of the Jews, and surely therefore for them. It is impossible to
say that ἥξει refers to the first or to the secondadvent: the distinction is not
present to Paul’s mind as he writes; all he is concernedwith is the fact that in
prophetic scripture language is used which implies that Israelas a people is to

inherit the Messianic salvation. ὁ ῥυόμενος, Hebrew ‫ן‬‫אֹו‬‫לל‬ is the Messiah.
ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας. Cf. Bar 3:7, 1Ma 4:58.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
26. And so all Israelshall be saved] Severalinterpretations of these words are
in themselves legitimate. They may refer (A) to the natural Israel, the Jews;or
(B) to the “Israelof God,” the true Church of Christ. Again, if the reference
(A) is adopted, the prophecy may mean (a) that then all the electof Israelshall
at length be gatheredin—the long process shallat length be complete;or (b)
that every individual of the then generationof Jews shallbe brought to
Messiah’s grace;or (c) that “all” bears a less exactreference here, as so often
in Scripture, and means “in general;”—“Israelin general, the Jews of that
day as a greataggregate, ona scale unknownbefore, shall be saved.”
Of these various possibilities we prefer on the whole (A. c,)as the most in
accordwith the context, and with the analogyof Scripture. The explanation
(B) is in itself entirely true: the final glory and triumph of the Gospelwill
surely be, not speciallythe salvationof the Jews, but that of the Universal
Church—the immortal Bride of the King Eternal. And it is extremely
important to remember the full recognitionin Scripture of all its true
members as the “seedof Abraham” (Galatians 3:29). But this is not the truth
exactly in point here, where St Paul is dealing with the specialprospectof a
time when “blindness in part” will no longer characterize Jews as Jews. And
the “Israel” ofRomans 11:25 is probably the Israelof Romans 11:26, as no
distinction is suggestedin the interval.—Again, the reference marked (A. a),
though perfectly true in itself, is less likely here because in Romans 11:15;
Romans 11:25, we have had already a prediction of a restorationof Jews, en
masse, to grace;whereas the process ofgathering in the electof all ages is
continuous, and thus, on the whole, gradual.—Again, the reference marked
(A. b), though the Divine Plan may, of course, intend no less, is far from
analogous to the main teaching of Scripture as to the developements (even the
largest)of grace in this world.—On the whole, then, we adopt the
interpretation which explains the sentence as predicting the conversionof

some generationor generations ofJews, a conversionso real and so vastly
extensive that unbelief shall be the small exception at the most, and that Jews
as such shall everywhere be recognizedas true Christians, lights in the world,
and salton the earth.
There shall come out of Sion, &c.]In the following quotation St Paul more or
less combines, as often, (see e.g. Romans 3:10-18,)severalO. T. prophecies;
with this for the main purport, that one ultimate result of the coming of
Messiahshould be the gift of grace to the Jews. In Isaiah 59:20-21, we have in
the Heb., “And there shall come a Redeemerfor Zion, and for them that turn
from transgressionin Jacob, saiththe Lord: As for me, this is my covenant
with them.” In Isaiah 27:9; “This is all the fruit [of God’s dealings, namely] to
take awayhis [Jacob’s]sin.” In Psalm14:7 (LXX. Romans 13:7); “Oh that the
salvationof Israel were come out of Zion!” In Isaiah59:20 the LXX. has,
“There shall come for Sion’s sake the deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob.” In Isaiah27:9 it has, “This is his blessing, whenI
shall take awayhis sin.”
St Paul seems to have woveninto one Isaiah59:20 and Psalm 14:7, and to
have completed the sentence from Isaiah 27:9. In the last clause of Romans
11:26 here he adopts the LXX., because, thoughit represents the Heb.
inexactly, the substantial meaning is untouched:—the Redeemer’s coming
shall be “for,” “for the benefit of,” those who turn from sin, by being the
cause oftheir so doing; He shall thus turn sin from them, in the sense of
removing its guilt and breaking its power.
shall come out of Sion] Here probably the reference is to the First Advent. Q.
d., “It stands foretold that the Appearance of Messiah, ofthe seedof David,
shall result in the subdual of the unbelief and rebellion of Jacob, and the
bringing in of a covenantfor him of final pardon and peace. Now Messiahhas
appeared; therefore, how slow soeverthe fulfilment be as yet, the remainder

of this greatpromise must be drawing on: Israel shall yet be saved.” The
words have been often explained to foretel a future Coming of the Redeemer,
whether literal or figurative, to work the conversionof Israelon a great scale.
But the explanation above is fully sufficient for the argument, and (to saythe
least)more in accordwith St Paul’s generalteaching as to the future Coming
of the Lord.
the Deliverer]the Rescuer;same word as 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “who rescueth
us from the wrath to come.” Heb. “Goel;” the Avenger of a Kinsman; hence
generallythe strong friend who rescues the weak.
ungodliness]Lit. impieties.—Perhaps omitthe “and” before “shallturn
away.”
Bengel's Gnomen
Romans 11:26. καὶ οὓτω, and so)he does not say and then, but with greater
force, and so, in which very expressionthe then is included; to wit, the
blindness of Israelwill be terminated by the very coming in of the Gentiles.—
πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ, all Israel) Israelcontradistinguishedfrom the Gentiles, of which
Romans 11:25 treats. The words, ‫,תֵראש‬ a remnant, and ‫,הטֵן‬ deliverance,
are used in respectof those that perished; but the Remnant itself, numerous in
itself, will be wholly converted, Micah2:12.—σωθήσεται)shallbe saved: The
Latin Vulgate has expressedthis by, salvus fieret; and not
inappropriately.[124]It contains this sentiment, the fulness of the Gentiles
shall be brought in and so all Israelshall be made safe;but ἄχρις οὗ, until, has
changedthe former verb εἰσελεύσεται [Indic.] into ΕἸΣΈΛΘῌ[Subj.], the
secondverb, ΣΩΘΉΣΕΤΑΙ, remaining [Indicative].—See similar instances
noticed at Mark 3:27. The Latin Vulg. has expressedthe meaning.—ἭΞΕΙ
ἘΚ ΣΙῺΝ—ΔΙΑΘΉΚΗ, ὋΤΑΝ ἈΦΈΛΩΜΑΙ ΤᾺς ἉΜΑΡΤΊΑς ΑὐΤῶς)
shall come out of Zion—the covenant, when I shall take awaytheir sins. Isaiah
59:20-21, LXX., καὶ ἥξει ἓνεκα Σιὼν—ΔΙΑΘΉΚΗ, ΕἾΠΕ ΚΎΡΙΟς, Κ.Τ.Λ.,
and shall come for the sake ofZion—the covenant, saith the Lord, etc. Isaiah

27:9, LXX., καὶ τοῦτο ἐστιν ἡ εὐλογία αὐτοῦ, ὍΤΑΝ ἈΦΈΛΩΜΑΙ ΤῊΝ
ἈΜΑΡΤΊΑΝ ΑὐΤΟῦ, Κ.Τ.Λ., and this is His blessing, when I shall take away
his sin. Heb. ‫ןאוג‬ ‫,לוֵּין‬ and there shall come to Zion (and for its benefit) the
Redeemer, and to those turning from transgressionin Jacob. Paul, ch. 3, in
describing sin had quoted Psalms 14, and chiefly ch. 59 of Isaiah: now in
describing salvation, he joins togetherthe same texts. He says, ἐκ Σιὼν, out of
Sion, as the LXX., Psalm14:7. The Delivereror Redeemercomes (ἘΚ) out of
Sion and (‫,ן‬ ἛΝΕΚΑ) for goodto Sion. His coming has beenalready
accomplished, and the fruit will arrive at perfectionat the proper time. Sionis
a whole, in a goodsense, Jacobhere is a whole, in a less favourable sense;
those returning are a part.
[124]Thus the Vulg. makes σωθήσεται depend on ἂχρις οὖ, donec, “until the
fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and until all Israelshall thus be
saved.”—ED.
Vincent's Word Studies
The deliverer (ὁ ῥυόμενος)
The Hebrew is goelredeemer, avenger. The nearestrelative of a murdered
person, on whom devolved the duty of avenger, was calledgoelhaddam
avengerof blood. So the goelwas the nearestkinsman of a childless widow,
and was required to marry her (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). It is the word used by
Job in the celebratedpassageJob19:25. See, also, Ruth 3:12, Ruth 3:13; Ruth
4:1-10.
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
A Delivererfrom Zion
Romans 11:26-32
Delivered06/10/2012

This morning we conclude our study of Paul's argument in Romans 9-11;next
week we'lllook at the doxology. As we look at verses 26-32 this morning
please keepin mind that Romans 11:11-32 is one section. So let's back up and
get the context:
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by
their transgressionsalvationhas come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
Romans 11:11 NASB
The question is not, "Did they stumble and fall?" The answerto that question
would be affirmative. The question is, "Did they stumble 'that' they should
fall?" The word "that" is hina, which means: "in order that." Paul is not
stressing the stumbling and the factof the falling, but he's looking at the
purpose. Have they stumbled that they should fall and that be all? May it
never be! The stress rests onthe purpose of Israel's fall.
The purpose of Israel's stumbling was that the Gentiles would be saved, and
the Jews in seeing their blessing going to the Gentiles would be drawn by
jealousyor envy; a desire to possesswhatthe Gentiles possess in being blessed
by God, and therefore, would come to salvation. So the unbelief of Israelis
ordained to promote the salvationof the Gentiles, which in turn promotes
Jewishjealousy, which leads to their salvation.
Paul then warns his Gentile audience of pride and then launches into the
analogyof the olive tree. I said that I see the "root" of the tree as Abraham
and the unilateral covenantthat Yahweh made with him. And I see the olive
tree as the people of Yahweh, which is made up of both Jews andGentiles.
Through the analogyof the olive tree Paul shows that the Messianic promises
were for one people of Yahweh composedof two separate and distinct
national origins. The olive tree represents all believers;both Jews and
Gentiles are in this tree, and togetherthey make up the one people of Yahweh.
From this analogyPaul writes:
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you
will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has

happened to Israeluntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; Romans
11:25 NASB
The mystery very simply is that Jews and Gentiles are brought togethernow
in one body by faith in Yeshua. They share an equal standing in Christ.
Nationality no longer matters, all that matters is faith in Yeshua. This is what
Paul just said in Romans 11:17-24 aboutthe olive tree. Jews and Gentiles
were grafted into the SAME tree, sharing the same root.
"Thata partial hardening has happened to Israel"--"partial" here is
adverbial and modifies "has happened," not hardening. It should read, "A
hardening has happened in part to Israel." The hardening isn't partial, it is
that it has happened to part of Israel. The remnant is not hardened.
"Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in"--What does the word "until"
mean? The Greek phrase used here is achri hos. This phrase means:"even
unto a point." Thayer says, "It is used of things that actually occurredand up
to the beginning of which something continued." It is a point of reference and
not a point of cessation.
So we could read our text, "A hardening has happened to part of Israel'even
unto the point' where the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." So it is not
saying that Israel's hardening stops when the fulness of the Gentiles happens.
This is very important. Paul has already said:
What then? What Israelis seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were
chosenobtained it, and the rest were hardened; Romans 11:7 NASB
Paul says, "Those who were chosenobtainedit," the chosenobtained
covenantmembership. But the "rest" would be those who were not chosen
from eternity past. And since they were not chosen, they never will be chosen,
they were hardened. This hardening is a permanent state which will bring
judgment. So those of Israelwho are hardened will always be that way; the
fulness of the Gentiles will not change that. "The fullness of the Gentiles"--this
word "fullness" is the Greek word pleroma, which means: "completeness."I
think that "fullness" here is referring to the fullness of salvationthat was to
come in the age to come, at the Parousia of Christ.

and so all Israel will be saved;just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL
COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESSFROM
JACOB." Romans 11:26 NASB
"And so all Israelwill be saved"--I said lastweek that I see "allIsrael" here
as referring to the remnant of the house of Israeland the remnant of the
house of Judah and all the believing Gentiles. "All Israel" is all of true Israel,
all of spiritual Israel, all of those who are united to Christ by faith. It is all of
those who are in the olive tree.
Many see "all Israel" as referring only to the remnant of the house of Israel
and the house of Judah. But we have to ask, Was the uniting of the two
houses, Israeland Judah, a mystery in the First Testament? NO, Ezekiel37
talkedabout it, Jeremiah31 talked about it. The mystery is that the Gentiles
are brought in to Israel's'blessings. So I see "all Israel" as all of the elect
encompassing both Jew and Gentile.
As I have said many times, modern Zionists and Dispensationalistswho wish
to see some form of restoredphysical Israel and temple use this text to
support their view. They see Romans 11 as teaching a restorationof geo-
political Israel, which shows you how the same text of Scripture can be seenin
totally different, even opposing, ways.
DispensationalistBobDeffenboughwrites, "Israel's full and final recovery
has surely been implied in the preceding verses, but lest there be any doubt
that God is going to restore Israelto a place of prominence and blessing in
fulfillment of His covenants with the patriarchs, the final recovery of Israelis
clearly establishedin verses 25-32."
He talks about this text supporting the fact of geo-politicalIsraelbeing
restoredto "a place of prominence and blessing." But does it? I don't see it.
The term "Israel" or"Israelite" is used 13 times in 11 verses in Romans, and
it is only used in chapters 9-11. Nowhere in these verses is it even hinted at
that there will be a national geo-politicalrestorationofphysical Israel. This is
important, so let's look at them. It's first use is in:

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, Romans 9:4 NASB
I would say that "Israelites"here and in 11:1 is used of the citizens of national
Israel; those people who are members of the nation Israel.
But it is not as though the word of Godhas failed. For they are not all Israel
who are descendedfrom Israel; Romans 9:6 NASB
Are either of these "Israel's" usedon national or geo-politicalIsrael? One of
these "Israel's" is ethnic Israel, those descendedfrom Jacob's sons. Butwho is
the other Israel? It is true or spiritual Israel. So we have physical Israeland
true Israel.
Paul is saying that God's promises haven't failed, because Godnever
promised covenant blessings unconditionally to eachoffspring of Abraham.
God never intended that all of the nation Israelwould be redeemed. Within
national Israelis "true Israel" or "spiritual Israel." So one could be an
Israelite without truly being an Israelite. The promises were to "true Israel,"
not national Israel. Understanding this verse is crucialto understanding these
three chapters and "all Israel."
Isaiahcries out concerning Israel, "THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE
SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE
REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; Romans 9:27 NASB
"Sons of Israel"--is again, as in 9:6, those descendedfrom Jacob's sons, ethnic
Israel. And out of ethnic Israela remnant will be saved. Just as in 9:6 a
remnant, true Israel, will be savedout of ethnic Israel.
Notice what is promised to the remnant here. It is not national restoration,
nothing about a place of prominence, it is salvationthat they are promised.
The Greek verb sozo--save, andthe noun soteria--salvation, have a wide range
of possible meanings. They can be referring to physical healing, rescue from
danger, spiritual deliverance of various kinds, and to preservation from the
wrath of Yahweh. We must determine its meaning from its usage in the
context. But none of its meaning is to restore to national prominence. In 10:1

Paul is praying for their salvation, not their national dominance. His prayer is
not political, it is soteralogical.
but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness,did not arrive at that law. Romans
9:31 NASB
This speaks ofcorporate Israel's failure to attain covenantmembership.
But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, "IWILL
MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A
NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDINGWILL I ANGER YOU." Romans
10:19 NASB
This is not geo-political, but corporate Israel.
But as for IsraelHe says, "ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED
OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATEPEOPLE."
Romans 10:21 NASB
Again, this is corporate Israel.
I say then, God has not rejectedHis people, has He? May it never be! ForI
too am an Israelite, a descendantof Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Romans 11:1 NASB
Paul affirms that Yahweh is saving some from corporate Israel, he is proof of
that.
God has not rejectedHis people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know
what the Scripture says in the passageaboutElijah, how he pleads with God
againstIsrael? Romans 11:2 NASB
Elijah prayed againstcorporate Israel.
What then? What Israelis seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were
chosenobtained it, and the rest were hardened; Romans 11:7 NASB
Corporate Israelhas not obtained what it was seeking,only a chosenremnant
obtained it, and the rest, which would be most of corporate Israel, were
hardened. It doesn't say they were nationally restoredto a place of

prominence or even that they were saved, they were hardened. They were not
chosen, and they never will be.
For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you
will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has
happened to Israeluntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; Romans
11:25 NASB
This is telling us the same thing that we saw in 11:7. Israel, other than the
remnant, were hardened, not chosenfrom the foundation of the world.
JACOB." Romans 11:26 NASB
"All Israel" here is not all corporate Israel, mostof them were hardened, not
chosen. And the Israeltalked about here is to be "saved," deliveredfrom the
wrath of Yahweh. In 11:26 Dispensationalistswantto make "all Israel" be all
who descendedfrom Israel, which Paul said were not Israel. How is "allIsrael
will be saved" national or political? Paul was praying for their salvation. And
here Israelis saved. And in 10:13 whoevercalls on the name of the Lord shall
be saved. Nothing political here.
Dispensationalistslike to focus on geo-politicalIsraeland the land of Palistine
and the rebuilding of the temple. But none of that is in this text.
What we must understand is : National, ethnic Israelwas a type.
Understanding this is crucial. Dispensationalismmisses this very important
point and thus tries to keepseparate the type and anti-type. The people of
Israelthemselves were a type. The nation itself, as God's specialpeople, was
typical of the true people of God. It was "physicalIsrael," but Paul describes
Christian believers as "spiritual Israel." NationalIsraelwas divinely ordained
to resemble spiritual Israel. The physical seedof Abraham typified the
spiritual seedof Abraham, and some of the promises made to his seedwere
not fulfilled at all to his physical seed, but, as Paul teaches in Romans 4, only
to his spiritual children. PhysicalIsraelas a type of spiritual Israelis
constantly setforth by Paul in the Roman and Galatianletters.

Let me give you a couple interpretive principles that we need to keepin mind
as we talk about types:
1. It must be recognizedthat types are grounded in real history; the people,
places, events, etc. were deliberatelychosenby God to prepare for the coming
of the Christian system.
2. There is a graduation from type to antitype, of the lesserto the greater,
from the material to the spiritual, the earthly to the heavenly.
So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL."
The lastAdam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45 NASB
Here Paul is talking about Adam, who he calls a type:
Nevertheless deathreignedfrom Adam until Moses,evenover those who had
not sinned in the likeness ofthe offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who
was to come. Romans 5:14 NASB
Then speaking of Adam and Christ Paul says:
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 1
Corinthians 15:46 NASB
So the type is natural, earthly, material; and the anti-type is spiritual,
heavenly, and the fulfillment or reality. And understanding that the nation of
Israelwas a type, we won't be surprised to find that Israel's sacrifices,
priesthood, temple, and land also had typical significance.
Dispensationalismputs greatemphasis on a rebuilt temple and priesthood
because they fail to see these as types. PhysicalIsrael was a type and so was
the tabernacle:
who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was
warned by God when he was about to erectthe tabernacle;for, "SEE,"He
says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN
WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN." Hebrews 8:5 NASB
The tabernacle was a type. What is the anti-type? Jesus is the anti-type:

Jesus answeredandsaid to them, "Destroythis temple, and in three days I
will raise it up." John 2:19 NASB
Jesus replaces the temple itself. Yeshua is the anti-type of the temple. The
temple representedthe presence of God among His children in the early days,
so Christ is describedin:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as of the only begottenfrom the Father, full of grace and truth. John
1:14 NASB
The word "dwelt" here is skenoo, whichmeans:"a tent." Jesus came and
pitched His tent or tabernacledamong us. Notice what Petersays to the
Jewishleaders:
let it be knownto all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raisedfrom the
dead-- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. Acts 4:10
NASB
Now notice what Peter says of Christ:
"He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but
WHICH BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone. Acts 4:11 NASB
Yeshua is the cornerstone upon which the spiritual house of God was built:
"And there is salvationin no one else;for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." Acts
4:12 NASB
If you don't build on the cornerstone, Yeshua, you don't have salvation. Who's
Savior was Yeshua?
"From the offspring of this man, according to promise, God has brought to
Israela Savior, Jesus, Acts 13:23 NASB
Yeshua is Israel's Savior!So if the Church and Israel are different, who is the
Church's Savior? Israel's Savior is our Savior, because we are Israel.

The land was also a type: some Christians still believe that the Jews must live
in the literal land. They insist that prophecy is being fulfilled by the Jews
entering the land of Palestine. This is not biblical! The physical land promise
given to Abraham is already fulfilled. It was fulfilled when the children of
Israeltook possessionofthe promised land, according to Joshua:
So the LORD gave Israelall the land which He had sworn to give to their
fathers, and they possessedit and lived in it. And the LORD gave them reston
every side, according to all that He had swornto their fathers, and no one of
all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into
their hand. Not one of the goodpromises which the LORD had made to the
house of Israelfailed; all came to pass. Joshua 21:43-45 NASB
This couldn't be much clearer!The physical land promise made to Abraham
was fulfilled. There is no physical land promise yet to be fulfilled. Cannan was
a type, a picture of the "rest" of the New Covenant age.
Dispensationalistsmake the land the ultimate goal;when the heavenly
country and heavenly city were the ultimate and true "land." (Hebrews 11:13-
16)
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore
God is not ashamedto be called their God; for He has prepared a city for
them. Hebrews 11:16 NASB
This city of promise was the kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem, fulfilled in the
first century according to the prophecies of Jesus and the apostles.
JACOB." "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE
AWAY THEIR SINS." Romans 11:26-27NASB
Paul quotes here from Isaiah27:9 and following, Isaiah59:20 and following,
and Jeremiah31:29-31. Please keepin mind that all New Testament
eschatologyis Israel's eschatology. The Church has no last days, no
eschatology. Paulwas saying that Israel's salvationwill be fulfilled when these
prophecies are fulfilled at the SecondComing.

Isaiah27 is part of the contextknown as "the little apocalypse" thatruns
from Isaiah 24 thru 29. This text starts like this:
Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastatesit, distorts its surface and
scatters its inhabitants. Isaiah24:1 NASB
This sounds like the destruction of planet earth, but drop down to verse 5:
The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressedlaws,
violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:5 NASB
What is this "everlasting covenant" that brings such destruction if broken? Is
it the Gospelof Yeshua? No, where does the Gospelstate suchstipulation? It
doesn't! But in Deuteronomy 32 Yahweh says that because ofIsrael's violation
of Torah, He would:
'They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provokedMe to
angerwith their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a
people; I will provoke them to angerwith a foolish nation, For a fire is kindled
in My anger, And burns to the lowestpart of Sheol, And consumes the earth
with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains. Deuteronomy
32:21-22 NASB
That sounds like Isaiah 24:1. The Old Covenant made provisions for the
destruction of the earth for violating that covenant. So Isaiah24 is talking
about a destruction of earth that comes becauseofIsrael's sin. This is not a
physical destruction of planet earth, but the destruction of Israel's world:
Desolationis left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins. Forthus it will
be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, As the shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over. Isaiah24:12-13 NASB
This destruction of earth is speaking of Old CovenantIsrael, Yahweh's olive
tree. Notice that it says in "the city" and "the peoples"--this is Old Covenant
Israel:
The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, Forits
transgressionis heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again. So it will
happen in that day, That the LORD will punish the hostof heavenon high,

And the kings of the earth on earth. They will be gatheredtogetherLike
prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many
days they will be punished. Isaiah24:20-22 NASB
Remember this is speaking ofthe destruction of Old CovenantIsrael, and it
says, "It will fall, never to rise again." This is apocalyptic language forthe
destruction of Old CovenantIsrael. Its fall, like its hardening, is permanent.
Then after its destruction, it says:
Then the moon will be abashedand the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts
will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His
elders. Isaiah 24:23 NASB
So after Israel's destruction, Yahweh reigns in Zion. Now look at what
happens when Yahweh reigns in Zion after Israel's destruction:
The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this
mountain; A banquet of agedwine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined,
agedwine. Isaiah25:6 NASB
There is a lavish banquet for all peoples;and watchwhat happens:
He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away
from all faces, And He will remove the reproachof His people from all the
earth; For the LORD has spoken. Isaiah25:8 NASB
Deathis swallowedup, and tears are wiped away. Does that sound familiar?
And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have
waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Isaiah25:9 NASB
Deathis removed, and Yahweh brings salvation. Our text in Romans 11:26
says, "And so all Israelwill be saved;just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER
WILL COME FROM ZION" The Deliverercomes with salvation when Old
CovenantIsrael is destroyed:
Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course. Forbehold, the LORD

is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for
their iniquity; And the earth will revealher bloodshedAnd will no longer
coverher slain. Isaiah26:20-21 NASB
The Lord comes out of Zion to punish Old CovenantIsrael for her sin, He
destroys death and brings salvation. It goes onto say:
Therefore through this Jacob's iniquity will be forgiven; And this will be the
full price of the pardoning of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones like
pulverized chalk stones;When Asherim and incense altars will not stand.
Isaiah27:9 NASB
This is the verse Paul quotes in our text in Romans 11:26. Israel's sin is
forgiven when her city is destroyed. The salvationof the remnant happens at
Old CovenantIsrael's destruction:
It will come about also in that day that a greattrumpet will be blown, and
those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scatteredin the
land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD in the holy mountain at
Jerusalem. Isaiah27:13 NASB
Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 24:13 and says:
"And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY
WILL GATHER TOGETHER His electfrom the four winds, from one end of
the skyto the other. Matthew 24:31 NASB
Here is the gathering of the electremnant at the sounding of the judgment
trumpet. So the contextof the verse that Paul quotes is in the contextof the
destruction of Jerusalemand the salvationof the remnant. All Israelwill be
savedwhen Old Covenant Israelis destroyed, and this happened in A.D. 70.
In Romans 11:26 Paul is also quoting:
"A Redeemerwill come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgressionin
Jacob," declares the LORD. Isaiah 59:20 NASB
In verse 1-8 Yahweh accusesIsraelofshedding innocent blood. They were
people of violence who were killing Yahweh's prophets because they didn't

like their message. So in the lastdays of IsraelYahweh sends His Messiahfor
salvationand judgment. And Messiahwould repay according to their deeds.
To those who trusted MessiahHe gave salvation, and to those who did not He
brought judgment upon them for their murder of His saints. Paul combining
all these texts tells us that they all have the same meaning.
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is
Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB
The word "rescues" here is the same Greek word as "deliverer" in Romans
11:26. Yeshua is the Deliverer who comes form Zion at the end of the age.
"THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR
SINS." Romans 11:27 NASB
Paul quotes here from Jeremiah31:33. This is, of course, a promise regarding
the New Covenant. Israelwas a body of death under the Old Covenant. The
promise of a New Covenant was a promise to remove sin, but the sin was not
removed until the Deliverercame from Zion. At the return of Christ sins were
takenaway, and they were granted entrance into the presence of Yahweh.
From the standpoint of the gospelthey are enemies for your sake, but from
the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake ofthe fathers;
Romans 11:28 NASB
Who are enemies for your sake? This refers to the remnant that have not yet
believed the Gospel. Theyare the branches that can be grafted in again. From
God's choice they are beloved. So they must be part of the remnant:
for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 NASB
Paul talks about this gift of salvationin Romans 6:23, "the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." All who Yahweh has called will come to
His salvation. God's promises were passedon to Abraham's believing
children. Many of the physical promises were types and were fulfilled by the
anti-type.
All of national Israelwere never called by Yahweh, it was a remnant that He
called:

For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown
mercy because of their disobedience, Romans 11:30 NASB
You (Gentiles)have been shown mercy because oftheir (Israel's)sin. This is
the same thing that Paul said in 11:11-16, Israel's transgressionhas brought
mercy to the Gentiles:
so these also now have been disobedient, that because ofthe mercy shownto
you they also may now be shownmercy. Romans 11:31 NASB
"These"is the electremnant that have not yet come to faith in Yeshua, but
they will be shown mercy. Becauseofthe Gentiles coming to Christ, the Jews
were made jealous and they also are coming to Christ.
For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
Romans 11:32 NASB
Look at how the KJV puts this verse:
For God hath concludedthem all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon
all. Romans 11:32 KJV
Dispensationalistswill use this translation to try to support their point. They
say that the "them" is referring exclusively to the Jews, andthat He is
therefore going to have mercy on them all.
The word "them" is not in the Greek texts. The Greek word for "all" here
does not carry any personalpronoun, but rather a definite article. So the
emphasis upon "allJews" as specialobjects ofGod's mercy evaporates when
you understand the text itself.
"Thathe might have mercy upon all"--this is NOT talking about
Universalism. Please, how couldhe be talking about everybody being saved
when for three chapters he was talking about the remnant only being saved?
He will show mercy to all without distinction, not all without exception:The
promise is only for those who believe. For a commentary on verse 32 look at:
But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith
in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Galatians 3:22 NASB

All have been disobedient, Jew and Gentile, and Yahweh shows mercy to all
who trust in His Son Yeshua. There is one family of Yahweh, made up of Jews
and Gentiles, who share complete equality in the body of Christ. This is the
"all Israel" that is saved.
The Word of God has not failed. Yahweh's covenantfaithfulness has been
unveiled in the Gospelof Yeshua the Messiah. All who believe in Yeshua
inherit all the promises that God made to Abraham. We all partake of the rich
root of the olive tree. Believers, allbelievers, only believers, are the true Israel
of Yahweh.
http://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/transcripts/romans_new/11_26-32.htm
Five ReasonsI Believe Romans 11:26 Means a Future Conversionfor Israel
Article by John Piper
Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org
Romans 11:26 says, “And in this way all Israel will be saved.” I take this to
mean that somedaythe nation as a whole (not necessarilyevery individual; see
1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 12:1)will be converted to Christ and join the
Christian church and be saved.
This was J. C. Ryle’s view published in 1867:
[The Jews]are kept separate that they may finally be saved, converted and
restoredto their own land. They are reserved and preserved, in order that
God may show in them as on a platform, to angels and men, how greatlyhe
hates sin, and yet how greatlyhe canforgive, and how greatly he can convert.
Neverwill that be realized as it will in that day when “all Israelshall be

saved.” (Are You Ready for the End of Time? [Ross-shire, Scotland:Christian
Focus Publications, 2001], 137–138)
One reasonthis matters is that Paul made this claim “lestyou [Gentiles]be
wise in our own sight” (Romans 11:25). Rightly understanding the historical
process ofhow God saves Gentiles and Jews undercuts Jewishand Gentile
pride.
So here are five of the reasons I commend this view to you. You can read
other arguments for the same position in the commentaries of John Murray,
John Stott, Douglas Moo, andThomas Schreiner.
1. The term “Israel” in verses 25 and 26 most naturally refers to the same
thing.
Verse 25: “Lestyou be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand
this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel. . . .” That
must refer to the nation as a whole from generationto generation. He
continues, “. . . until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (26) And in this
way all Israel will be saved.” I don't think the meaning of Israel changes
betweenverses 25 and 26. The hardened Israel(the nation as a whole)will be
the savedIsrael(the nation as a whole).
2. The reference in verse 26 to banishing ungodliness from Jacobfits with the
national view of “all Israel.”
Verse 26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The
Delivererwill come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.’” This
seems mostnaturally to be a picture of the secondcoming. Christ’s banishing
ungodliness from Jacobrefers most naturally to the removal of the hardening
referred to in verse 25. “Jacob” is not a natural or typical reference to the
electremnant of Israel. The hardening lasts until the full number of the
Gentiles comes in (the climax of world missions), and then Christ lifts the veil

and removes the hardening — he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, from “all
Israel.”
3. The parallel betweenthe two halves of verse 28 point to all Israelas the
nation as a whole.
Verse 28: “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake.”
Now this half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole — they are
enemies of God. So the secondhalf of the verse surely refers to the nation as a
whole as well: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake oftheir
forefathers.” The point of this verse is to show that even though Israelnow is
a covenant-breaking, unbelieving nation, it is going to change. The nation that
are enemies now will be converted later because ofelectionand love.
4. The parallels in verse 12 point in the same direction.
Verse 12: “Now if their [the Jewishnation’s] trespass means riches for the
world [salvation for the Gentiles], and if their [the Jewishnation’s]failure
means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion!” Here
“their full inclusion” most naturally refers to the same nation as “their
trespass” and“their failure.” So “their full inclusion” refers to the salvationof
“all Israel” and is national.
5. The same thing is true about the parallels in verse 15.
“Forif their [Jewishnation’s] rejectionmeans the reconciliationof the world,
what will their [Jewishnation’s] acceptancemeanbut life from the dead?”
The nation now rejectedwill be accepted. So the “acceptance” ofthe Jewish
nation most naturally refers to the salvationof “allIsrael” — the salvationof
the nation as a whole some day.
Implications

How is this going to happen? I don't know the details, but it seems to me that
Paul does mean that in connectionwith the secondcoming of Christ there will
be a greatturning of Israelto Christ. Just how it works, I don't know. But I
find certain prophecies very suggestive.
For example, Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and
the inhabitants of Jerusalema spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that,
when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for
him, as one mourns for an only child, and weepbitterly over him, as one
weeps overa firstborn.” And Isaiah66:8, “Who has heard such a thing? Who
has seensuch things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be
brought forth in one moment? For as soonas Zion was in labor she brought
forth her children.” And Matthew 23:39, where Jesus says to the hardened
nation: “I tell you, you will not see me againuntil you say, ‘Blessedis he who
comes in the name of the Lord.'”
I don't want to speculate about details we are not given. I am not sure about
the precise "whenand how" of Israel's conversion. But that it is coming and
that it will be given by Jesus Christ, the deliverer who banishes ungodliness
and forgives sins — I feelsure.
We should pray for it — that the full number of the Gentiles comes in and
that the hardening be lifted from Israel. We should work for it with missions
to the nations and witness to Israel. We should put awayall conceitand
presumption over Jewishunbelievers but realize that God is aiming to save
them through our salvation.
For now, then, let us give ourselves to prayer and to the greatwork of
gathering the fullness of the Gentiles, if by any means we might make Israel
jealous of her treasures in Christ so that they believe and be saved.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES

Adam Clarke Commentary
And so all Israelshall be saved - Shall be brought into the way of salvation, by
acknowledging the Messiah;for the word certainly does not mean eternal
glory; for no man can conceive that a time will ever come in which every Jew
then living, shall be taken to the kingdom of glory. The term saved, as applied
to the Israelites in different parts of the Scripture, signifies no more than their
being gatheredout of the nations of the world, separatedto God, and
possessedof the high privilege of being his peculiar people. And we know that
this is the meaning of the term, by finding it applied to the body of the
Israelites whenthis alone was the sum of their state. See the Preface, PartII.
As it is written - The apostle supports what he advances on this head by a
quotation from Scripture, which, in the main, is taken from Isaiah59:20; :
The Deliverershall come out of Zion, and turn awayungodliness from Jacob.
Now this cannotbe understood of the manifestation of Christ among the Jews;
or of the multitudes which were converted before, at, and for some time after,
the day of pentecost;for these times were all past when the apostle wrote this
epistle, which was probably about the 57th or 58th year of our Lord; and, as
no remarkable conversionof that people has since takenplace, therefore the
fulfillment of this prophecy is yet to take place. In what manner Christ is to
come out of Zion, and in what way or by what means he is to turn away
transgressionfrom Jacob, we cannottell; and to attempt to conjecture, when
the time, occasion, means, etc., are all in mystery, would be more than
reprehensible.
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
And so - That is, in this manner; or when the greatabundance of the Gentiles
shall be converted, then all Israelshall be saved.
All Israel - All the Jews. It was a maxim among the Jews that “every Israelite
should have part in the future age.” (Grotius.)The apostle applies that maxim
to his own purpose; and declares the sense in which it would be true. He does

not mean to say that every Jew of every age would be saved; for he had
proved that a large portion of them would be, in his time, rejectedand lost.
But the time would come when, as a people, they would be recovered;when
the nation would turn to God; and when it could be saidof them that, as a
nation, they were restoredto the divine favor. It is not clearthat he means
that even then every individual of them would be saved, but the body of them;
the greatmass of the nation would be. Noris it saidwhen this would be. This
is one of the things which “the Father hath put in his own power;” Acts 1:7.
He has given us the assurance that it shall be done to encourage us in our
efforts to save them; and he has concealedthe time when it shall be, lest we
should relax our efforts, or feel that no exertions were needed to accomplish
what must take place at a fixed time.
Shall be saved- Shall be recoveredfrom their rejection;be restoredto the
divine favor; become followers ofthe Messiah, andthus be saved as all other
Christians are.
As it is written - Isaiah 59:20. The quotation is not literally made, but the
sense ofthe passageis preserved. The Hebrew is, “There shallcome to Zion a
Redeemer, and for those who turn from ungodliness in Jacob.” There canbe
no doubt that Isaiahrefers here to the times of the gospel.
Out of Zion - Zion was one of the bills of Jerusalem. On this was built the city
of David. It came thus to denote, in general, the church, or people of God. And
when it is said that the Redeemershould come out of Zion, it means that he
should arise among that people, be descendedfrom themselves, or should not
be a foreigner. The Septuagint, howeverrender it, “the Redeemershall come
on accountof Zion.” So the Chaldee paraphrase, and the Latin Vulgate.
And shall turn away… - The Hebrew is, “to those forsaking un godliness in
Jacob.” The Septuaginthas rendered it in the same manner as the apostle.
Haldane's Expositionon the Epistle to the Romans
Andso all Israelshall be saved:as it is written, There shall come out of Sion
the Deliverer, and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob:Here the Apostle

further unfolds the mystery of which he would not have his brethren to be
ignorant. In the foregoing verse he had declaredthat blindness had come
upon Israel — that blindness which he had before shown was inflicted on part
of the Jewishnation by the judgment of God, verses 8-10, which would
continue till a certainperiod was accomplished.
He now declares that at that period all Israel shall be saved. The rejectionof
Israelhas been general, but at no period universal. This rejectionis to
continue till the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in. Then the people of
Israel, as a body, shall be brought to the faith of the Gospel. Suchexpressions
as that ‘all Israelshall be saved,’ are no doubt, in certain situations, capable of
limitation; but as no Scripture demands any limitation of this expression, and
as the opposition here stated is betweena part and all, there is no warrant to
make any exception, and with God this, like all other things, is possible. As it
is written. — ’ Whether Isaiah, in 59:20,’says Mr. Stuart, ‘had respectto the
salvationof Gospeltimes, has been calledin question. But the contestseems to
me very clearly to indicate this.’ But why are we to restour conviction on this
point on our view of the connection? The Apostle’s quotation of the words is
ground sufficient to bear the conclusion. This method of treating the Apostle’s
quotations of prophecy should be most strenuously opposed. That it is
prophecy ought to be rested on the ground of its being quoted as prophecy.
‘And even if he had respectto temporal deliverance,’Mr. Stuart continues,
‘there can be no difficulty in the Apostle’s using his words as the vehicle of
conveying his own thoughts with regard to spiritual deliverance.’There is
indeed no difficulty in supposing that the same prophecy may, in its primary
sense, referto a temporal deliverance, and in its secondary, to a spiritual
deliverance. But there is a very greatdifficulty in supposing that the Apostle
would cite a prophecy respecting a temporal deliverance, which had no
reference to the deliverance of which he was speaking. This would be very
puerile. It would be worse than puerile — it would be a perversionof
Scripture. It would be employing a false argument. There shall come out of
Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob. — Mount
Zion was the specialresidence of the God of Israel; and out of Zion was to go
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, Isaiah2:3. And
though Israelhas for a long time departed from Him, yet thither at length will

the Redeemerreturn, and make His word and law powerful to restore them
unto Himself. ‘He shall set up an ensignfor the nations, and shall assemble the
outcasts ofIsrael, and gather togetherthe dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth,’ Isaiah11:12. The Deliverance, etc. — These words are
quoted from Isaiah59:20, ‘And the Redeemershallcome to Zion, and unto
them that turn from transgressionin Jacob.’Here it is said that the Redeemer
or Deliverer shall come to Zion; but if He come out of Zion He must have
come to it previously; as it is said, Psalm 14:7, ‘Oh, that the salvationof Israel
were come out of Zion.’ Besides, itis added, He shall come, namely, out of
Zion, to them who turn from transgressionin Jacob;and such must have thus
been turned by Him. We may be assuredthat the Apostle, speaking by the
same Spirit as the Prophet, and directed by the Spirit to quote him, has
substantially given the meaning of his words. If Jacobbe turned awayfrom
transgression, it is this Delivererwho will accomplishthe object.
In this prophecy, in the fifty-ninth chapterof Isaiah, God is representedas
doing two things. One is, to reproachthe Jews with the multitude and
enormity of their transgressions;and the other, to promise to them the
redemption of the Messiah, andby Him an everlasting covenant. When,
therefore, all nations shall be given to the Messiah, and submit to His
authority, the prophecies concerning Him will be fulfilled in their utmost
extent, and His reign over all the earth will be established. After having
subdued to Himself the whole of the Gentiles, He will not forgetthe family of
Abraham, His friend, in whom, according to His promise, all the families of
the earth were to be blessed. Jews and Gentiles shall be all united in Christ,
and the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Then what is
predicted by the Prophet Hosea 3:4, both concerning the present and future
condition of the Jews, will all have been strikingly accomplished:‘For the
children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince,
and without a sacrifice, andwithout an image, and without an ephod, and
without teraphim. Afterwards shall the children of Israelreturn, and seek the
Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and His
goodness in the latter days.’ ‘Oh, that the salvationof the Lord were come out
of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of His people, Jacobshall
rejoice, and Israelshall be glad,’ Psalm14:7.

The comings of the Delivererto Zion is not to be understoodof any personal
appearance. JesusChristhas personally appearedonce on earth, and He will
appear the secondtime when He comes without sin unto salvation. The
Scriptures, however, speak in different ways of His coming, though not in
person; as of His coming to setup His kingdom, John 21:22;His coming at
death and for judgment, Matthew 24:44-50;His coming for chastisement,
Revelation2:5; His coming in grace and love, John 14:23;Revelation3:20.
And at the appointed time He will come to Zion in His powerby His Spirit.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And so all Israelshall be saved,.... Meaning not the mystical spiritual Israel of
God, consisting both of Jews and Gentiles, who shall appearto be savedin the
Lord with an everlasting salvation, when all God's electamong the latter are
gatheredin, which is the sense many give into; but the people of the Jews, the
generality of them, the body of that nation, called "the fulness" of them,
Romans 11:12, and relates to the latter day, when a nation of them shall be
born againat once;when, their number being as the sand of the sea, they shall
come up out of the lands where they are dispersed, and appoint them one
head, Christ, and greatshall be the day of Jezreel;when they as a body, even
the far greaterpart of them that shall be in being, shall return and seek the
Lord their God, and David their King; shall acknowledgeJesusto be the true
Messiah, andshall look to him, believe on him, and be savedby him from
wrath to come. There is a common saying among themF3, ‫ןכ‬ ֵ‫ןארש‬ ֵ‫ש‬ ‫םהן‬ ‫ְןח‬
evah llahs learsI lla" ,‫הּוא‬ ‫ןֶוןם‬a part", or "portion in the world to come";
and in support of this they usually produce the passagein Isaiah 60:21, "thy
people also shallbe all righteous":yea, they even go so far as to sayF4,
"that hell fire will have no powerover the transgressors ofIsrael;'
fancying, that every individual personof their nation will be saved; though
they sometimes exceptsuch who deny the resurrectionof the dead, and that
the law is from heaven, or is an epicure, and he that reads foreign books, oris
an enchanter, or pronounces the ineffable name: but the apostle is not to be

understood with such a latitude; he refers to the last times, and to a very
generalconversionof them to the Messiah:
as it is written, Isaiah59:20,
there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer:the words of the prophet are, "and
the Redeemershallcome to Zion": by the Redeemer, or Deliverer, words of
the same signification, is meant the Messiah, as the JewsF5themselves own,
and apply this passageto him; who is the "Goel",ornear kinsman of his
people, to whom the right of their redemption belongs as man; and who as
God was able to effectit, and, as God-man and Mediator, was every way
qualified for it, and has obtained it for them: and whereas, in the prophet
Isaiah, he is saidto "come to", and by the apostle, "out of Zion", this may be
reconciledby observing, that the servile letter ‫ן‬ sometimes signifies "from", as
well as to, when it is put in the room of ‫;מ‬ of which instances may be given, as
Exodus 16:1 comparedwith 2 Chronicles 11:4. Besides,the Messiahwas to
come out of Zion, as well as to come to it, according to Psalm 14:7; so that the
apostle fitly expressesthe faith and expectationof the old Jewishchurch in
this citation:
and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob;in the prophet it is, "and unto
them that turn from transgressionin Jacob",Isaiah59:20. The apostle follows
the translationof the Septuagint, and which is favoured by the Chaldee
paraphrase, which runs thus; "the Redeemershall come to Zion, and to turn
the rebellious ones of the house of Jacobto the law"; so that the JewF6 has no
reasonto charge the apostle with a perversionof the prophet's words, when
they are cited so agreeablyto their ownTargumist: and the sense ofthem
relates not to what Christ did on the cross, whenthe iniquities of his people
were laid on him, and he bore them, and removed them all in one day from
them; but to what he will do to the Jews in the latter day, in consequence
thereof; he will convince them of their ungodliness, give them repentance for
it and remissionof it.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament

Jesus was the deliverer

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