What Does Romans 9 Mean?

Romans 9:11 Direct teaching

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

Romans 9:16 Direct teaching

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Romans 9:15 Direct teaching

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Romans 9:14 Direct teaching

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!

Origen, Commentary on John Direct teaching

We read, Romans 9:11-14 The children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of him that calls, it was said, The elder shall serve the younger.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...re? And if he was elect, their hypothesis is destroyed, since even before the coming of the Lord an election was found, and that election was saved: "For it was reckoned to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 For if anyone, following Marcion, should dare to say that the Creator (Δημιουργόν) saved the man who believed in him even before the coming of the Lord, with the elect being saved with their own proper salvation, then the power of the good Being will be overshadowed, since only late, and after the Creator spoken of by them with favorable words, it attempted to save, and did so by instruction and by imitating him. But if, being such, the good Being saves according to them, then he is neither saving what is his own, nor is he attempting salvation with the consent of the one who formed creation, but by force or by fraud. And how can he still be good, acting in this way and coming later? But if the place is different, and the dwelling of the Almighty is far from the dwelling of the good God, yet the will of the one who saves, since it was first to begin, is not inferior to that of the good God. From what has already been proved, those who do not believe are shown t

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3 For if any one, following Marcion, should dare to say that the Creator (Δημιουργόν) saved the man that believed on him, even before the advent of the Lord, (the election being saved with their own proper salvation);

Romans 9:18 Direct teaching

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Romans 9:19 Direct teaching

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”

Exodus 11:10 Background

And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh: and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

Exodus 14:4 Background

Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

Exodus 14:17 Background

And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

...the darkness which they have chosen for themselves, what is surprising if He also at that time gave Pharaoh over to his unbelief, since he never would have believed, along with those who were with him? As the Word spoke to Moses from the bush: “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, unless by a mighty hand.” Because the Lord spoke in parables, and brought blindness upon Israel, so that seeing they might not see, since He knew their spirit of unbelief, for the same reason He hardened Pharaoh’s heart; so that, while seeing it was the finger of God that led the people, he might not believe, but be plunged into a sea of unbelief, thinking that the Israelites' departure was achieved by magical power, and not by the work of God that the Red Sea opened a path for the people, but that it happened by merely natural causes.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness

God hardens the heart of Pharaoh. He deserved, however, to be influenced to his destruction, who had already denied God, already in his pride so often rejected His ambassadors, accumulated heavy burdens on His people, and (to sum up all) as an Egyptian, had long been guilty before God of Gentile idolatry, worshipping the ibis and the crocodile in preference to the living God.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

Let us begin, then, with those words which were spoken to Pharaoh, who is said to have been hardened by God, in order that he might not let the people go. Along with his case, the words of the apostle also will be considered, where he says, "Therefore He has mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardens." For it is on these passages chiefly that the heretics rely. They assert that salvation is not in our own power, but that souls are of such a nature as must by all means be either lost or saved. And that in no way can a soul which is of an evil nature become good, or one which is of a virtuous nature be made bad. And so they maintain that Pharaoh too, being of a ruined nature, was on that account hardened by God, who hardens those that are of an earthly nature, but has compassion on those who are of a spiritual nature. Let us see, then, what is the meaning of their assertion. Let us, in the first place, ask them whether they maintain that the soul of Pharaoh was of an earthly nature, such as they call lost. They will undoubtedly answer that it was of an earthly nature. If so, then to believe God, or to obey Him, when his nature opposed his doing so, was impossible. And if this

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

1. “But,” say they, “God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants.” Those, then, who allege such difficulties, do not read in the Gospel that passage where the Lord replied to the disciples, when they asked Him, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?”—“Because it is given unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

As the Word spake to Moses from the bush: “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, unless by a mighty hand.” And for the reason that the Lord spake in parables, and brought blindness upon Israel, that seeing they might not see, since He knew the [spirit of] unbelief in them, for the same reason did He harden Pharaoh’s heart;

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

We do speak of the wrath of God. However, we do not mean that this indicates any passion in Him. Rather, it is something assumed in order to discipline, by stern means, those sinners who have committed many serious sins. For what is called God’s wrath and anger is a means of discipline. That this understanding agrees with Scripture is clear from what is said in Psalm 6: “O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure;” and also in Jeremiah: “O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.” Moreover, anyone who reads in the second book of Kings about the wrath of God leading David to number the people, and finds in the first book of Chronicles that it was the devil who suggested this action, will easily see, by comparing the two statements, for what purpose wrath is mentioned. Of this wrath, as the Apostle Paul declares, all men are children: “We were by nature children of wrath, even as others.” Further, that wrath is not a passion on God’s part, but that each person brings it on himself by his sins, is clear from another statement of Paul: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, and forbearance, and lo

Romans 9:10 Direct teaching

And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,

Romans 9:13 Direct teaching

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Romans 9:12 Direct teaching

It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching

For in the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle declares: “Moreover, when Rebecca had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac,” she received answer from the Word, “that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth, it was said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people are in thy body;

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

7. But even holy Scripture does not appear to me to be altogether silent on the nature of this secret, as when the Apostle Paul, in discussing the case of Jacob and Esau, says: For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calls, it was said, The elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness

... be altogether silent on the nature of this secret. For when the Apostle Paul discusses the case of Jacob and Esau, he says: "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him who calls, it was said, 'The elder shall serve the younger,' as it is written, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.'" After that, he answers himself and says, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?" And so that he might give us an opportunity to inquire into these matters, and to see how these things do not happen without a reason, he answers himself and says, "God forbid." For the same question, it seems to me, which is raised concerning Jacob and Esau, may be raised regarding all heavenly and earthly creatures, and even those of the lower world as well. In like manner, it seems to me that, as he says there, "The children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil," so it might also be said of all other things, "When they were not yet created, neither had yet done any good or evil, that the decree of God according to election may stand," that, as certain th

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

...man, our father Isaac,” she received a message from the Word, “that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not based on works, but on Him who calls. It was told to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two types of people will emerge from you; one group will overcome the other, and the older will serve the younger.'” This indicates that not only were there prophecies regarding the patriarchs, but also that the children born to Rebecca foreshadowed the two nations. One was destined to be greater and the other lesser; one would be in servitude, while the other would be free, yet both came from the same father. Our God, who knows hidden things and foresees all events, is also their God; and for this reason, He has said, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness

Isaac's blessing for his younger son Jacob holds the same meaning when he says, "Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed." However, "the field is the world." Therefore, he added, "God give you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, plenty of grain and wine. Let the nations serve you, and may kings bow down to you; be lord over your brother, and may your father's sons bow to you. Cursed be anyone who curses you, and blessed be anyone who blesses you." If anyone does not see these things as relating to the appointed kingdom, he must face much contradiction, like the Jews, who are in absolute confusion. For not only did the nations not serve Jacob in this life, but even after receiving the blessing, he himself served his uncle Laban the Syrian for twenty years after leaving his home. Moreover, he was not made lord over his brother but instead bowed to his brother Esau upon returning from Mesopotamia to his father and offered many gifts to him. Furthermore, Jacob did not inherit much grain and wine here; he migrated to Egypt due to the famine in the land he lived in and became subject to Pharaoh, who was ruling over Egypt at that tim

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

If anyone examines Jacob's actions, they will find them meaningful and rich in significance regarding the divine plans. Firstly, at his birth, he grabbed his brother's heel and was named Jacob, meaning "the supplanter"—one who holds but is not held; binding the feet without being bound; striving and conquering; holding in his hand the heel of his adversary, symbolizing victory. For this purpose, the Lord was born, foreshadowed by Jacob's birth, of whom John also speaks in the Revelation: "He went forth conquering, so that He might conquer." Next, Jacob received the rights of the firstborn when his brother scorned them, just as the younger nation accepted Christ, the firstborn, while the elder nation rejected Him, saying, "We have no king but Caesar." In Christ, every blessing is summed up, and so the latter people have taken the blessings of the former from the Father, just as Jacob took Esau's blessing. For this reason, his brother plotted and persecuted him, just as the Church suffers similarly from the Jews. The twelve tribes, the race of Israel, were born in a foreign land, just as Christ was to generate the twelve-pillared foundation of the Church in a foreign land. Jacob was

Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas Supporting witness

...e and about whom He declared that this people would be greater than the other. In another prophecy, Jacob speaks more clearly to his son Joseph, saying, “Behold, the Lord has not deprived me of your presence; bring your sons to me so that I may bless them.” Joseph brought Manasseh and Ephraim, wanting Manasseh to be blessed because he was the elder. With this intention, Joseph led him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob, seeing in spirit the type of people to arise later, changed the direction of his hands and placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, the second and younger, and blessed him. Joseph said to Jacob, “Move your right hand to Manasseh's head, for he is my first-born son.” And Jacob said, “I know, my son, I know; but the elder will serve the younger, although he, too, will be blessed.” You see on whom he laid his hands, that this people should be first and heir of the covenant. If, moreover, the same thing was signaled through Abraham, we reach the perfection of our knowledge. What, then, does He say to Abraham? “Because you have believed, it is credited to you as righteousness: behold, I have made you the father of the nations who believe in the Lord whil

Barnabas, Connection to Genesis 25:23 Supporting witness

Genesis 25:23 You ought to understand who was Isaac, who Rebecca, and concerning what persons He declared that this people should be greater than that.

Hippolytus, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

...becca conveys a figure of the Holy Spirit. Esau conveys a figure of the first people and the devil. Jacob conveys a figure of the Church, or of Christ. That Isaac was old points to the end of the world. That his eyes were dim shows that faith had perished from the world, and that the light of religion was neglected before him. That the elder son is called expresses the Jews' possession of the law. That the father loves his meat and venison shows the saving of men from error, whom every righteous man seeks to gain, or hunt for, by doctrine. The word of God here is the promise anew of the blessing and the hope of a kingdom to come, in which the saints shall reign with Christ and keep the true Sabbath. Rebecca is full of the Holy Spirit, as understanding the word which she heard before she gave birth: "For the elder shall serve the younger." Genesis 25:23. As a figure of the Holy Spirit, moreover, she cares for Jacob in preference. She says to her younger son, "Go to the flock and fetch me two kids." Genesis 27:9. This prefigures the Savior's coming in the flesh to work a mighty deliverance for those who were held liable to the punishment of sin. For indeed in all the Scriptures, k

Romans 9:6 Direct teaching

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,

Romans 9:27 Direct teaching

And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,

Romans 11:7 Supporting witness

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Romans 11:5 Supporting witness

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Romans 11:28 Supporting witness

As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.

Romans 9:25 Supporting witness

As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”