Romans 11:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Again he sets forth the opposite of what preceded in the form of an objection. He shows that what he had said shortly before was spoken with no other intention than to attract the Jews. The salvation of the Gentiles did not occur because of the Jews’ trespasses. Nor is their trespass itself the riches of the world. Likewise, we were not saved because they fell, but quite the contrary. The Apostle shows God’s special providence concerning the Gentiles, although the words seem to express something else. He sets forth this whole passage as an objection, freeing himself from suspicion of hostility and making his speech more readily acceptable.

Here he proves that the Gentiles were not chosen in place of the Jews because the Jews sinned, but because of the faith that the Gentiles displayed. Thus, where he seems to cast down the Gentile, he shows that the fall of the Jews was inexcusable. Yet he corrects both.

Paul speaks in the person of a believing Gentile: one may rejoice that the Jews doubted, because their rejection made room for the Gentiles. But the Jews were not rejected by God so that the Gentiles might come in their place. They rejected themselves, despising the gift of God, and by this gave the Gentiles the opportunity to be saved. Paul wishes to stop such arrogance, so that we may rejoice in salvation and not insult the sick. He who rejoices over another’s infirmities easily falls into error.

Unbelief made the Jews strangers to the root, while faith joined you to the root and made you a partaker of its richness. Therefore one must not be high-minded, but fear and tremble. Fear what?

After the removal of your garments, you were anointed with olive oil from head to foot and became partakers of the good olive, Jesus Christ. For, cut off from the wild olive, you were grafted into the good olive and became partakers of the richness of the true olive.

With regard to chapter 4, verse 5, we have already explained that when the Apostle speaks of justification by faith without works, he means the justification given in baptism.

He does not mean the justification that will be given at Christ's judgment, which will be final. For this final justification, both faith and works are equally necessary.

The necessity of distinguishing these two kinds of justification is especially clear from what is said below in chapter 11.

The Apostle says that the Israelites, except for the remnant preserved "by grace, and not by works" in verse 6, "were hardened" in verse 7. They "fell and were diminished" in verse 12, were "rejected" in verse 15, and were "broken off" in verse 17.

Having spoken of the future great destiny of the Hebrews who were rejected for a time, the Apostle exhorts the Gentiles not to boast before them at all.

For they too can fall away from their gracious state if they weaken in faith and virtue, while the Hebrews may turn and be saved.

"If the firstfruits," for example from the harvest or the dough, "are holy, so also is the whole," that is, the whole harvest and all the dough; see Num 15:17-21.

"And if the root is holy," meaning the patriarchs and forefathers of the Hebrews, "so also are the branches" (Rom 11:16). That is, the Hebrew people in its fullness may still be recognized as sacred and holy (Chrysostom).

The Apostle continues to humble the believing Gentile and to strike the unbelieving Jew.

"The Gentile is represented as objecting: How can I not boast, when so many blessings have come to me? They were broken off, and I was grafted in and enjoy the promises given to them, though I am alien to them and in no kinship with them" (Oecumenius).

Every word is a blow to the Jew. What then does the Apostle do?

Although there is no causal connection here, since the breaking off of some is not the cause of the grafting in of others, the Apostle agrees with this speech and says, "Well."

So it is. You see it, I see it, and everyone else sees that these events follow one after another. But do not stop at this visible succession alone. Look into the cause of both.