Romans 9:1–13 Verse by Verse Study

“Israel’s Past: Chosen, Not Cast Away”

Romans 9–11 is a divinely inspired pause—a parenthesis—within Paul’s teac of the gospel. After eight chapters expounding God’s righteousness, justification by faith, sanctification, and the believer’s security in Christ, Paul now answers an urgent question: If Israel was God’s chosen nation, what happened to them? Have they been replaced by the Church? Is God done with Israel?

Absolutely not.

These three chapters form a vital bridge between God’s promises to Israel and His present work among the Gentiles. Paul opens this section with grief—not gloating—because of Israel’s unbelief. And yet, the overarching theme of Romans 9–11 is not judgment, but hope, sovereignty, and God’s faithfulness to His covenant people.

Romans 9:1–5 – Paul’s Heart for Israel

“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.”
“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh…” (Romans 9:1–3)

Paul’s anguish is deeply personal. Though he is the apostle to the Gentiles, his heart still beats for his fellow Israelites. He’s not attacking Israel—he’s mourning their spiritual blindness. He lists their privileges: the adoption, the covenants, the Law, the promises, the patriarchs, and the Messiah Himself (vv. 4–5). No other nation has been given what Israel was given.

Yet despite all these blessings, Israel as a nation rejected their Messiah.

But this leads us to the heart of the confusion: Does Israel’s unbelief mean God’s Word has failed?

Romans 9:6 – “They Are Not All Israel Who Are of Israel”

“But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel…” (Romans 9:6)

This is the hinge verse of the chapter, and one that has been twisted into Replacement Theology by many throughout history.

Paul is not redefining Israel. He is distinguishing between ethnic Israel and the believing remnant within Israel. God’s promises have not failed—they are being fulfilled in the true remnant, just as they always have been. God never promised that every single descendant of Abraham would inherit the covenant blessings. Rather, He has always chosen according to His sovereign purpose.

Verse 6 is not a license to spiritualize or replace Israel with the Church. Instead, it reveals that God has always worked through a believing remnant within Israel. Paul will continue this theme through chapter 11, clearly stating that the rest of Israel has been temporarily blinded until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25).

Romans 9:7–13 – God’s Sovereign Choice in Israel’s Lineage

“Nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’” (Romans 9:7)

Paul uses examples from Israel’s own history to show that not all physical descendants are recipients of the covenantal promises.

• Ishmael was Abraham’s son, but the promise came through Isaac.
• Esau was Isaac’s son, but the promise came through Jacob.

These examples are not about individual salvation or predestination to heaven or hell (as Calvinism misapplies), but about God’s sovereign choice in carrying out His redemptive plan through specific people and nations.

“…Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” (Romans 9:13)

This declaration (quoted from Malachi 1:2–3) refers to nations, not the individual souls of two brothers. God chose Jacob (Israel) to be the line of promise, not Esau (Edom). This was not based on merit or works—it was God’s sovereign purpose, according to His plan.

The Bigger Picture: The Mystery Revealed Through Paul

Paul is building a case to show that God’s dealings with Israel have shifted, but not ended. What happened was not plan B, but a hidden mystery now revealed.

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery… that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25)

This “mystery” was hidden from the prophets and only revealed through Paul (10 years after Pentecost, let that sink in), (Ephesians 3:1–9; Colossians 1:24–27). That Gentiles would be saved apart from Israel, apart from the Law, and apart from the covenants was unthinkable in Old Testament prophecy. But now, salvation has gone to the Gentiles—not because of their righteousness, but because of Israel’s unbelief (Romans 11:11).

The Gentile’s Role: Gratitude, Not Arrogance

We Gentiles must never boast. Paul will strongly warn against this in Romans 11:18–20. The root supports us—not the other way around. Israel’s fall has brought us blessing, but her future restoration is assured. The Church has not replaced Israel; we are a temporary insertion—a grafted branch, a parenthesis in God’s prophetic timeline.

Conclusion: A Faithful God, A Future for Israel

Romans 9:1–13 introduces a crucial theme: God’s promises have not failed. The current unbelief of Israel does not nullify God’s plan; it highlights it. God is sovereign, His Word stands, and His covenants endure. Israel’s past privileges and future restoration are part of the same unbroken purpose. The parenthesis we are in today—this dispensation of grace—will end. And when it does, God will resume His dealings with Israel exactly as prophesied.

The Church must remember: our salvation was a revealed mystery, a glorious detour, not a divine cancellation. And when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11:26). Until then, we preach Christ—crucified, risen, and coming again—grateful, humble, and in awe of His unfolding plan.