Roma 9:30--10:3

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

9:30 What shall we say then? – that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, 9:31 but Israel even though pursuing ¹  a law of righteousness ²  did not attain it. ³  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ⁴  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ⁵  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ⁶  9:33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, ⁷ 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ⁸ 

10:1 Brothers and sisters, ⁹  my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites ¹⁰  is for their salvation. 10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, ¹¹  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. ¹²  10:3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

[9:31]  ¹ tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  ² tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  ³ tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  ⁴ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ⁵ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  tn Grk “but as by works.”

[9:32]  ⁶ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[9:33]  ⁷ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  ⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

[10:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[10:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “on behalf of them”; the referent (Paul’s fellow Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  ¹² tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[10:2]  sn Their zeal is not in line with the truth means that the Jews’ passion for God was strong, but it ignored the true righteousness of God (v. 3; cf. also 3:21).