Teks -- Romans 11:35-36 (NET)

11:35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Rom 11:35 - First driven to him

First driven to him ( proedōken autōi ).

First aorist active indicative of prodidōmi , to give beforehand or first. Old verb, here alone in N.T. From Job 41:11, but not like the lxx, Paul’ s own translation.

Robertson: Rom 11:35 - Shall be recompensed

Shall be recompensed ( antapodothēsetai ).

First future passive of double compound antapodidōmi , to pay back (both anti and apo ), old word in good sense, as here and Luk 14:14; 1Th 3:9 and in bad sense as 2Th 1:6; Rom 12:19.

Robertson: Rom 11:36 - Of him

Of him ( ex autou )

, through him (di' autou ), unto him (eis auton ). By these three prepositions Paul ascribes the universe (ta panta ) with all the phenomena concerning creation, redemption, providence to God as the

Robertson: Rom 11:36 - Source

Source ( ex )

, the

Robertson: Rom 11:36 - Agent

Agent ( di )

, the

Robertson: Rom 11:36 - Goal

Goal ( eis ).

Robertson: Rom 11:36 - For ever

For ever ( eis tous aiōnas ).

"For the ages."Alford terms this doxology in Rom 11:33-36 "the sublimest apostrophe existing even in the pages of inspiration itself."

Vincent: Rom 11:35 - Who hath first given, etc

Who hath first given, etc.

From Job 41:3. Heb., Who has been beforehand with me that I should repay him ? Paul here follows the Aramaic translation. The Septuagint is: Who shall resist me and abide ?

Vincent: Rom 11:36 - Of - through - to

Of - through - to ( ἐξ - διά - εἰς )

Of , proceeding from as the source: through , by means of, as maintainer, preserver, ruler: to or unto , He is the point to which all tends. All men and things are for His glory (1Co 15:28). Alford styles this doxology " the sublimest apostrophe existing even in the pages of inspiration itself."

Wesley: Rom 11:35 - Given to him

Either wisdom or power?

Wesley: Rom 11:36 - Of him

As the Creator.

Wesley: Rom 11:36 - Through him

As the Preserver.

Wesley: Rom 11:36 - To him

As the ultimate end, are all things. To him be the glory of his riches, wisdom, knowledge.

Wesley: Rom 11:36 - Amen

A concluding word, in which the affection of the apostle, when it is come to the height, shuts up all.

JFB: Rom 11:34-35 - For who hath known the mind of the Lord?

See Job 15:8; Jer 23:18.

JFB: Rom 11:34-35 - or who hath been his counsellor

See Isa 40:13-14.

JFB: Rom 11:35 - Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him

"and shall have recompense made to him"

JFB: Rom 11:35 - again

See Job 35:7; Job 41:11. These questions, it will thus be seen, are just quotations from the Old Testament, as if to show how familiar to God's ancient people was the great truth which the apostle himself had just uttered, that God's plans and methods in the dispensation of His Grace have a reach of comprehension and wisdom stamped upon them which finite mortals cannot fathom, much less could ever have imagined, before they were disclosed.

JFB: Rom 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom

"to Him"

JFB: Rom 11:36 - be glory for ever. Amen

Thus worthily--with a brevity only equalled by its sublimity--does the apostle here sum up this whole matter. "OF Him are all things," as their eternal Source: "THROUGH HIM are all things," inasmuch as He brings all to pass which in His eternal counsels He purposed: "To Him are all things," as being His own last End; the manifestation of the glory of His own perfections being the ultimate, because the highest possible, design of all His procedure from first to last.

JFB: Rom 11:36 - On this rich chapter, Note, (1) It is an unspeakable consolation to know that in times of deepest religious declension and most extensive defection from the truth, the lamp of God has never been permitted to go out, and that a faithful remnant has ever existed

A remnant larger than their own drooping spirits could easily believe (Rom 11:1-5). (2) The preservation of this remnant, even as their separation at the first, is all of mere grace (Rom 11:5-6). (3) When individuals and communities, after many fruitless warnings, are abandoned of God, they go from bad to worse (Rom 11:7-10). (4) God has so ordered His dealings with the great divisions of mankind, "that no flesh should glory in His presence." Gentile and Jew have each in turn been "shut up to unbelief," that each in turn may experience the "mercy" which saves the chief of sinners (Rom. 11:11-32). (5) As we are "justified by faith," so are we "kept by the power of God through faith"--faith alone--unto salvation (Rom 11:20-32). (6) God's covenant with Abraham and his natural seed is a perpetual covenant, in equal force under the Gospel as before it. Therefore it is, that the Jews as a nation still survive, in spite of all the laws which, in similar circumstances, have either extinguished or destroyed the identity of other nations. And therefore it is that the Jews as a nation will yet be restored to the family of God, through the subjection of their proud hearts to Him whom they have pierced. And as believing Gentiles will be honored to be the instruments of this stupendous change, so shall the vast Gentile world reap such benefit from it, that it shall be like the communication of life to them from the dead. (7) Thus has the Christian Church the highest motive to the establishment and vigorous prosecution of missions to the Jews; God having not only promised that there shall be a remnant of them gathered in every age, but pledged Himself to the final ingathering of the whole nation assigned the honor of that ingathering to the Gentile Church, and assured them that the event, when it does arrive, shall have a life-giving effect upon the whole world (Rom 11:12-16, Rom 11:26-31). (8) Those who think that in all the evangelical prophecies of the Old Testament the terms "Jacob," "Israel," &c., are to be understood solely of the Christian Church, would appear to read the Old Testament differently from the apostle, who, from the use of those very terms in Old Testament prophecy, draws arguments to prove that God has mercy in store for the natural Israel (Rom 11:26-27). (9) Mere intellectual investigations into divine truth in general, and the sense of the living oracles in particular, as they have a hardening effect, so they are a great contrast to the spirit of our apostle, whose lengthened sketch of God's majestic procedure towards men in Christ Jesus ends here in a burst of admiration, which loses itself in the still loftier frame of adoration (Rom 11:33-36).

Clarke: Rom 11:35 - Or, who hath first given to him

Or, who hath first given to him - Who can pretend to have any demands upon God? To whom is he indebted? Have either Jews or Gentiles any right to his blessings? May not he bestow his favors as he pleases, and to whom he pleases? Does he do any injustice to the Jews in choosing the Gentiles! And was it because he was under obligation to the Gentiles that he has chosen them in the place of the Jews? Let him who has any claim on God prefer it; and he shall be compensated

But how can the Creator be indebted to the creature? How can the Cause be dependent on the effect? How can the Author of providence, and the Father of every good and perfect gift, be under obligation to them for whom he provides, and who are wholly dependent on his bounty?

Clarke: Rom 11:36 - For of him, etc.

For of him, etc. - This is so far from being the case, for εξ αυτου, of him, as the original designer and author; and δι ’ αυτου, By him, as the prime and efficient cause; and εις αυτον, To him, as the ultimate end for the manifestation of his eternal glory and goodness, are all things in universal nature, through the whole compass of time and eternity

The Emperor Marcus Antoninus ( εις ἑαυτον, lib. iv.) has a saying very much like this of St. Paul, which it is very probable he borrowed from this epistle to the Romans. Speaking of nature, whom he addresses as God, he says, Ω φυσις εκ σου παντα, εν σοι παντα, εις σε παντα ; O, Nature! Of thee are all things; In thee are all things; To thee are all things. Several of the Gentile philosophers had expressions of the same import, as may be seen in Wetstein’ s quotations

Clarke: Rom 11:36 - To whom be glory

To whom be glory - And let him have the praise of all his works, from the hearts and mouths of all his intelligent creatures, for ever - throughout all the generations of men. Amen - so be it! Let this be established for ever

I. The apostle considers the designs of God inscrutable, and his mode of governing the world incomprehensible. His designs, schemes, and ends are all infinite, and consequently unfathomable. It is impossible to account for the dispensations either of his justice or mercy. He does things under both these characters which far surpass the comprehension of men. But though his dispensations are a great deep, yet they are never self-contradictory: though they far surpass our reason, yet they never contradict reason; nor are they ever opposite to those ideas which God has implanted in man, of goodness, justice, mercy, and truth. But it is worthy of remark, that we can more easily account for the dispensations of his justice than we can for the dispensations of his mercy. We can every where see ten thousand reasons why he should display his justice; but scarcely can we find one reason why he should display his mercy. And yet, these displays of mercy for which we can scarcely find a reason, are infinitely greater and more numerous than his displays of justice, for which the reasons are, in a vast variety of cases, as obvious as they are multiplied. The sacrifice of Christ is certainly an infinite reason why God should extend, as he does, his mercy to all men; but Jesus Christ is the gift of God’ s love: who can account for the love that gave him to redeem a fallen world? The Jews have fallen under the displeasure of Divine justice: why they should be objects of this displeasure is at once seen in their ingratitude, disobedience, unbelief, and rebellion. But a most especial providence has watched over them, and preserved them in all their dispersions for 1700 years: who can account for this? Again, these very persons have a most positive promise of a future deliverance, both great and glorious: why should this be? The Gentile world was long left without a Divine revelation, while the Jews enjoyed one: who can account for this? The Jews are now cast out of favor, in a certain sense, and the reasons of it are sufficiently obvious; and the Gentiles, without any apparent reason, are taken into favor. In all these things his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways past finding out

II. Once more: Let it be remarked that, although God is every where promising and bestowing the greatest and most ennobling privileges, together with an eternal and ineffable glory, for which we can give no reason but his own endless goodness, through the death of his Son; yet, in no case does he remove those privileges, nor exclude from this glory, but where the reasons are most obvious to the meanest capacity

III. This epistle has been thought by some to afford proofs that God, by an eternal decree, had predestinated to eternal perdition millions of millions of human souls before they had any existence, except in his own purpose, and for no other reason but his sovereign pleasure! But such a decree can be no more found in this book, than such a disposition in the mind of Him who is the perfection, as he is the model, of wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy, and truth. May God save the reader from profaning his name, by suppositions at once so monstrous and absurd!

Calvin: Rom 11:35 - Who has first given to him, etc

35.Who has first given to him, etc Another reason, by which God’s righteousness is most effectually defended against all the accusations of the ungodly: for if no one retains him bound to himself by his own merits, no one can justly expostulate with him for not having received his reward; as he, who would constrain another to do him good, must necessarily adduce those deeds by which he has deserved a reward. The import then of Paul’s words is this — “God cannot be charged with unrighteousness, except it can be proved, that he renders not to every one his due: but it is evident, that no one is deprived by him of his right, since he is under obligation to none; for who can boast of any thing of his own, by which he has deserved his favor?” ³⁷⁶

Now this is a remarkable passage; for we are here taught, that it is not in our power to constrain God by our good works to bestow salvation on us, but that he anticipates the undeserving by his gratuitous goodness. But if we desire to make an honest examination, we shall not only find, that God is in no way a debtor to us, but that we are all subject to his judgment, — that we not only deserve no layout, but that we are worthy of eternal death. And Paul not only concludes, that God owes us nothing, on account of our corrupt and sinful nature; but he denies, that if man were perfect, he could bring anything before God, by which he could gain his favor; for as soon as he begins to exist, he is already by the right of creation so much indebted to his Maker, that he has nothing of his own. In vain then shall we try to take from him his own right, that he should not, as he pleases, freely determine respecting his own creatures, as though there was mutual debt and credit.

Calvin: Rom 11:36 - For from him and through him, etc // To him be glory, etc

36.For from him and through him, etc A confirmation of the last verse. He shows, that it is very far from being the case, that we can glory in any good thing of our own against God, since we have been created by him from nothing, and now exist through him. He hence infers, that our being should be employed for his glory: for how unreasonable would it be for creatures, whom he has formed and whom he sustains, to live for any other purpose than for making his glory known? It has not escaped my notice, that the phrase, εἰς αὐτὸν, to him, is sometimes taken for ἐν αὐτῷ , in or by him, but improperly: and as its proper meaning is more suitable to the present subject, it is better to retain it, than to adopt that which is improper. The import of what is said is, — That the whole order of nature would be strangely subverted, were not God, who is the beginning of all things, the end also.

To him be glory, etc The proposition being as it were proved, he now confidently assumes it as indubitable, — That the Lord’s own glory ought everywhere to continue to him unchangeably: for the sentence would be frigid were it taken generally; but its emphasis depends on the context, that. God justly claims for himself absolute supremacy, and that in the condition of mankind and of the whole world nothing is to be sought beyond his own glory. It hence follows, that absurd and contrary to reason, and even insane, are all those sentiments which tend to diminish his glory.

Defender: Rom 11:35 - recompensed

All of God's gifts are by grace, not for recompense. He needs nothing from us, but gives us all things in Christ (Rom 8:32)."

Defender: Rom 11:36 - all things

Christ created all things, sustains all things and reconciles all things (Col 1:16-20). God's Son "made the worlds" (Heb 1:2) in the past, is "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Heb 1:3) in the present, and will be heir of all things in the future (Heb 1:4). Jesus Christ is "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Rev 22:13), "the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Rev 1:8)."

TSK: Rom 11:35

Job 35:7, Job 41:11; Mat 20:15; 1Co 4:7

TSK: Rom 11:36 - of him // to whom

of him : 1Ch 29:11, 1Ch 29:12; Psa 33:6; Pro 16:4; Dan 2:20-23, Dan 4:3, Dan 4:34; Mat 6:13; Act 17:25, Act 17:26, Act 17:28; 1Co 8:6; Eph 4:6-10; Col 1:15-17; Rev 21:6

to whom : Gr. to him, Rom 16:27; Psa 29:1, Psa 29:2, Psa 96:7, Psa 96:8, Psa 115:1; Isa 42:12; Luk 2:14, Luk 19:38; Gal 1:5; Eph 3:21; Phi 4:20; 1Ti 1:17, 1Ti 6:16; 2Ti 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1Pe 5:11; 2Pe 3:18; Jud 1:25; Rev 1:5, Rev 1:6, Rev 4:10,Rev 4:11, Rev 5:12-14, Rev 7:10, Rev 19:1, Rev 19:6, Rev 19:7

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Rom 11:35

q.d. If any man hath obliged God, by any thing he hath done for him, he shall have an ample reward: alluding (as some think) to Job 41:11 . But seeing this cannot be, and that God is indebted unto none, therefore the salvation of all is of mere grace and mercy; and there is no cause of complaining, if he deal more bountifully with some than with others.

Poole: Rom 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things // To whom be glory for ever. Amen

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things i.e. all things are of him, as the efficient cause; through him, as the disposing cause; to him, as the final cause. They are of him, without any other motive; through him, without any assistance; and to him, without any other end, i.e. for his sake alone.

To whom be glory for ever. Amen: a usual doxology in Scripture: see Gal 1:5 2Ti 4:18 Heb 13:21 1Pe 5:11 .

Haydock: Rom 11:33-36 - O the depth // How incomprehensible are his judgments // Who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? // For of him

O the depth, &c. After he hath spoken of the mysteries of God's grace and predestination, of his mercy and justice, which we must not pretend to dive into, he concludes this part of his epistle, by an exclamation, to teach us submission of our judgment, as to the secrets of his providence, which we cannot comprehend. ---

How incomprehensible are his judgments, &c. ---

Who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? That is, no one, by any merit on his part, can first deserve God's favours and mercy, by which he prevents us. ---

For of him, from God, or from Jesus Christ, as God, and by him, who made, preserves, and governs all things, and in him, is our continual dependance: for in him we live, we move, and exist. In the Greek, it is unto him, [3] to signify he is also our last end. See the notes, John chap. i. (Witham) ---

All things are from God, as their first cause and creator; all things are by God, as the ruler and governor of the universe; and all things are in God, or (as the Greek has it) for God, because they are all directed to his honour and glory. For the hath made all things for himself. (Psalm xvi; St. Basil, lib. de Spiritu sto. chap. 5.)

Haydock: Rom 11:36

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Et in ipso, Greek: kai eis auton.

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Gill: Rom 11:35 - Or who hath first given to him // it shall be recompensed to him again

Or who hath first given to him,.... See Job 41:11; no man can give God anything, which he has not first given him, or which he has not a prior right to, or a claim upon him for; Adam, in innocence, was not able to give God anything, nor are the angels in heaven, much less sinful men on earth; their bodies and souls, and all their enjoyments, all that is good in them, or done by them, are from the Lord; men by all their good works, best duties and services, give nothing to God, nor lay him under any manner of obligation to them: hence no man can merit anything at the hands of God, if he could,

it shall be recompensed to him again; but it is impossible there should be merit in a creature, who has nothing but what he has from God, and does nothing but what he is obliged to do; and that not by his own strength, but by the grace and strength of God; and therefore there is no retribution made by God as of debt, but of grace: hence it follows, that God is indebted to, and obliged by none, and may do what he will with his own; love Jacob and hate Esau; choose one and not another; reject the Jews, and call the Gentiles; save and justify some, and not others; none can call him to account, or say unto him, what dost thou?

Gill: Rom 11:36 - For of him, and through him, and to him are all things // to whom be glory for ever // amen

For of him, and through him, and to him are all things,.... Not only all things in nature and providence, he being the Maker and efficient cause of things, and the preserver and supporter of them their beings, and to whose glory they are all designed and directed; but all things in grace owe their original to him, as their first cause; they are produced by him, and make for his glory; they all spring from his sovereign will, are brought about by his almighty power, and tend to the glory of his grace; as does every thing in election, redemption, and regeneration: particularly the counsels and purposes of God respecting men may be here meant; which all rise out of his own heart, without any motive or inducement to them in the creature; are accomplished by his divine power, notwithstanding all the opposition of men and devils; and all issue in his glory, even such of them as may seem to carry in them severity to some of his creatures: and since this is the case, the following doxology, or ascription of glory to God, is justly and pertinently made,

to whom be glory for ever; and which will be given to him by angels and men to all eternity, for the perfection of his being, the counsels of his will, and the works of his hands, both of nature and grace; to which the, apostle annexes his

amen, so be it, assenting to it, wishing for it, and believing of it.