Romans — Chapter 10
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1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation.
2For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
3Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
5For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things will live by them.”
6But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)
7or, ‘Who will descend into the Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
11It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
12For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?
15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
19I ask instead, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without understanding.”
20And Isaiah boldly says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me.”
21But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
1Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
6But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
7Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
19But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
20But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
21But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
1Brethren, my heart`s desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved.
2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3For being ignorant of God`s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
4For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth.
5For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law shall live thereby.
6But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:)
7or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach:
9because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:
10for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same [Lord] is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him:
13for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!
16But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17So belief [cometh] of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
18But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, Their sound went out into all the earth, And their words unto the ends of the world.
19But I say, Did Israel not know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, With a nation void of understanding will I anger you.
20And Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I became manifest unto them that asked not of me.
21But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
1Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation.
2For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth.
3For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.
5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.”
6But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach),
9because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.
11For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him.
13For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
14How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?
15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”
16But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
18But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
19But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”
20And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.”
21But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!”
1Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved.
2For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
4For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.”
6But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down);
7or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)”
8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”; that is, the word of faith, which we preach:
9that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him.
13For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?
15And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
19But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry.”
20Isaiah is very bold, and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”
21But as to Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Summary
Paul shares his heartfelt desire and prayer that Israel would be saved, noting that they have zeal for God but not according to knowledge, since they sought to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to God's (vv. 1-3). He declares that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, contrasting the righteousness of the law with the righteousness of faith, which does not require impossible feats but simply says the word is near, in the mouth and in the heart (vv. 4-8). Paul states that confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised him from the dead brings salvation, and that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek since the same Lord is generous to all who call on him (vv. 9-13). He then reasons that people cannot call on, believe in, or hear about someone without a preacher being sent, concluding that faith comes through hearing the message about Christ (vv. 14-17). Paul closes by showing that Israel did hear the message but did not all obey it, just as Moses and Isaiah foretold that God would reach a disobedient and contrary people through those who were not looking for him (vv. 18-21).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines Israel's misguided zeal, Christ as the end of the Law, the simplicity of salvation, and the necessity of preaching.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- Crossway: crossway.org On the whole letter: why Romans has carried the weight it has in church history.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Romans -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Zeal Without Knowledge (vv.2-3) — Paul says Israel had genuine zeal for God but pursued their own righteousness instead of submitting to God's. Where might you be sincerely working hard at faith while missing what God actually asks — simple trust in Christ?
- Christ Is the End of the Law (v.4) — Paul declares that Christ, not law-keeping, is the goal and fulfillment of righteousness for everyone who believes. Have you stopped trying to earn righteousness and started simply receiving it by faith?
- Confess and Believe (v.9) — Paul lays out saving faith as both an inward belief in Christ's resurrection and an outward confession of Him as Lord. Is your faith something you've genuinely believed in your heart and are willing to say out loud?
- No Faith Without a Messenger (v.14) — Paul argues people can't call on someone they haven't heard about, and can't hear without someone telling them. Who in your life has never clearly heard the gospel from you?
- Faith Comes by Hearing God's Word (v.17) — Paul locates the source of faith not in feelings or arguments but in hearing God's message. How much of your own faith is currently being fed by regularly hearing God's Word?
- God's Patient, Outstretched Hands (v.21) — Paul closes by quoting God's persistent reach toward a disobedient and resistant people, arms open all day long. How is God's patience with you showing up right now, and how are you responding to it?