Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 11:21
For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee.
21. the natural branches ] Persons who were, without any new interposition of mercy, born within the scope of the covenant and the light of revelation. Not that the state of human nature was less fallen in Jew than in Gentile, but that the course of nature led the Jew, as such, to light and privilege.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For if God … – If God did not refrain from rejecting the Jews who became unbelievers, assuredly he will not refrain from rejecting you in the same circumstances. It may be supposed that he will be quite as ready to reject the ingrafted branches, as to cast off those which belonged to the parent stock. The situation of the Gentiles is not such as to give them any security over the condition of the rejected Jew.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. For if God spared not the natural branches] If He, in his infinite justice and holiness, could not tolerate sin in the people whom he foreknew, whom he had so long loved, cherished, miraculously preserved and blessed; take heed lest he also spare not thee. Be convinced that the same righteous principle in him will cause him to act towards you as he has acted towards them, if you sin after the similitude of their transgression; and to this, self-sufficiency and self-confidence will soon lead you. Remember, therefore, the rock whence you were hewn, and the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. Depend incessantly on God’s free grace, that ye may abide in his favour.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This verse is a reason of the forementioned admonition: q.d. If God proceeded with so much severity against his ancient people the Jews, you Gentiles may in reason expect as great severity, if you take not heed to yourselves, and to your standing.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. For if God spared not thenatural branchessprung from the parent stem.
take heed lest he also sparenot theea mere wild graft. The former might, beforehand, havebeen thought very improbable; but, after that, no one can wonder atthe latter.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For if God spared not the natural branches,…. That is, executed his righteous judgments, inflicted due punishment upon the Jews, unchurched them, and stripped them of those privileges they enjoyed in a church state; who were the natural descendants of Abraham; were naturally, and as born into the world, in a national church state and in that national covenant God made with that people; to whom belonged a national adoption, in which sense they were the sons of God, his firstborn; they were chosen by him as a special and peculiar people, to very great favours and privileges; they were Christ’s own, he came of them according to the flesh, and was particularly sent unto them, and ministered among them; wherefore, if, at last, God did not spare this people, though he had for a long time done it, but stirred up all his wrath against them, they disbelieving his Son, rejecting and despising the Messiah, and salvation by him, this should awaken the fear, care, and caution of the Gentiles in a church state, lest if they behave not well, he should deal in like manner with them:
take heed lest he also spare not thee; for whatever was done to the Jews in former or latter times, are written for the instruction and admonition of Gentiles; and the use they are to make thereof is, to be careful and cautious, lest by imbibing principles derogatory from the grace of God and glory of Christ, or by an unbecoming walk and conversation they provoke the Lord to unchurch them as he has done the Jews before them; and which they may the rather fear, since the Jews were the natural branches, and they formerly strangers and aliens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Be not highminded ( ). “Stop thinking high (proud) thoughts.”
Of God spared not ( ). It is not (unless), but the negatives the verb (first aorist middle indicative of , to spare. Condition of first class.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “For if God spared not the natural branches”, (ei gar ho theos ton kata Phusin kladon ouk epheisato) “Because if God did not spare the natural branches,” in their rebellion against and rejection of him as savior, and he did not spare them his chastening judgment; The natural or native branches were those Jews interested only in the physical aspects or fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, and they were not spared, Luk 13:34-35; Luk 19:41-44.
2) “Take heed lest he also spare not thee,” (oude sou pheisetai) “Neither will he spare thee”; The warning “take heed” is here first directed to the church at Rome, to whom the letter was addressed, and second to the church as an institution, inclusive of each true church of the Lord, as also expressed by John to the Seven Churches of Asia, Rev 2:1 to Rev 3:22.
The implication and warning is that pride, self -righteousness, and complacency or indifference to the Word and will of God may cause his church, called from among the Gentiles as a people for his name’s sake, to be cut off from his blessings, and lose her candlestick, or influence. Mat 4:13-20; Mat 5:15-16; Act 15:13; and be spewed out of his mouth, Rev 2:5; Rev 3:15-19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21. For if God has not spared the natural branches, etc. This is a most powerful reason to beat down all self-confidence: for the rejection of the Jews should never come across our minds without striking and shaking us with dread. For what ruined them, but that through supine dependence on the dignity which they had obtained, they despised what God had appointed? They were not spared, though they were natural branches; what then shall be done to us, who are the wild olive and aliens, if we become beyond measure arrogant? But this thought, as it leads us to distrust ourselves, so it tends to make us to cleave more firmly and steadfastly to the goodness of God.
And here again it appears more evident, that the discourse is addressed generally to the body of the Gentiles, for the excision, of which he speaks, could not apply to individuals, whose election is unchangeable, based on the eternal purpose of God. Paul therefore declares to the Gentiles, that if they exulted over the Jews, a reward for their pride would be prepared for them; for God will again reconcile to himself the first people whom he has divorced.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) Take heed lest . . .The better reading seems to be to omit these words, neither will He spare thee.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21. Natural branches Who were born into the visible Church of God.
Thee Who art called in from Gentile and heathen lineage.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare you.’
For let them recognise that they are only allowed to be in the olive tree as a consequence of their faith in the Messiah. Let that faith but cease (demonstrating that it was not genuine, compare Mar 4:16-17) and they will soon discover that they are not spared.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Ver. 21. Take heed lest ] Cavebis autem si pavebis.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21. ] for if God did not spare the natural branches (the branches which grew according to natural development, and were not engrafted), (supply ‘I fear,’ or ‘it is to be feared,’ or simply ‘fear,’ or ‘take heed,’ as in ref.) lest He shall also not spare THEE. The fut. ind. with , the apparent incongruity of which has probably caused the variety of reading, implies, as Herm., Soph. Aj. 272, observes with regard to the ind. pres., ‘ ( ) verentis quidem est ne quid nunc sit ( futurum sit ), sed indicantis simul, putare, se ita esse ( futurum esse ), ut veretur.’ See Winer, edn. 6, 56. 2. b. , and 64. i. 7. a, also Col 2:8 ; Heb 3:12 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rom 11:21 . As far as comparisons can be made at all in such things, the Jews had been more securely invested in the kingdom than the Gentiles. They were, in the language of the figure, not artificially grafted, but native branches, on the tree of God’s people; yet even that did not prevent Him from cutting off those who did not believe. And if He did not spare them, He will not spare Gentiles either, if in pride they fall from faith. On see Winer, 599 f. The true reading of the last word is (not ), but Weiss would retain (see crit. note) even with this future, and supply the missing link of thought from : one may fear that he will not, etc. The ironical reserve of this (though the future makes the thing to be feared as certain as possible) is quite Pauline, and the ( [7] [8] [9] [10] ) may be genuine.
[7] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[8] Codex Augiensis (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Trinity College, Cambridge, edited by Scrivener in 1859. Its Greek text is almost identical with that of , and it is therefore not cited save where it differs from that MS. Its Latin version, f, presents the Vulgate text with some modifications.
[9] Codex Boernerianus (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Dresden, edited by Matthi in 1791. Written by an Irish scribe, it once formed part of the same volume as Codex Sangallensis ( ) of the Gospels. The Latin text, g, is based on the O.L. translation.
[10] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
natural = according to (App-104.) nature.
lest. The texts read “that”.
also spare not = neither (Greek. oude) spare.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
21.] for if God did not spare the natural branches (the branches which grew according to natural development, and were not engrafted),-(supply I fear, or it is to be feared, or simply fear, or take heed, as in ref.) lest He shall also not spare THEE. The fut. ind. with , the apparent incongruity of which has probably caused the variety of reading, implies, as Herm., Soph. Aj. 272, observes with regard to the ind. pres., () verentis quidem est ne quid nunc sit (futurum sit), sed indicantis simul, putare, se ita esse (futurum esse), ut veretur. See Winer, edn. 6, 56. 2. b. , and 64. i. 7. a, also Col 2:8; Heb 3:12.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 11:21. ) Repeat, .-) The Indicative, the particle being here in a manner disregarded, [by the Indie, instead of the subjunctive, the regular mood after ] has a more categorical [positive, unconditional] force. Baumgarten would rather read with . But Mart. Crusius shows, that , , , , are sometimes joined with the future indicative, Gram. Gr. Part I. page 867, and beside other examples, he specifies that passage of Demosthenes, . Blackwall has collected other examples in the Sacred Classics, p. 432, ed. Woll., where he praises this very passage of Paul on account of its elegance. Certainly language, framed, as this is, rather categorically, tends to excite fear [more than conditional or potential language, as would be.]
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 11:21
Rom 11:21
for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.-If God did not spare the children of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, whom he loved, take care as to your fidelity, lest he spare not you. He will no more tolerate unbelief and self-sufficiency in the Gentile than he did in the Jew.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
if God: Rom 11:17, Rom 11:19, Rom 8:32, Jer 25:29, Jer 49:12, 1Co 10:1-12, 2Pe 2:4-9, Jud 1:5
Reciprocal: Deu 29:20 – will not spare Isa 30:14 – he shall not Eze 5:11 – neither shall Heb 3:12 – Take
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
:21
Rom 11:21. If God cast off the Jews because of their unbelief, He surely will not continue his favor to the Gen tiles if they become unfaithful.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 11:21. For if God spared not, as had been the case, the natural (lit, according to nature) branches, i.e., the Jews who were not ingrafted but original branches of the patriarchal tree, he will also not spare thee. The more ancient authorities omit the word rendered lest which made it necessary to supply take heed, or, it is to be feared (Meyer). Internal grounds may be urged in favor of the longer reading, but the manuscript authority is decisive against it. Spare implies such an attitude in the person addressed as merits condemnation, so that nothing need be supplied.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Vv. 21. May not what has happened to the natural branches, happen to the engrafted branches? There is even here an a fortiori: For the engrafted branches being less homogeneous with the trunk than the natural branches, their rejection may take place more easily still, in case of unbelief. The Alex. reading rejects the conj. , from fear that; thus the meaning is: neither will He spare thee. But the T. R., with the Greco-Latins, reads before , and should be translated by borrowing from the word fear in the preceding verse the notion of fear: [fear] that He will no more spare thee. It is difficult to believe that a copyist would have introduced this form , lest, which softens the threat; it is more probable that this conjunction should have been omitted. Why? The other variant which the last word of this short proposition presents probably explains the reason. The future , will spare, which is read in all the Mjj., seemed incompatible with the conj. , which usually governs the subjunctive. Hence two kinds of corrections in opposite ways: the one (the Alex.) have rejected the conjunction, all the more that it was not dependent on any verb; and the others, the Byz. Mnn., have changed the indicative () into the subjunctive (.).
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. [Faith justified no boast, yet faith constituted the only divinely recognized distinction in the Gentiles’ favor, in estimating between the Gentile Christian and the cast-off Jew. All the past history of the Jew stood in his favor; therefore the Gentile has vastly more reason to fear than had the Jew; for if natural branches fell through false pride which induced unbelief, how much more likely the adopted branches were to be cut off. Again, he had more reason for fear than for pride; for being on trial as the Jews had been, he was succumbing to the same sin of self-righteous pride, and more liable to suffer the same rejection. Paul now presents the even-balanced equality of Jew and Gentile if weighed in the scales of merit instead of the new scales of grace-toward-faith.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
21. If God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.
Hence we see the same awful fate awaiting the Gentile dispensation, and as Jesus says, A time of trouble such as this world never saw, i. e., the great tribulation (Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13). Not only is all this prophetical, but the unprecedented magnitude of Gods righteous retributive judgments coming on the apostate Gentile Church will not be local, as in the case of the Jews, but universal, co-extensive with Christendom. God is not mocked; whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. The fearfully rapid apostasy of the Protestant churches is an awful omen of the rapidly approaching end of the Gentile age, and the terrible retributive judgments predicted in both Testaments.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
11:21 For if God spared not the {u} natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee.
(u) He calls them natural, not because they had any holiness by nature, but because they were born of those whom the Lord set apart for himself from other nations, by his league and covenant which he freely made with them.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Throughout this whole discussion Paul was viewing Gentile believers and Jewish unbelievers as two groups. This fact is clear from his use of the singular "you" in the Greek text (su, Rom 11:17-24). If he had been speaking of individual believers, we might conclude that this verse provides some basis for believing that a believer can lose his salvation. Paul’s point was, if God set aside Jews temporarily because of their unbelief, He could do the same with Gentiles because of their boasting.