Romans 11

Read the chapter

¹I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? Far from it! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ✦ ²God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ✦ ³“Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ✦ ⁴But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ✦ ⁵In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. ✦ ⁶But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace. ✦ ⁷What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; ✦ ⁸just as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day.” ✦ ⁹And David says, “May their table become a snare and a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them. ✦ ¹⁰“May their eyes be darkened to see not, And bend their backs continually.” ✦ ¹¹I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it! But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. ✦ ¹²Now if their wrongdoing proves to be riches for the world, and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! ✦ ¹³But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Therefore insofar as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ✦ ¹⁴if somehow I may move my own people to jealousy and save some of them. ✦ ¹⁵For if their rejection proves to be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ✦ ¹⁶If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are as well. ✦ ¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, ✦ ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. ✦ ¹⁹You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ✦ ²⁰Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; ✦ ²¹for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ✦ ²²See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off. ✦ ²³And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. ✦ ²⁴For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? ✦ ²⁵For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; ✦ ²⁶and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” ✦ ²⁷“This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” ✦ ²⁸In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers; ✦ ²⁹for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ✦ ³⁰For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ✦ ³¹so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ✦ ³²For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all. ✦ ³³Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! ✦ ³⁴For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? ✦ ³⁵Or who has first given to Him, that it would be paid back to him? ✦ ³⁶For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

In this chapter

Concept Wisdom

Where this chapter connects

Rom 11 ·32 Rom 9 ·13 Eph 3 ·10 Eph 2 ·7 Rom 3 ·7 Acts 13 ·6 1 Cor 10 ·5 Jude 1 ·5

Christ at the center

Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.

How Romans 11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

★ Start hereVideoBibleProject — video overviews & word studiesBibleProject · 5–10 min · Free · evangelical
Free animated overviews of every book of the Bible, plus themes and Hebrew/Greek word studies — the best visual on-ramp to any book. (Biblical-theology, broadly evangelical, not distinctly Reformed.)
★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical
A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.
VideoMike Winger — BibleThinkerMike Winger · Free · reformed
Free verse-by-verse studies through whole books plus careful apologetics — "learn to think biblically about everything." (Reformed-leaning, non-denominational.)

Pastoral

★ Start hereSermonMLJ Trust — Martyn Lloyd-Jones sermonsMartyn Lloyd-Jones · Free · reformed
1,600+ free sermons from "the Doctor," including landmark verse-by-verse series (Romans, John, Ephesians, Acts) — a gold standard of expository preaching.
SermonGrace to You — John MacArthurJohn MacArthur · Free · reformed
Decades of careful verse-by-verse expository sermons, especially through the New Testament. (MacArthur, d. 2025; archive remains free.)
SermonGospel in Life — Tim KellerTim Keller · Free · reformed
Tim Keller's gospel-centered preaching — sermons stream free (the complete downloadable archive is paid).
ArticleRecommended NT commentaries (9Marks / Schreiner)Thomas R. Schreiner · Free · reformed
A trusted pastor-oriented guide to the best commentary on each New Testament book.
SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical
Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.
VideoVerse By Verse Ministry InternationalVerse By Verse Ministry Int'l · Free · evangelical
In-depth, verse-by-verse expository teaching book-by-book — strong for working straight through a whole New Testament book.
VideoLook at the Book — John PiperJohn Piper · Free · reformed
Watch Piper trace the logic of a passage phrase by phrase on screen — a model of close reading.

Commentaries & study tools

VideoBibleProject — Romans videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
VideoWatch teaching on Romans 11YouTube · Lay · Free
Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.
CommentaryEnduring Word — Romans 11David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical
Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.
CommentaryMatthew Henry on RomansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — Romans 11Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free
Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

← Romans 10 Romans 12 →