Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
Parallel translations
- WEB Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac.
- KJV And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
- NKJV And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac
- NASB And not only that, but there was also Rebekah, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
- NLT This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul advances his argument to Rebekah, who conceived twins by one father, Isaac. This sets up an even clearer case of God's electing choice between Jacob and Esau.
Overview
Anticipating an objection that Isaac was chosen over Ishmael merely because of different mothers, Paul points to Rebekah's twins, who shared the same father and mother. Jacob and Esau had identical parentage, removing any human basis for distinguishing them. This prepares the way for the decisive demonstration in the next verses that God's choice rests on his own purpose, not on human qualifications.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 25:21–23Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
- Luke 16:26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’
- Rom 5:11Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
- Rom 5:3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
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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 9:10 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.
Original language
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