The Meaning of Romans 9:29 Explained

Romans 9:29

KJV: And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

YLT: and according as Isaiah saith before, 'Except the Lord of Sabaoth did leave to us a seed, as Sodom we had become, and as Gomorrah we had been made like.'

Darby: And according as Esaias said before, Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and made like even as Gomorrha.

ASV: And, as Isaiah hath said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  as  Esaias  said before,  Except  the Lord  of Sabaoth  had left  us  a seed,  we had been  as  Sodoma,  and  been made like  unto  Gomorrha. 

What does Romans 9:29 Mean?

Study Notes

Lord of
LORD of hosts. Isaiah 1:9 .

Verse Meaning

If God had not tempered His judgment with mercy He would have destroyed Israel as completely as He had Sodom and Gomorrah. The remnant of believers among the mass of racial Jews is proof of God"s mercy to the children of Israel.

Context Summary

Romans 9:25-33 - Stumbling Over The Cornerstone
There has been a notable transference of privilege from the Jew to the Gentile believer. This is not due to fickleness on God's part, but to a fatal defect in the Hebrew people. The vessel that was marred in the potter's hand suffered not from the clumsiness of the potter, but from some inherent flaw in the clay. The Chosen People stumbled over the law of faith and rejected their Messiah. The Gentiles, on the other hand, have exercised faith in Him, and have thereby attained a justifying righteousness. There is no caprice with God, "neither shadow that is cast by turning," James 1:17. Any apparent change in His dealings is determined by our attitude toward Him.
Jesus is a stone of stumbling to the blind, but all who confide in Him and rest on Him shall not be put to shame. God has laid the foundation of our salvation deep in the waters of death and judgment. In the death of Christ He condemned sin in the flesh, and now we who are built into Him, as a stone is clamped to the foundation, shall rest secure when the last great storms sweep over land and sea. [source]

Chapter Summary: Romans 9

1  Paul is sorry for the Jews
7  All of Abraham not of the promise
18  God's sovereignty
25  The calling of the Gentiles and rejecting of the Jews, foretold
32  The cause of their stumbling

Greek Commentary for Romans 9:29

Hath said before [προειρηκεν]
Perfect active indicative of προειπον — proeipon (defective verb). Stands on record in Isaiah 1:9. [source]
Had left [εγκατελιπεν]
Second aorist active indicative of old verb εγκαταλειπω — egkataleipō to leave behind. Condition of second class, determined as unfulfilled, with αν εγενητημεν — an egenēthēmen and αν ωμοιωτημεν — an hōmoiōthēmen as the conclusions (both first aorist passives of γινομαι — ginomai and ομοιοω — homoioō common verbs). A seed (σπερμα — sperma). The remnant of Romans 9:27. [source]
A seed [σπερμα]
The remnant of Romans 9:27. [source]
Said before [προείρηκεν]
Not in a previous passage, but by way of prediction. [source]
Seed []
Following the Septuagint, which thus renders the Hebrew remnant. See Romans 9:27. Like the remnant of corn which the farmer leaves for seed. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Romans 9:29

Galatians 4:12 I am as ye are [κἀγὼ ὡς ἐγώ]
Rather, I became. Supply ἐγενόμην or γέγονα . Become as I am, for I became a Gentile like you. Comp. Philemon 3:7, Philemon 3:8. For the phrase γινέσθαι ὡς tobecome as, see Matthew 6:16; Romans 9:29; 1 Corinthians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 9:20-22. [source]
2 Timothy 4:10 Forsook me [με εγκατελειπεν]
Imperfect (MSS. also have aorist, εγκατελιπεν — egkatelipen) active of the old double compound verb εγκαταλειπω — egkataleipō for which see note on Romans 9:29. Clearly in contrast to 2 Timothy 4:9 and in the sense of 1 Timothy 6:17, wilful desertion. Only mentioned elsewhere in Colossians 4:14. [source]
James 5:4 Lord of Sabaoth []
Lord of hosts. The only instance in which the phrase is used by a New-Testament writer. Romans 9:29, is quoted from Isaiah 1:9. [source]
James 5:4 Labourers [εργατων]
Any one who works Genitive plural of the articular first aorist active participle of αμαω — amaō (from αμα — hama together), old verb, to gather together, to reap, here only in N.T.Fields Estates or farms (Luke 12:16).Which is of you kept back by fraud (ο απυστερημενος απ υμων — ho aphusterēmenos aph' humōn). Perfect passive articular participle of απυστερεω — aphustereō late compound (simplex υστερεω — hustereō common as Matthew 19:20), to be behindhand from, to fail of, to cause to withdraw, to defraud. Pitiful picture of earned wages kept back by rich Jews, old problem of capital and labour that is with us yet in acute form.The cries Old word from which βοαω — boaō comes (Matthew 3:3), here only in N.T. The stolen money “cries out” Genitive plural of the articular participle first aorist active of τεριζω — therizō (old verb from τερος — theros summer, Matthew 24:32), to reap, to harvest while summer allows (Matthew 6:26).Have entered Perfect active third person plural indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai old and common compound, to go or come into. This late form is by analogy of the aorist for the usual form in ασι — ̇asi the Lord of Sabaoth “Of the Lord of Hosts,” quotation from Isaiah 5:9 as in Romans 9:29, transliterating the Hebrew word for “Hosts,” an expression for the omnipotence of God like Παντοκρατωρ — Pantokratōr (Revelation 4:8). God hears the cries of the oppressed workmen even if the employers are deaf. [source]
James 5:4 Fields [χωρας]
Estates or farms (Luke 12:16).Which is of you kept back by fraud (ο απυστερημενος απ υμων — ho aphusterēmenos aph' humōn). Perfect passive articular participle of απυστερεω — aphustereō late compound (simplex υστερεω — hustereō common as Matthew 19:20), to be behindhand from, to fail of, to cause to withdraw, to defraud. Pitiful picture of earned wages kept back by rich Jews, old problem of capital and labour that is with us yet in acute form.The cries Old word from which βοαω — boaō comes (Matthew 3:3), here only in N.T. The stolen money “cries out” Genitive plural of the articular participle first aorist active of τεριζω — therizō (old verb from τερος — theros summer, Matthew 24:32), to reap, to harvest while summer allows (Matthew 6:26).Have entered Perfect active third person plural indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai old and common compound, to go or come into. This late form is by analogy of the aorist for the usual form in ασι — ̇asi the Lord of Sabaoth “Of the Lord of Hosts,” quotation from Isaiah 5:9 as in Romans 9:29, transliterating the Hebrew word for “Hosts,” an expression for the omnipotence of God like Παντοκρατωρ — Pantokratōr (Revelation 4:8). God hears the cries of the oppressed workmen even if the employers are deaf. [source]
James 5:4 The cries [αι βοαι]
Old word from which βοαω — boaō comes (Matthew 3:3), here only in N.T. The stolen money “cries out” Genitive plural of the articular participle first aorist active of τεριζω — therizō (old verb from τερος — theros summer, Matthew 24:32), to reap, to harvest while summer allows (Matthew 6:26).Have entered Perfect active third person plural indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai old and common compound, to go or come into. This late form is by analogy of the aorist for the usual form in ασι — ̇asi the Lord of Sabaoth “Of the Lord of Hosts,” quotation from Isaiah 5:9 as in Romans 9:29, transliterating the Hebrew word for “Hosts,” an expression for the omnipotence of God like Παντοκρατωρ — Pantokratōr (Revelation 4:8). God hears the cries of the oppressed workmen even if the employers are deaf. [source]
James 5:4 Have entered [εισεληλυταν]
Perfect active third person plural indicative of εισερχομαι — eiserchomai old and common compound, to go or come into. This late form is by analogy of the aorist for the usual form in ασι — ̇asi the Lord of Sabaoth “Of the Lord of Hosts,” quotation from Isaiah 5:9 as in Romans 9:29, transliterating the Hebrew word for “Hosts,” an expression for the omnipotence of God like Παντοκρατωρ — Pantokratōr (Revelation 4:8). God hears the cries of the oppressed workmen even if the employers are deaf. [source]

What do the individual words in Romans 9:29 mean?

And as foretold Isaiah If not [the] Lord of Hosts had left us descendants like Sodom - we would have become Gomorrah we would have been made
Καὶ καθὼς προείρηκεν Ἠσαΐας Εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν Γόμορρα ὡμοιώθημεν

προείρηκεν  foretold 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προλέγω 
Sense: to say beforehand, to predict.
Ἠσαΐας  Isaiah 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἠσαί̈ας  
Sense: a famous Hebrew prophet who prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
Κύριος  [the]  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Σαβαὼθ  of  Hosts 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: Σαβαώθ  
Sense: “Lord of Sabaoth”.
ἐγκατέλιπεν  had  left 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐγκαταλείπω  
Sense: abandon, desert.
ἡμῖν  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
σπέρμα  descendants 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: σπέρμα  
Sense: from which a plant germinates.
ὡς  like 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὡς 
Sense: as, like, even as, etc.
Σόδομα  Sodom 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: Σόδομα  
Sense: a city destroyed by the Lord raining fire and brimstone on it.
ἂν  - 
Parse: Particle
Root: ἄν  
Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV.
ἐγενήθημεν  we  would  have  become 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 1st Person Plural
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
Γόμορρα  Gomorrah 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: Γόμορρα  
Sense: a city in eastern part of Judah that was destroyed when the Lord rained fire and brimstone on it; now covered by the Dead Sea.
ὡμοιώθημεν  we  would  have  been  made 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 1st Person Plural
Root: ὁμοιόω  
Sense: to be made like.