ROM 11:12 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:11–24: Do not be arrogant toward Jews who do not believe in Jesus

In this section, Paul asked his readers if God has rejected the Jews forever. He answered his own question, indicating that God has not. At that time many Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ/Messiah. As a result, God made the message about Jesus known to people who were not Jews. But God will one day include the Jews and save them through Jesus too.

Paul then spoke directly to the believers who were not Jews. He said that he boasted about his ministry to the non-Jews so as to make the Jews jealous of the results of his ministry among the Gentiles. Then maybe some would be curious and begin believing in Jesus. When God accepts their faith in Jesus, it will be like they rose from the dead.

Paul then used some metaphors to illustrate his point that God has not rejected forever the Jews who, at that time, did not believe in Jesus as the Christ. He showed that if some Jews were holy, then all were, in the same way that a part of a batch of dough represents the whole batch. And the branches of a tree that is holy are themselves holy, even if they have been broken off to allow branches from a different tree to be joined into the trunk. He used the picture of the branches of that different tree to represent the believers who were not Jews.

He reminded the believers who were not Jews of God’s kindness toward them. He told them to always be mindful of that kindness rather than being proud of themselves. He warned them that God is able to do to them as he did to the Jews who do not believe in Jesus, if they became proud of themselves.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

Do not look down on Jews who have not accepted Jesus as the Christ

Many Gentiles believing in Jesus will make the Jews want that blessing too

11:12a

But if their trespass means riches for the world,

And/But if it is true that their fall/sin causes the world to have abundant blessings,
The Jews sinned, and so God blessed the other peoples/people-groups in the world very much.

11:12a is very similar in meaning to 11:12b. After translating them, see the General Comment on 11:12a–b below.

But: Here the word But introduces another thing that Paul wanted to say. For example:

And (NJB)

Now (ESV)

The sin… (GNT)

if their trespass means riches for the world: Here the word if introduces a situation that is true. If this first part is true, that supports the second part (God fully including the Jews will mean much more (11:12c)) to also be true.

In some languages, using an if-clause would have a different meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

if you agree that their trespass means riches for the world

their trespass means riches for the world, so

See how you translated this kind of if in 3:5 or 11:6.

trespass: This word refers to doing something wrong or bad against God. See how you translated this word in 11:11c.

means: There is no verb in the Greek here. Usually, “be/is” is implied. Here “their trespass” leads to “riches for the world.” So some English versions add a verb like means. Here are other words that can be added here:

brought (GNT)

caused

riches for: Here the word riches refers to an abundance of blessings related to salvation. It does not refer to earthly money or treasure. Here are other ways to translate this word:

a great gain to (NJB)

an abundance for

great blessings to

greatly helps

See how you translated this word in 2:4 or 9:23.

world: Here this word refers to all people in the world, not the ground itself. Some languages must refer to the people rather than just the earth. For example:

the collective-people on this earthKankanaey Back Translation on TW.

all mankindWestern Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation on TW.

11:12b

and their failure means riches for the Gentiles,

and if it is true that they have failed, and it causes the Gentiles to have abundant blessings,
Indeed, the Jews fell regarding Jesus, and so God blessed the non-Jews very much.

failure: There are several ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as failure:

It means failure here, as in the BSB. The word here refers to a lack of success in doing something. (BSB, RSV, NASB, ESV, GW)
It means loss here, as in the NIV. The word here refers to losing something or failing to keep it. (NIV, GNT, NJB, CEV, NCV)
It means defeat here. Israel was defeated in the sense that in their spiritual battle to get right with God, they did not attain that goal because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah. For example:
defeat (NRSV) (NRSV, NET)
It means a decrease in number here. For example:
diminished number (NABRE) (KJV, NABRE)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because:

The Greek lexicons do not support interpretation (4).
Some scholars support interpretation (3), but it is hard to understand how the meaning of “defeat” applies here unless the idea of spiritual battle is introduced into this verse.
The meaning of “loss” is supported in the Greek lexicons but a more active sense of failure is preferable here.Moo (page 689) says, “Greek words ending in -μα usually denote the result of an action.” In this case, Israel failed to do something, which probably refers to becoming righteous (10:3, 11:7).

Paul did not say what the Jews failed at. It is implied that they failed to accept Jesus as their Messiah/Savior. In some languages a literal translation would have the wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:
Paul implied/meant that the Jews failed to accept Jesus as their Messiah/Savior.
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
failed regarding Jesus
failed to believe in Jesus

riches: This word has the same meaning as in 11:12a.

Gentiles: Here this word refers to all people-groups except the Jews.

General Comment on 11:12a–b

11:12a is very similar in meaning to 11:12b. It is a Hebrew poetic form. The second line helps explain the first line. The two lines together strengthen the meaning. In some languages saying something again with similar words has a different meaning/function. If that is true in your language, indicate the correct meaning in one line. For example:

Now if their sin and failure means riches for the Gentiles of this world

Now if their sin of failing to accept Jesus as the Messiah/Christ/Savior means abundant blessings for the world, that is, the Gentiles

11:12c

how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

then when their fullness/inclusion occurs, the abundant blessings will be even greater!
Therefore, God will bless them/the-non-Jews much more when the full number of Jews believe in Jesus.

how much greater riches will their fullness bring: The phrase how much greater indicates that if the failure of the Jews produced a good result in the world, their inclusion will mean an even better result. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

So the inclusion of Jewish people will make the world even richer. (GW)

So surely the world will receive much richer blessings… (NCV)

how: Here this word strengthens the phrase “much more.” It does not make this clause a question here. See the above examples.

fullness: The basic meaning of the Greek word that the BSB translates as fullness is “a full measure of something.” Here are the four main ways to interpret the Greek word:

The fullness refers to being completely included in God’s kingdom of faith in Jesus. For example:
full inclusion (ESV) (RSV, NIV11, ESV, GW)
The fullness refers to the number of Jews who will believe in Jesus as many as could be. For example:
complete number (GNT) (GNT, NABRE)
Translate in a way that allows these various interpretations. For example:
fullness (NIV84) (BSB, NIV84, KJV)
The full-ness refers to restoring the Jews to their previous position, fully accepted. For example:
full restoration (NET) (NJB, CEV, NET)

The Greek word can mean both interpretations (1) and (2). But many languages do not have a word that would cover both. So it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But some languages have a word that can imply both interpretations (1) and (2). In that case you may want to follow interpretation (3). The lexicons and scholars do not support interpretation (4).Moo, Longenecker, Cranfield, Dunn, and Schreiner translate following interpretation (3). Jewett translates following interpretation (2). Morris (page 408) says, “The meaning of fullness is not clear. Either the fulfilling of God’s will or the bringing in of the full number of the Jews gives good sense and marks a contrast with the situation in which Paul found himself.”

bring: The BSB adds this word for natural English, just as it adds the word “means” in 11:12a–b. Use the same word or meaning here as there.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

εἰ & τὸ παράπτωμα αὐτῶν, πλοῦτος κόσμου, καὶ τὸ ἥττημα αὐτῶν, πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν

if & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τό παράπτωμα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος κόσμου καί τό ἥττημα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον τό πλήρωμα αὐτῶν)

Both of these clauses mean basically the same thing. Paul uses them to emphasize what he is saying. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you could use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [if their transgression certainly resulted in wealth for the nations]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἰ

Paul is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what John is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [since]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὸ παράπτωμα αὐτῶν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τό παράπτωμα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος κόσμου καί τό ἥττημα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον τό πλήρωμα αὐτῶν)

See how you translated transgression in the previous verse.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

πλοῦτος κόσμου

riches ˱of˲_˓the˒_world_‹is›

Paul is using the possessive form to describe wealth that is for the world. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [is wealth for the world]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

κόσμου

˱of˲_˓the˒_world_‹is›

Here, world refers to the people living in the world, especially the Gentiles. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [of the people living in the world]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὸ ἥττημα αὐτῶν & τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of loss and fullness, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [what they lost … how full they are]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τὸ ἥττημα αὐτῶν & τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν

Here, loss refers to Israel’s failure to make themselves righteous, and fullness refers to the complete number of Israelites who will become righteous by trusting in Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [their failure … their full number of believers]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν

riches riches ˱of˲_˓the˒_pagans

Paul is using the possessive form to describe wealth that is for the Gentiles. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: [is wealth for the Gentiles]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν?

˱by˲_how_much more (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τό παράπτωμα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος κόσμου καί τό ἥττημα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν πόσῳ μᾶλλον τό πλήρωμα αὐτῶν)

Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form here to emphasize the truth of what he is saying. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [so much more will be their fullness!]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν?

Paul implies that there will be much more wealth when the full amount of Israelites believe in Jesus. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [in how much more wealth will their fullness result]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.