ROM 11:17 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

11:17a

Now if some branches have been broken off,

And if some of the/those branches have been broken off,
God has broken some of the branches at the trunk of the tree and removed them.

Now: Beginning with this verse, Paul made a new point using the metaphor of a tree. In some languages an “and,” another connecting word or phrase, or no conjunction would better indicate that meaning. For example:

And

It is as if… (NCV)

If… (NIV)

if: Here the word if introduces a situation that is true. If this first part is true, that supports the second part. See how you translated this word in 11:16a.

some branches have been broken off: This clause is passive. 11:20–21 indicate that God broke them off. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

someone broke off some of the branches

God broke off some of the branches

some branches: In the figure of speech here, these branches represent Jews who did not believe in Jesus. If a literal translation would refer only to actual branches, you may want to:

Translate this phrase literally and explain it in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:
In this verse, these branches represent Jews who did not believe in Jesus.
Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
some of the branches, namely, the unbelieving Jews

have been broken off: This phrase refers to breaking the branch at or near the trunk of the tree so that it is no longer attached to the tree. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

were broken away

were broken at the trunk and removed

11:17b

and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others

and you^(sing), as wild olive branches, were joined to that tree among the remaining branches,
And he took you^(plur), like someone cutting and tying wild olive branches into that cultivated tree, and joined you to God’s people.

you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

someone/God grafted you in, even though you were a wild olive shoot

you: This pronoun is singular. Paul used it to speak to each believer, and he implied believers who are not Jews. In some languages a singular you would only be used in a letter addressed to one person. If that is true in your language, use the plural you.

The meaning of this word is emphasized in the Greek. For example:

you yourself/yourselves

You now who are GentilesKankanaey Back Translation on TW.

as for you who are not JewsWestern Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation on TW.

a wild olive shoot: This phrase describes the word “you,” referring here to Gentile believers. It also indicates a contrast to the other branches of this olive tree. In this figure of speech, the olive tree is God’s chosen people.Schreiner (page 604). Before Jesus came to earth as the Christ/Messiah, God’s chosen people were the Jews and they believed in God because of their culture, history, prophecies, stories, and instruction written in their holy book, what we now call the Old Testament. Jews who do not believe in Jesus are like the branches broken off. The Gentiles who believe in Jesus are like wild olive tree branches, in that in the past they were not nurtured by God and his Word. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

being a wild olive (NASB)

even though you are from a wild olive tree

wild olive shoot: Here the word wild refers to something that people do not usually plant and take care of. Here it is in contrast to the same kind of plant that people plant and take care of. A wild olive tree grows well but produces few olives. A cultivated olive produces many olives but is easily damaged. But the word wild indicates that the Gentiles did not have the same relationship with God as the Jews did, where he taught, encouraged, and corrected them. Here are other ways to translate this word:

untamed olive tree

olive tree from the wilderness

olive: The olive tree produces a small oval fruit. The fruit contains oil, which was used in cooking and burned in lamps for light.

Many languages will borrow this name and spell it as the people who speak their language would say it.

shoot: The Greek word refers to the olive tree in a general way. Normally a branch is grafted. But separating the branch from the wild olive tree is not the focus of the figure of speech here. That is probably why the BSB uses the word shoot. Here the word shoot refers to a new growth on a plant, but the fact that it is new is not important here. Use the usual word for the part of the plant that is grafted here. For example:

branch (GNT)

piece of a wild olive tree

have been grafted in: This phrase refers to taking part of one plant and connecting it to another plant so that the new piece will continue to live and grow. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

joined to (NCV)

stuck onUma Back Translation on TW.

caused it to grow thereWestern Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation on TW.

among the others: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the BSB translates as among the others:

It refers to the branches that were not broken off from the cultivated olive tree (11:16). For example, the Kankanaey Back Translation says:
you would join the original branches that were left (BSB, NIV, NJB, ESV, NASB, KJV, NET, REB)
It indicates that the wild olive shoots replace the branches of the cultivated olive tree which were broken off. For example:
in their place (RSV) (RSV, NABRE, GW, CEV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because it fits the context better.Moo, Longenecker, Cranfield, Dunn, Schreiner, and Jewett support interpretation (1).

11:17c

to share in the nourishment of the olive root,

and you are sharing with them in the rich root of the olive tree,
And so you share in the abundantly providing root of the olive tree with the other branches.

to share: The Greek word here refers to someone who participates in something with someone else. Here grafted wild olive branches and the natural branches all receive sap from the tree and its roots.

in the nourishment of the olive root: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the nourishment is more literally “the root of the richness.” There is a textual issue here about this phrase:

Some Greek manuscripts have the words of-the root of-the richness. It indicates that there is one part of the olive tree, which is also described as having nourishment. (BSB, NIV, NJB, NASB, NRSV, NABRE, ESV, NLT, GW, NET)
Some Greek manuscripts have the words of-the root and of-the richness. It indicates that there are two parts of the olive tree mentioned here. For example:
the root and fatness of the olive tree (KJV) (KJV, REB)
Some Greek manuscripts have the words of-the richness. For example:
the richness of the olive tree (RSV) (RSV, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), because the Greek NT 5 recommends it as most likely the original text here.

nourishment of the olive root: The Greek text is literally “root of the richness.” It indicates that the root of the tree abundantly supplies what the branches need. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

rich root (NABRE)

the growth-causing sap which comes from its rootKankanaey Back Translation on TW.

root: Many scholars believe the root refers to Abraham or perhaps Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as in 11:16.

Many English versions translate literally and so do not interpret this figure of speech in their translation. Many scholars also translate literally. If you explained this word in 11:16, you should not need to explain it again here.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

εἰ

Here, if indicates that this verse and the next verse are one conditional sentence. You may need to adjust the words to divide these verses into separate sentences.

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 Paul is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [since]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

εἰ & τινες τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν, σὺ δὲ ἀγριέλαιος ὢν ἐνεκεντρίσθης ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ συνκοινωνὸς τῆς ῥίζης τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἐλαίας ἐγένου

if & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τινές τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν σύ δέ ἀγριέλαιος ὤν ἐνεκεντρίσθης ἐν αὐτοῖς καί συγκοινωνός τῆς ῥίζης τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἐλαίας ἐγένου)

Paul continues using the metaphor of a tree to speak about how God rejected unbelieving Jews and accepted non-Jews to be part of his people instead. The olive tree represents God’s people. The branches that were broken off represent Jews who don’t believe in Jesus. The wild olive branch represents non-Jewish people who believe in Jesus. The richness represents the blessings God gives his people. The root represents either the ancestors of the Israelites (as in the previous verse) or the Jewish people in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this metaphor as a simile. See also the discussion of this metaphor in the General Notes for this chapter. Alternate translation: [if some of the Jews were rejected, like branches are broken off of a tree, and you, being foreigners were joined to God’s people as wild olive branches are grafted onto a tree, and you received the blessings of the first Israelites as part of God’s people, as branches receive the nutrients of the root of the olive tree]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

τινες τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν & ἐνεκεντρίσθης & συνκοινωνὸς & ἐγένου

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τινές τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν σύ δέ ἀγριέλαιος ὤν ἐνεκεντρίσθης ἐν αὐτοῖς καί συγκοινωνός τῆς ῥίζης τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἐλαίας ἐγένου)

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The context of chapters 9–11 indicates that God did the action. Alternate translation: [God broke off some of the branches … God grafted … God made to be partakers with them]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd

σὺ

Even though Paul is writing to a group of people, non-Jewish Christians, you is singular throughout this verse. If the singular form would not be natural in your language for someone who was speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms of you in your translation.

Note 6 topic: writing-pronouns

αὐτοῖς & συνκοινωνὸς

them & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ τινές τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν σύ δέ ἀγριέλαιος ὤν ἐνεκεντρίσθης ἐν αὐτοῖς καί συγκοινωνός τῆς ῥίζης τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἐλαίας ἐγένου)

In this verse them refers to the Jewish people who believe in Jesus. It does not refer to the branches that were broken off. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [the believing Jewish people … partakers with those Jews who believe]

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.

OET interlinear ROM 11:17

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

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

11:17a

11:17b

11:17c

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