Romans 9:1-33

Following on from chapter 8 where Paul wrote that holy-people (sanctified people, Christians, saints) cannot be separated away-from God's love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord – he continues next regarding his heart's desire for his kindred according to flesh.

Romans 9:1-5:

^9:1I say truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bearing-witness-together with me in holy spirit ^.2that there is great sorrow with me and unceasing pain with my heart – ^.3for I used-to pray (for) I myself to be a cursed-offering away-from Christ – on behalf of the brothers (who are) my family-kinsmen according to flesh, ^.4the-people-who are Israelites, of-whom (are) the adoption and the glory and the covenant and the legislation and the rendering-of-service and the promise, ^.5of-whom (are) the fathers and out-from whom the Christ (came) according to flesh – God being upon all (is) blessed into the ages, with-certainty.

Paul writes:

• I am saying truth (I lay out this collection of words for you in this letter, the substance or content of which is the essential reality, the inherent verity)
  • in Christ (within the sphere of action of Christ),
    • I am not lying (I am not telling a falsehood, a false statement; this phrase is a figure of speech where Paul emphasizes that he is saying the truth again by writing it in the opposite manner: say truth / not lie),

-          …during the same time that (while)…

• my conscience is bearing witness together with me (the word “conscience” means: a person’s knowing-awareness, the perception of what is right which he put together for himself in his mind as a result of all that he has already been taught and learned in relation to the one whom he recognizes as his ruler, the one who has authority, ultimately this authority should be the only true God; – my conscience is jointly witnessing, attesting with its information, declaring its knowledge, stating and confirming the following in conjunction with what I am layout out before you here)
  • in holy spirit (within the sphere of action of the gift of holy spirit within me)

…(both what I say and my conscience witness the same thing which is) that…

• at the present time there is great sorrow (a large amount of grief) with me
• and incessant pain (sufferings without space in-between, assiduous distress) with/in the center of my being –
  • in fact, I used-to pray (on several occasions I was continuing to spend time expressing my prayerful wish or desire of my commitment as a vow)
  • for emphatically I myself to be a cursed-offering (an accursed thing, an offering set-aside for destruction; refer to Leviticus 27:28 and Joshua chapter 7)
  • away from Christ (however this is not possible because once a person becomes a holy-person, such as Paul, then he remains a son of God with holy spirit-life and this cannot change, as we read in Romans chapter 8, but here Paul shows the depth of his sorrow and pain even to the point that he could wish this to happen regarding himself) –  

…on behalf of (in the interests of)…

• the brothers who are my family-kinsmen according to flesh (specifically referring to the brothers who are my relatives in accordance with the flesh category only, but not the spirit category; my relatives who have rejected the Christ and so they have not received God’s gift of holy spirit),
  • the people who are Israelites (descendants of the man who was named Israel),
  • pertaining-to or belonging-to whom are
    • the adoption (being put/placed as sons; adoption was not by seed born within them because sonship by seed was first made available by God via the Lord Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2; previously God had separated the nation of Israel out from among the other nations and claimed them as His own, His adopted-sons)
    • and the glory (the importance, splendor, renown from God)
    • and the covenant (originally given to Abraham [some Greek texts have the plural form “covenants” to indicate the inclusion of all the specific covenants made by God to them])
    • and the legislation (law placement, the putting/placing of the law given to them by God via Moses)
    • and the rendering (performance) of service to/for God
    • and the promise (originally made in Genesis 3:15, and which continued via Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ [some Greek texts have the plural form “promises” to indicate the inclusion of all the specific promises made by God to them]),
  • pertaining-to or belonging-to whom are
    • the fathers (referring to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, and all those great men who instructed the people in God's words as fathers to their children)
    • and out-from whom the Christ (the Anointed-one, the Messiah) came according to flesh (refer to Romans 1:3) –
• God
  • being upon all (He is presently and actively being on, upon, over, or higher up than all people and things – not that God controls all, but He is above it all, His authority is superior, and He will continue according to what He says no matter what others may do to try to stop Him)
    • is blessed into the ages,
    • with-certainty (amen, truly, surely!).

The name Israel, which means God rules or commands, was given by God via one of His angels to Jacob, the biological father of the twelve men forming the twelve tribes of Israel; refer to Genesis 32:27, 28, 35:10, and Hosea 12:4. In verse 4 above, Paul refers to “Israelites” (the physical descendants of Jacob/Israel) and therefore includes those who may call themselves “Judeans.” The record in I Kings chapter 12 details the division of the nation of Israel into the 10 northern tribes (then referred to as Israel) and the 2 southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin (then referred to as Judah).

Even though Israelites had such importance during and throughout all of the items listed in verses 4 and 5(a) above, the only true God is blessed. He is the One Who rules, commands, and Who is actively being upon all relative-to Israel and the things pertaining-to the Christ because God is the source of His will coming-to-pass as He promised in Genesis 3:15.

God is blessed. The adjective "blessed" means: good-worded, well-spoken. The spoken-account of God's inner-thoughts is good/well. The words that come from God are good/well. God is in the continuing and lasting standing and state of blessedness. God - blessed, and this truth does not change. God is the One Who bestows His blessings to others, and of course, we are to bless (speak-well of) Him also.

How long is God blessed? Throughout the durations of lifetimes, for eternity, forever (refer to Romans 1:25).

[Reference: Genesis chapter 17, 26:24, 28:10-15; Exodus 2:24, 3:6, 4:22, 13:5ff, 32:30-35; Numbers chapters 3-5; Deuteronomy chapters 7, 8, 29 and 30; Psalm 41:13; Matthew 1:1-23; Luke 3:23-38; Acts 2:22, 3:13 and 25, 13:16-41, 23:12-14; Romans 1:3, 11:1; II Corinthians 3:7, 11:22 and 31; Ephesians 1:3(a), 4:6; Philippians 3:4-7; I Timothy 2:7; Hebrews chapter 9; I Peter 1:3.]

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