Romans 11:14

14 if I can somehow make my own people^[a] jealous and save some of them.

Romans 11:14 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 11:14

If by any means I may provoke to emulation
What he had in view, even in discharging his office among the Gentiles with so much labour, assiduity, and indefatigableness, was, that if possible he might stir up the Jews to emulate and imitate the Gentiles, in seeking after Christ; for these he means when he says,

them which are my flesh;
they being his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh, for it was common with the eastern nations to call such persons their flesh; see ( Genesis 29:14 ) ( 37:27 ) ( Isaiah 58:7 ) ; and carries in it a reason why he was so solicitous for their welfare, because of the relation of them to him, and the natural affection he bore towards them; and his hope was, that they seeing the nations of the earth blessed in the promised seed, through his preaching the Gospel to them, great gatherings of the people to Shiloh, and the Gentiles seeking to the root of Jesse, set up for an ensign to the people, might be provoked to an emulation of them; and likewise seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and thereby have his end he so much wished for and desired:

and might save some of them;
he says "some", not all, for he knew the bulk of the people was rejected, only a seed was left among them, a remnant according to the election of grace that should be saved, and which did obtain righteousness and life, while the rest were blinded. The ministers of the Gospel may be said to save souls, not efficiently, for the author or efficient cause of salvation is God only; the Father has chose unto it, the Son has effected it, and the Spirit applies it; but instrumentally, as the word preached by them is the means of regeneration, faith, and conversion, with which salvation is connected: and as they show unto men the way of salvation, and encourage souls to believe in Christ, in whom alone it is. Now the apostle argues from his office, and the usefulness of it, to some among the Jews, to saving purposes, to prove that their rejection was not total.

Romans 11:14 In-Context

12 Now if their stumbling brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. In view of the fact that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

14 if I can somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them.

15 For if their being rejected is world reconciliation, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

16 Now if the firstfruits offered up are holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit flesh