Romans 11 17

Romans 11:17 kjv

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Romans 11:17 nkjv

And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,

Romans 11:17 niv

If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,

Romans 11:17 esv

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree,

Romans 11:17 nlt

But some of these branches from Abraham's tree ? some of the people of Israel ? have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree.

Romans 11 verses

Romans 11 17 Meaning

The olive tree branches are broken off to graft wild olive shoots. This signifies the inclusion of Gentiles into God's people, alongside the natural branches of Israel. The wild branches become partakers of the root and fatness of the olive tree, signifying their spiritual nourishment from the same covenantal source as believing Jews.

Romans 11 17 Context

This verse is part of Romans chapter 11, where the Apostle Paul is addressing the inclusion of Gentiles and the future restoration of Israel. He uses the analogy of an olive tree to illustrate God's relationship with His people. The natural branches represent ethnic Israel, while the broken-off branches represent unbelieving Israelites. The wild olive shoots represent the Gentiles who are grafted into the olive tree. This chapter grapples with the apparent rejection of Israel by God, explaining it as a temporary measure for the salvation of the Gentiles, ultimately leading to Israel's full restoration.

Romans 11 17 Word Analysis

• Εἰ (Ei): "If" - A conditional particle.
• τινες (tines): "some" - Indefinite pronoun, referring to a portion of the branches.
• τῶν (tōn): "of the" - Definite article in the genitive plural, linking to "branches."
• κλάδων (kladōn): "branches" - From klados, meaning a shoot, branch, or bough. In this analogy, represents Israelites.
• ἐξεκόπησαν (exekopsan): "were broken off" - From exkoptō, meaning to cut off, break off, prune. Implies a decisive severing from the original tree.
• σὺ (su): "you" - Second person pronoun, addressing the Gentile believers.
• δὲ (de): "but" / "and" - A common adversative or connective particle.
• ἀγριέλαιος (agrielaios): "wild olive tree" / "wild olive" - Contrasts with the cultivated, or natural, olive tree (Israel). Implies something natural to the wild, not domesticated.
• ὢν (ōn): "being" - Present participle of the verb "to be."
• ἐν (en): "in" - Preposition indicating the state of being.
• τῇ (tē): "the" - Definite article in the dative singular, referring to the olive tree.
• ἀντικατεστάθης (antikatasatathēs): "were grafted in" / "were grafted contrary to nature" - From antikathistēmi, meaning to substitute, to put in place of. In the context of grafting, it signifies being inserted, often into a place not natural to the graft. It highlights the grafting of a wild branch into a cultivated tree, an unnatural act from a horticultural perspective.
• εἰς (eis): "into" - Preposition indicating motion or insertion.
• τοῦτο (touto): "this" - Demonstrative pronoun.
• τοῦ (tou): "of the" - Definite article in the genitive singular.
• καλλιελαίου (kallielaiou): "good olive tree" / "cultivated olive tree" - From kallos (beauty) and elaia (olive tree). Refers to the natural, cultivated olive tree representing the people of God in covenant.

Word Group Analysis:

• "some of the branches were broken off": This signifies that not all of Israel was excluded. Some Israelites were indeed broken off due to their disbelief. This is consistent with earlier statements in Romans 9-10 where Paul highlights Israel's failure to embrace Christ.
• "you were grafted in contrary to nature": For Gentiles, being grafted into the cultivated olive tree was "contrary to nature" because they were not naturally part of the covenant line. This was a supernatural act of God, bringing the Gentiles into the people of God based on faith in Christ, not lineage. The horticultural analogy emphasizes this intervention of God's grace.

Romans 11 17 Bonus Section

The analogy of grafting was well understood in the ancient world, and Roman writers like Virgil and Pliny discussed horticultural grafting. A wild olive branch typically yielded bitter fruit and was often grafted onto a cultivated tree to improve its yield, though grafting a wild onto a cultivated was less common than the reverse in common practice. The unnaturalness here emphasizes the sheer grace and sovereign intervention of God. It speaks to a supernatural insertion of the Gentiles into the Abrahamic covenant. This highlights that inclusion in God's plan is based on faith and God's initiative, not inherent merit or natural birthright. The "fatness" (v. 17) refers to the rich nourishment and blessings of the covenant.

Romans 11 17 Commentary

The breaking off of some branches represents the exclusion of faithless Jews from the covenant blessings enjoyed through Christ. The grafting in of the wild olive, the Gentile, is a divine act. It is contrary to natural cultivation but aligned with God's plan of salvation. Gentiles now share in the spiritual nourishment and life that flows from the root and trunk of the true olive tree, which is Christ and the covenant people of God. This grafting underscores the inclusiveness of God's grace, transcending national boundaries. It also serves as a solemn warning to the Gentile believers not to become arrogant but to remember they stand by faith.