Romans 9:14 kjv
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Romans 9:14 nkjv
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
Romans 9:14 niv
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
Romans 9:14 esv
What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!
Romans 9:14 nlt
Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not!
Romans 9 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 32:4 | "He is the Rock, his works are perfect... A God of faithfulness..." | God is always just and righteous. |
| Ps 11:7 | "For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds..." | God's nature is righteousness; He cannot do injustice. |
| Gen 18:25 | "...Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" | Abraham's question affirming God's justice. |
| Isa 45:21 | "...Is there any God besides me? A righteous God and a Savior..." | God's unique identity as just and delivering. |
| Rom 3:4 | "By no means! Let God be true though every man a liar..." | Similar strong denial of accusing God, even if humans fail. |
| Rom 3:5-6 | "...Is God unjust to inflict wrath? (I speak in a human way.)" | Another instance of Paul addressing potential accusation against God's justice. |
| Rom 6:2 | "By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" | Paul's typical strong rhetorical rejection. |
| Rom 7:7 | "What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means!" | Another anticipated objection and strong denial about the Law. |
| 9:11-13 | "...though they were not yet born and had done nothing...Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." | Immediate context: God's prior choice of Jacob over Esau. |
| Rom 9:15 | "For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy..." | The subsequent verse, quoting Exod 33:19, explaining God's sovereignty. |
| Rom 9:20-21 | "...Why then does he still find fault? ...Has the potter no right over the clay...?" | Paul's illustration of God's absolute sovereignty as Creator. |
| 2 Tim 2:13 | "...if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself." | God's faithfulness is an immutable aspect of His character. |
| Heb 6:10 | "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love..." | God is intrinsically just and always rewards good. |
| 1 Pet 1:17 | "...if you call on him as Father who judges impartially..." | God's impartiality in judgment based on works. |
| Gen 25:23 | "...The older shall serve the younger." | The prophetic word concerning Jacob and Esau before birth. |
| Mal 1:2-3 | "...“Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD...“I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated..." | OT confirmation of God's specific choice between Jacob and Esau. |
| Exod 33:19 | "...I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." | God's declaration of His sovereign prerogative in bestowing mercy. |
| Eph 1:4-5 | "...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world... He predestined us for adoption..." | God's pre-temporal, sovereign choice of believers. |
| 2 Tim 1:9 | "...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace..." | Salvation is rooted in God's prior purpose, not human merit. |
| Job 8:3 | "Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert righteousness?" | Bildad's rhetorical question, affirming God's unbending justice. |
| Job 34:10 | "Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong." | Elihu's strong defense of God's blameless character. |
| Jer 12:1 | "Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would discuss questions of justice with you." | Jeremiah wrestling with God's ways but acknowledging His inherent justice. |
Romans 9 verses
Romans 9 14 Meaning
Romans 9:14 encapsulates a foundational question regarding God's character and actions in light of His sovereign choice. Following Paul's declaration of God's selective election, specifically citing Jacob and Esau, the verse anticipates a crucial objection: If God chooses some and not others, does this imply He acts unjustly? Paul vehemently and categorically denies this premise, affirming God's absolute righteousness. The question reflects the human tendency to evaluate divine justice by human standards, which Paul rejects as an utterly impossible proposition.
Romans 9 14 Context
Romans chapter 9 begins Paul's defense of God's faithfulness to Israel despite their widespread rejection of the Messiah. He introduces the principle that God's promises are not to all natural descendants of Israel, but to a chosen remnant according to His sovereign purpose (Rom 9:6-8). To illustrate this, Paul uses the examples of Isaac over Ishmael, and more significantly, Jacob over Esau (Rom 9:10-13), demonstrating that God's election predates any human works or merit.
Verse 14 functions as a rhetorical transition. Paul, anticipating the likely objection that such divine, unmerited selectivity appears unjust, immediately poses the question himself. Historically and culturally, first-century Judaism, like many other religious systems, often equated justice with fairness based on human merit or entitlement, especially for those born into the covenant community. Paul directly confronts this perspective by setting up the potential accusation of "injustice on God's part" as an unthinkable proposition. The subsequent verses (Rom 9:15-18) further develop God's absolute right to show mercy and hardening, solidifying the idea that God's sovereign actions are never unjust by divine standards.
Romans 9 14 Word analysis
"What" (Τί - Ti): An interrogative pronoun initiating a direct and probing question. It serves to address a logical implication arising from Paul's previous statements about God's sovereign choice.
"shall we say" (ἐροῦμεν οὖν - eroumen oun): First-person plural aorist active subjunctive, a deliberative form asking "what should we conclude?" The oun (then/therefore) links the question to the preceding discussion of God's election of Jacob over Esau, implying this objection logically follows.
"then" (οὖν - oun): A conjunction connecting this new thought to the preceding arguments of God's sovereign choice, indicating a conclusion or consequence that needs to be addressed.
"Is there" (Μὴ ἔστιν - Mē estin): Mē introduces a question expecting a negative answer. Paul is not genuinely seeking information but setting up a rhetorical device to forcefully dismiss a blasphemous idea.
"injustice" (ἀδικία - adikia): Derived from a- (negative prefix) and dikē (justice/right). It signifies moral wrongness, unfairness, unrighteousness, or a violation of what is right. This is the gravamen of the potential accusation against God.
"on God's part?" (παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ - para tō Theō): Literally "with God" or "alongside God," implying originating from God, or attributable to Him. The question targets God Himself as the potential source of unfairness.
"By no means!" (Μὴ γένοιτο - Mē genoito): This is Paul's strongest possible expression of emphatic denial, used frequently in his epistles (e.g., Rom 3:4, 3:6, 6:2, 6:15). It means "May it never happen!" or "Let it not be!" It indicates utter abhorrence and an absolute rejection of the preceding idea, asserting its complete impossibility.
Words-group analysis:
- "What shall we say then?": A classic Pauline rhetorical device that signals a shift to addressing an anticipated objection, engaging the reader directly in the theological implications.
- "Is there injustice on God's part?": This critical question directly challenges the character of God, posing the human-conceived problem of how a sovereign, selective God can still be called just. It represents the natural human tendency to impose finite human moral standards on an infinite God.
- "By no means!": This powerful and unreserved refutation asserts God's moral purity and unchallengeable righteousness beyond any doubt or accusation. It firmly establishes that God's actions, by definition, cannot be unjust.
Romans 9 14 Bonus section
The emphatic denial "Μὴ γένοιτο" highlights that any imputation of injustice to God is not merely a wrong conclusion, but an impossible and offensive one. This specific phrase is a common idiomatic expression in Greek, underscoring the absolute certainty of Paul's position. This verse effectively acts as a "theodicy in miniature" where, rather than attempting to reconcile God's goodness with apparent "evil" (injustice, in this case), Paul outright dismisses the premise of evil existing in God. This stance is crucial for Paul as it upholds God's honor as Creator and Sovereign, ensuring that humanity retains no moral ground to challenge His judgments or choices. It pushes believers to trust in God's righteousness even when His ways are beyond human comprehension or align poorly with our preconceived notions of fairness.
Romans 9 14 Commentary
Romans 9:14 marks a pivotal point in Paul's theological argument, directly addressing the most inflammatory conclusion someone might draw from God's sovereign election. The idea that God's choices could render Him "unjust" strikes at the very heart of His divine character, which for Paul and biblical theology is inherently righteous. Paul's forceful "By no means!" is not just a polite disagreement; it is a sacred outrage, emphatically rejecting the blasphemous notion that God could ever be unfair or morally wrong. This assertion guards the non-negotiable truth of God's perfection. It compels us to understand that God's justice operates on divine, not human, principles. His wisdom, mercy, and judgment are perfectly aligned with His holy nature, transcending human notions of meritocracy or entitlements. To accuse God of injustice is to misunderstand the very nature of divine justice itself, which is never capricious but always flows from His absolute authority and righteous will.