Romans 9:22 kjv
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Romans 9:22 nkjv
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Romans 9:22 niv
What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath?prepared for destruction?
Romans 9:22 esv
What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
Romans 9:22 nlt
In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.
Romans 9 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Romans 9:21 | "Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" | God's sovereign power and authority over creation |
| Isaiah 29:16 | "You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, 'He did not make me'; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?" | Divine sovereignty versus human presumption |
| Jeremiah 18:6 | "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." | God as the potter, Israel as clay |
| Wisdom 15:7 | "For a man beginning from clay and from the earth out of which he was fashioned, and she is made from his side, the rib of a wife, he himself, both of them, took dust of the ground; yet at this point he was senseless..." | God's creation of humanity from dust |
| 2 Timothy 2:20 | "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable." | Different vessels within God's house |
| Jude 1:4 | "For certain people have secretly crept in, who were formerly designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." | Those designated for condemnation |
| 1 Peter 2:8 | "...and for them the scripture says, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, especially to those who disbelieve the word, by disobediently doing that for which they were destined.'" | Jesus as a rock of offense for the disobedient |
| Acts 4:28 | "...to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." | God's predestined plan |
| Ephesians 1:4-5 | "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ..." | God's predestination in Christ |
| Ephesians 1:11 | "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." | God working all things according to His will |
| Colossians 1:16 | "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him." | Christ as creator of all things |
| Romans 2:4-5 | "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of judgment..." | God's patience and human stubbornness leading to wrath |
| Proverbs 16:4 | "The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." | Everything made for a purpose, including the wicked for a day of trouble |
| John 12:40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." | God's blinding of eyes and hardening of hearts |
| 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | "And if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." | The blinding of minds to the gospel |
| Revelation 17:8 | "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And when they dwell on earth, those whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel." | Those whose names are not written in the book of life heading for destruction |
| Deuteronomy 32:39 | "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; no one can deliver from my hand." | God's absolute power over life and death |
| Psalm 33:9 | "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." | God's creative power by His word |
| Nahum 1:2 | "The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and nurses wrath against his enemies." | God's wrath and vengeance |
Romans 9 verses
Romans 9 22 Meaning
God chose to display His power and wrath. He also endured with much long-suffering His vessels of wrath, those prepared for destruction. This verse highlights God's sovereign right to show mercy and judgment, even towards those who are destined for destruction, emphasizing His patience and power in the process.
Romans 9 22 Context
This verse is part of Romans chapter 9, where the Apostle Paul is addressing the issue of Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Paul uses the analogy of a potter and clay (drawing heavily from Isaiah 29 and Jeremiah 18) to explain God's sovereign right over humanity. He asserts that God, as the ultimate potter, has the prerogative to shape His creation as He pleases, using some vessels for honor and others for dishonor. This specific verse follows Paul's discourse on God's selective mercy and the hardened hearts of some. The immediate context involves the unrepentant hardened hearts that have rejected God's mercy and have been prepared for destruction.
Romans 9 22 Word analysis
"whosoever": A general term, emphasizing that God's actions in mercy and judgment apply broadly within His sovereign plan.
"believeth not": Pertains to unbelief, a deliberate rejection of the truth of the Gospel and of God's Messianic offer through Christ.
"on them": Refers to those who actively disbelieve.
"He had mercy": God's unmerited favor and kindness, selectively bestowed according to His sovereign will, not based on human merit.
"And whom": Introduces the complementary aspect of God's dealing with those who persist in unbelief.
"He hath hardened": Refers to God's sovereign decision to allow or actively cause a state of spiritual hardness or impenitence in some individuals. This hardening is not arbitrary but linked to their persistent rejection.
group analysis (vessels of mercy, vessels of wrath): This grouping starkly contrasts how God deals with two types of people in His sovereign plan. The "vessels of mercy" are those to whom God extends His mercy, leading them to faith and salvation. The "vessels of wrath" are those who, through their persistent sin and unbelief, are ripened for judgment, and God, in His sovereignty, utilizes their hardened state for His ultimate purposes, including the demonstration of His wrath.
group analysis (prepared unto destruction): This phrase implies a process and a divinely ordained end for certain individuals who, through their own choices and God's permissive or active will, are made ready for deserved judgment and ultimate destruction. It underscores that this end is not unjust, as it relates to their state of rebellion.
Romans 9 22 Bonus section
The concept of God hardening hearts is a profound theological subject. It’s crucial to understand this in conjunction with other biblical passages. God's hardening is often presented as a judicial act, a consequence of a person's repeated resistance to His Spirit and Word, rather than God directly forcing someone into sin. Pharaoh’s repeated refusal to let Israel go is a prime example where God both hardened Pharaoh’s heart and Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 32). This illustrates a reciprocal action. For the "vessels of wrath," God's long-suffering means He patiently allows them to continue on their path of rebellion, giving ample opportunity for repentance, yet His sovereign plan ultimately brings about their judgment, demonstrating His perfect justice and power. This sovereignty is never at odds with human responsibility for choices made.
Romans 9 22 Commentary
Paul elucidates God's absolute sovereignty in both salvation and judgment. He employs the potter analogy to assert that God has the ultimate right to determine the destiny of His creation. For those who reject His overtures of mercy, particularly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s justice is revealed. He not only extends mercy to those whom He chooses (vessels of mercy) but also allows, and sometimes actively institutes, a hardening in those who persistently reject Him (vessels of wrath). This hardening is not presented as an arbitrary act but as a consequence of their chosen path of rebellion, through which God’s righteous wrath is displayed, leading them to their just, prepared end of destruction. This doesn't imply God causes people to sin, but that He can use their determined sinful state and its outcome for His purposes. His long-suffering allows these vessels of wrath to be prepared for their ultimate judgment, thereby demonstrating the full scope of His power and justice.