Romans 9:5 kjv
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Romans 9:5 nkjv
of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Romans 9:5 niv
Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Romans 9:5 esv
To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 9:5 nlt
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
Romans 9 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 1:3-4 | concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power... | Christ's humanity from David and divine power. |
| Phil 2:6 | who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped... | Christ's pre-existent divine nature. |
| Col 1:15-17 | He is the image of the invisible God... for by him all things were created... | Christ as the divine Creator. |
| Heb 1:8 | But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever..." | Explicit declaration of the Son as God. |
| Jn 1:1 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. | Christ's eternal deity. |
| Jn 1:14 | And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... | Christ's incarnation and true humanity. |
| 1 Jn 5:20 | And we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. | Jesus directly called the true God. |
| Tit 2:13 | ...awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. | Jesus called "our great God and Savior." |
| Is 9:6 | For to us a child is born... and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father... | Prophecy of Messiah's divine titles. |
| Mt 1:1 | The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. | Christ's Israelite/Davidic lineage. |
| Gal 4:4 | But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law... | Christ's true humanity. |
| 2 Tim 2:8 | Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, offspring of David... | Christ's Davidic lineage confirmed. |
| Eph 1:20-22 | ...seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion... | Christ's supreme authority and sovereignty. |
| Col 1:18 | And he is the head of the body, the church... that in everything he might be preeminent. | Christ's preeminence over all. |
| 1 Pet 3:22 | ...who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. | Christ's exaltation and subjection of all powers. |
| Rev 17:14 | He is Lord of lords and King of kings... | Christ's ultimate sovereign rule. |
| 1 Chr 29:10 | Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. | Example of doxology to God the Father. |
| Ps 72:18-19 | Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever! | Another doxology, attributes glory to God. |
| Rom 11:36 | For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. | Universal glory to God. |
| Rev 5:12-13 | Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom... and blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! | Direct doxology and worship to Christ. |
| Jn 5:23 | that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father... | Equal honor and worship for the Son and Father. |
| 1 Tim 3:16 | Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh... | God manifest in human form (Christ). |
Romans 9 verses
Romans 9 5 Meaning
Romans 9:5 states that Israel had the high honor of being the ancestry through which Christ came into the world as a human being. It then culminates this declaration by powerfully affirming Christ's divine nature, declaring Him to be God, sovereign over all creation, and worthy of eternal blessing and praise. This verse succinctly combines Jesus' full humanity and His ultimate deity within one sentence, emphasizing that the Messiah is not merely human, but also eternally divine.
Romans 9 5 Context
Romans chapter 9 begins Paul's profound and often challenging exploration of God's sovereign plan concerning Israel, leading into chapters 10 and 11. In Rom 9:1-5, Paul expresses his deep anguish over the spiritual blindness of his own Jewish people, who, despite possessing immense historical and covenantal privileges from God, largely reject their Messiah. He enumerates a powerful list of these advantages: adoption, the divine glory, the covenants, the Law, temple worship, the promises, and the patriarchs. The verse Romans 9:5 serves as the culmination of this list, highlighting Israel's ultimate privilege: providing the human lineage for the Christ. However, Paul immediately elevates this honor by shifting focus from Christ's earthly ancestry to His eternal, divine identity, revealing the extraordinary nature of the Messiah who transcends mere human descent. This setup prepares the ground for Paul's subsequent arguments regarding God's just sovereignty in election and His continuing purpose for both believing Jews and Gentiles.
Romans 9 5 Word analysis
- of whom are the fathers (οἱ πατέρες): Refers to the venerated Jewish patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants), emphasizing Israel's direct connection to God's foundational covenant history. This highlights an immense spiritual privilege.
- and of whom as concerning the flesh (τὸ κατὰ σάρκα): This phrase specifies Christ's true human descent. "Flesh" here indicates physical, genealogical lineage, underscoring that Jesus possessed a real human body and was truly part of the human, specifically Jewish, family tree. It refutes any notion of docetism or an unhuman Christ.
- Christ (Χριστός): The Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah," meaning "Anointed One." It identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of the long-awaited divine King and Savior promised in the Old Testament.
- came (came): Signifies His advent or physical coming into the world through birth.
- who is (ὁ ὢν): This pivotal phrase means "the one who is" or "being." In a theological context, it is profoundly significant as it echoes Yahweh's self-revelation "I AM" (Ex 3:14), establishing a timeless, eternal existence. Grammatically, it functions as a present participle that grounds Christ in eternal reality and immediately predicates divinity.
- over all (ἐπὶ πάντων): Denotes supreme authority, sovereignty, and transcendence over everything and everyone. It proclaims Christ's universal dominion and rightful place above all creation, implying His divine rule.
- God blessed for ever (Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας): This is a direct, explicit, and potent affirmation of Christ's deity. "εὐλογητὸς" (eulogetos) meaning "blessed" or "praiseworthy" is typically applied only to God in the Greek Scriptures, serving as a doxology. The construction makes "God blessed for ever" a predicate referring to Christ, confirming Him as the eternally praised and supreme God. The absence of the definite article before "God" is normal in Greek for a predicative noun emphasizing quality or essence.
- Amen (Ἀμήν): A Hebrew word adopted into Greek, meaning "truly," "so be it," or "let it be affirmed." It functions as a strong confirmation and seal of the profound truth of the preceding declaration, emphasizing its certainty and authority.
Romans 9 5 Bonus section
The specific word order and grammatical structure of Romans 9:5 in Greek have been subjected to extensive linguistic and theological scrutiny. The lack of an article before Θεὸς (God) is common in predicative statements and does not diminish the strength of the claim to deity; rather, it often emphasizes the quality of being God. The phrase "ὁ ὢν" functions as an articular participle serving as a nominalized relative clause, pointing directly back to Christ as the subject. The placement of Θεὸς (God) as a predicate nominative immediately following "ἐπὶ πάντων" (over all) powerfully connects universal sovereignty directly to His divine nature. Furthermore, early Church Fathers like Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen cited this verse as proof of Christ's deity in their arguments against emerging heresies that denied His divinity. Thus, Rom 9:5 not only forms a critical part of Paul's discourse on Israel but also serves as a fundamental proof-text for the Christian doctrine of the Incarnate Son as truly God, the source of our salvation.
Romans 9 5 Commentary
Romans 9:5 stands as a magnificent Christological pillar within the New Testament, offering a definitive declaration of Jesus Christ's dual nature. Paul moves from the privileges of Israel—culminating in their providing the human lineage for Christ—to an unparalleled statement of Christ's ultimate glory. The phrase "who is over all, God blessed for ever" unmistakably attributes divine titles and honor to Jesus. The expression "who is" (ὁ ὢν) connects Christ to eternal, self-existent deity, reminiscent of God's revelation as "I AM." "Over all" establishes His cosmic supremacy and absolute sovereignty, functions proper only to God. Crucially, "God blessed for ever" assigns a divine doxology directly to Christ, signifying that He is worthy of the same ultimate worship and eternal praise typically reserved for Yahweh in Jewish tradition. This verse not only confirms Jesus' full humanity but decisively proclaims His co-equality and co-eternity with God the Father, thereby asserting His divine identity as the very source of life and salvation. This robust affirmation underscores that only one who is truly God can truly be the savior of humanity.