RSV ~ Romans 10 Notes
Rom 10:1-4 | ISB Notes
Instead of condemning and abandoning his kinsmen, Paul is pained at the unbelief of Israel (9:2) and prays intensely for its salvation. A former Pharisee, he is well acquainted with unenlightened zeal for the ancestral traditions of Judaism (Gal 1:14; Phil 3:6) (CCC 579).
Rom 10:3 | ISB Notes
righteousness: A distinction is made between righteousness that comes from the Mosaic Law (Deut 6:25) and righteousness that comes from the Messiah (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9). The former is real but radically deficient; the latter alone gives us entrance into the messianic kingdom (Mt 5:20).
Rom 10:4 | ISB Notes
the end: The Greek can mean āterminationā or āgoalā. The latter sense is more probable, for Jesus came to fulfill the Law rather than to abolish it (Mt 5:17) (CCC 1953).
ā¢ Christ is the end that completes, not the end that destroys, for the details of the Law were shadows that prefigured his coming (St.Ā Augustine, Against the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets 2, 26-27).
Rom 10:5 | ISB Notes
shall live by it: An excerpt from Lev 18:5.
ā¢ Israel is urged to follow the Torah and shun the ways of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Adherence to the Law would have brought life, but Israel needed to learn that obedience was humanly impossible without the grace and help of God that come through faith. See note on Rom 5:20.
Rom 10:6-8 | ISB Notes
An interpretive paraphrase of Deut 30:12-14.
ā¢ Moses contends that Israel could not escape responsibility for obeying the word of God, as though the Torah were somewhere beyond its reach. In the spirit of Moses, Paul insists that Israel cannot escape responsibility for obeying the word of the gospel, as though it were forced to look high and low for Christ. On the contrary, Israel cannot plead ignorance because the gospel has come to its doorstep through the Scriptures and the missionary efforts of the Church (10:17-19).
Rom 10:10 | ISB Notes
his heart ā¦ his lips: Paul connects these with the inward conviction (heart) and outward confession (lips) of faith in Jesus. The images are drawn from the Deuteronomy quote in 10:8.
Rom 10:11 | ISB Notes
No one who believes: A reference to Is 28:16, already quoted in Rom 9:33.
Rom 10:12 | ISB Notes
no distinction: All nations are saved together in Christ just as all nations sinned together before his coming (3:9, 2223).
Rom 10:13 | ISB Notes
every one who calls: A quotation from Joel 2:32.
ā¢ The prophet envisions a time of judgment and salvation in the messianic age, with the Spirit pouring down on all flesh and a remnant of Israel being saved. This text was the springboard of Peterās inaugural sermon in Acts, where calling on āthe nameā of the Lord was linked with Baptism (Acts 2:21, 38) (CCC 432, 449, 2666). See note on Acts 2:17-21.
Rom 10:14-17 | ISB Notes
Paul stresses the need to spread the gospel. Unless missionaries are sent and Christ is proclaimed, the world cannot call upon its Savior (CCC 875).
ā¢ Paul twice excerpts from Isaiah, who foresees both the evangelization of Israel (10:15; Is 52:7) and its tragic rejection of a suffering Messiah (10:16; Is 53:1) (CCC 601). Aware that some in Israel have accepted the message, Paul is careful to say that not all have embraced the gospel (10:16).
Rom 10:18 | ISB Notes
Their voice: A quotation from Ps 19:4.
ā¢ The Psalmist describes how the heavens proclaim the glory of God throughout the world. Paul borrows this image to explain how the gospel has sounded across the earth, telling the dispersed of Israel that the Messiah has come (Col 1:5-6).
Rom 10:19 | ISB Notes
I will make you jealous: A quotation from Deut 32:21.
ā¢ Deuteronomy 32 is a prophetic song that foresees the rebellion and restoration of Israel long after the Exodus. This will involve the salvation of a foolish nation (Gentiles), an event that will anger some in Israel but will make others jealous of their blessings, stirring them to emulate their faith (11:11, 14).
Rom 10:20-21 | ISB Notes
A final demonstration that unbelieving Israel is guilty of willful defiance.
ā¢ Paul examines two sequential verses from Isaiah, applying the first to the Gentiles (10:20; Is 65:1) and the second to wayward Israel (10:21; Is 65:2). The contrast is stark: the nations are responding enthusiastically to the gospel without having sought it, whereas Israel remains unresponsive despite the Lordās persistent pleas for faith.