Romans 11:24
What does Romans 11:24 mean?
A plain-English look at Romans 11:24 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Romans 11:24 means
Paul argues from the greater to the lesser: if God could take you, a wild olive by nature, and graft you contrary to nature into a cultivated tree, how much more will He graft the natural branches back into their own tree. The point is not botany but divine fittingness. Restoring Israel accords with the original design of the covenant people. Gentile inclusion is a marvel of grace; Israel’s restoration, when it comes, will be an even more obvious display of God’s faithfulness to His promises. This reinforces humility in Gentiles and sustains expectation for a future turning of many in Israel to the Messiah.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
KJV
King James Version · 1611For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949For if you were cut out of a field olive-tree, and against the natural use were united to a good olive-tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be united again with the olive-tree which was theirs?
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who <FI>are<Fi> according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752For if thou were cut out of the wild olive tree, which is natural to thee; and, contrary to nature, wert grafted into the good olive tree: how much more shall they that are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890For if thou hast been cut out of the olive tree wild by nature, and, contrary to nature, hast been grafted into the good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who are according to nature be grafted into their own olive tree?
Context
This verse completes the olive tree argument of verses 17–24. It locks in the logic that Jewish restoration is both possible and appropriate. With the metaphor concluded, Paul turns in verses 25–27 to disclose a “mystery” that frames Israel’s partial hardening and eventual salvation within God’s timetable, anchoring it in prophetic promises about a Deliverer and the removal of sins.
v.23And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
v.24This passage
v.25For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Romans 11:17
But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree;
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