Paul's anguish for his kin, Israel's privileges, and Christ "who is God over all" (Romans 9:1–5)

Says "I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit. I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" (9:1–2, BSB). "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers" (9:3, BSB), ἀνάθεμα (anathema, "accursed") ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ηὐχόμην (ēuchomēn, "I could wish") is an imperfect of wishing.

Implies The wish is hypothetical: Paul could wish it, but it cannot happen, since nothing can separate believers from God's love in Christ (8:38–39). Moses' plea, "please blot me out of the book that You have written" (Exod 32:32, BSB), is the nearest parallel: a leader offering himself for his people.

Says "Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises" (9:4, BSB). "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ" (9:5, BSB). The team text prints the plural αἱ διαθῆκαι (hai diathēkai, "the covenants"; lex.G1242), with ℵ C and the harder reading against the singular in B D F G (var.Rom.9.4.diathekai). On adoption see note.exegetical.Rom.8.14-Rom.8.17.adoption-and-heirs.

Uncertain Whether 9:5b calls Christ God. No early manuscript punctuation settles it (ℵ A B have none here). The readings, with their grounds and witnesses, are set out in var.Rom.9.5.punctuation: (1) a clause about Christ, "Christ…, who is God over all, blessed forever"; (2) a full stop after σάρκα (sarka, "flesh") and a separate blessing of God; (3) a stop after πάντων (pantōn, "all"). This commentary leans to the first, on the grounds the variant record gives: ὁ ὤν (ho ōn, "who is") naturally refers back to Christ, an independent blessing normally puts εὐλογητός (eulogētos, "blessed") first, and τὸ κατὰ σάρκα (to kata sarka, "according to the flesh") invites the contrast. The BSB reads it so: "Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen" (9:5, BSB). The second reading rests on Paul's habit of blessing God (1:25). Sanday and Headlam set out all the options and adopt the first with slight hesitation (src.sanday-headlam-icc).

The printed editions differ in punctuation. SBLGNT prints commas after σάρκα and after πάντων, then θεὸς εὐλογητός; Tischendorf 8 prints a full stop after σάρκα; WH prints commas in its text and offers a stop after σάρκα in its margin (var.Rom.9.5.punctuation). The NPNF editor states that the copies of Chrysostom's homily end the verse here as a doxology, though elsewhere he quotes "over all, God"; this is the editor's claim, not evidence for the second reading (src.npnf1-chrysostom-romans).

Implies Christ's deity does not rest on this verse alone (John 1:1, 18; Phil 2:6; Titus 2:13; note.exegetical.John.1.1-John.1.2.word-with-god; note.exegetical.John.1.18.son-makes-father-known). The doctrine is not argued here.