Romans 11:22

New Living Translation

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
God is both dangerous and kind. He is dangerous to the disobedient, but kind to those who seek his guidance through Christ. But if you turn your back, the axe is coming out.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Bible in Basic English
See then that God is good but his rules are fixed: to those who were put away he was hard, but to you he has been good, on the condition that you keep in his mercy; if not, you will be cut off as they were.

Darby Translation
Behold then [the] goodness and severity of God: upon them who have fallen, severity; upon thee goodness of God, if thou shalt abide in goodness, since [otherwise] *thou* also wilt be cut away.

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, consider God's kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God's kindness toward you—if you remain in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

World English Bible
See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God! Toward them that fell severity; but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: else shalt thou also be cut off.

Weymouth's New Testament
Notice therefore God's kindness and God's severity. On those who have fallen His severity has descended, but upon you His kindness has come, provided that you do not cease to respond to that kindness. Otherwise you will be cut off also.

King James Version (1611)
Beholde therefore the goodnesse and seueritie of God: on them which fell, seueritie; but towards thee, goodnesse, if thou continue in his goodnesse: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Literal Translation
Behold, then, the kindness and severity of God: On those having fallen, severity. But on you, kindness, if you continue in the kindness. Otherwise, you will also be cut off.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde therfore the kyndnesse and rigorousnes off God: on them which fell, rigorousnes: but towarde the, kyndnes, yf thou contynue in the kyndnesse. Els shalt thou be hewe of:

Mace New Testament (1729)
consider then the divine benignity, and his severity: his severity to those who fell, and his benignity to you, provided you adhere thereto; otherwise you likewise will be lopt off.

Amplified Bible
Then appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: to those who fell [into spiritual ruin], severity, but to you, God's gracious kindness—if you continue in His kindness [by faith and obedience to Him]; otherwise you too will be cut off.

American Standard Version
Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Revised Standard Version
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Beholde ye kyndnes and rigorousnes of God: on the which fell rigorousnes: but towardes the kyndnes yf thou cotinue in his kyndnes. Or els thou shalt be hewen of

Update Bible Version
See then the goodness and severity of God: toward those that fell, severity; but toward you, God's goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them who fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou shalt continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, then, goodness and severity of God -- upon those indeed who fell, severity; and upon thee, goodness, if thou mayest remain in the goodness, otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off.

New Century Version
So you see that God is kind and also very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But God is kind to you, if you continue following in his kindness. If you do not, you will be cut off from the tree.

New English Translation
Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God—harshness toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

Berean Standard Bible
Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Contemporary English Version
Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.

Complete Jewish Bible
So take a good look at God's kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God's kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off!

English Standard Version
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Beholde therefore the bountifulnesse, and seueritie of God: towarde them which haue fallen, seueritie: but toward thee, bountifulnesse, if thou continue in his bountifulnesse: or els thou shalt also be cut off.

George Lamsa Translation
Consider therefore the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but on you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also will be cut off.

Hebrew Names Version
See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

International Standard Version
Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God's kindness toward you - if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off.John 15:2; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Hebrews 3:6,14;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Behold, then, the goodness and the severity of Aloha: towards them who fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; if not, thou also wilt be cut off.

Murdock Translation
Behold now the benignity and the severity of God: on them who fell, severity; but on thee, benignity, if thou continuest in that benignity; and if not, thou also wilt be plucked off.

New King James Version
Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, [fn] if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

New Life Bible
We see how kind God is. It shows how hard He is also. He is hard on those who fall away. But He is kind to you if you keep on trusting Him. If you do not, He will cut you off.

English Revised Version
Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

New Revised Standard
Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
See, then, the kindness and the severity of God: upon them who have fallen, severity, - but, upon thee, the kindness of God, if thou abide still in the kindness, - otherwise, thou also, shalt he cut out;

Douay-Rheims Bible
See then the goodness and the severity of God: towards them indeed that are fallen, the severity; but towards thee, the goodness of God, if thou abide in goodness. Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

King James Version
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Lexham English Bible
See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity upon those who have fallen, but upon you the kindness of God—if you continue in his kindness, for otherwise you also will be cut off.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Beholde therfore, the kyndnesse and rigorousnesse of God: on them which fell, rigorousnesse: but towardes thee, kyndnesse, if thou continue in kindnesse, or els thou shalt be hewen of:

Easy-to-Read Version
So you see that God is kind, but he can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in his kindness. If you don't continue depending on him, you will be cut off from the tree.

New American Standard Bible
See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off.

Good News Translation
Here we see how kind and how severe God is. He is severe toward those who have fallen, but kind to you—if you continue in his kindness. But if you do not, you too will be broken off.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor se the goodnesse, and the fersnesse of God; yhe, the feersnesse in to hem that felden doun, but the goodnesse of God in to thee, if thou dwellist in goodnesse, ellis also thou schalt be kit doun.

Contextual Overview

¹ I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ² No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, ³ " Lord , they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." ⁴ And do you remember God's reply? He said, "No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!" ⁵ It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God's grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. ⁶ And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. ⁷ So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. ⁸ As the Scriptures say, "God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear." ⁹ Likewise, David said, "Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve. ¹⁰ Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

therefore: Romans 2:4, Romans 2:5, Romans 9:22, Romans 9:23, Numbers 14:18-22, Deuteronomy 32:39-43, Joshua 23:15, Joshua 23:16, Psalms 58:10, Psalms 58:11, Psalms 78:49-52, Psalms 136:15-22, Isaiah 66:14

severity: The term severity בנןפןליב [Strong's G663], from בנן [Strong's G575], from, and פולםש, to cut off, properly denotes excision, cutting off, as the gardener cuts off, with a pruning knife, dead boughs, or luxuriant stems.

if thou: Romans 2:7, Luke 8:15, John 8:31, John 15:4-10, Acts 11:23, Acts 14:22, 1 Corinthians 15:2, Galatians 6:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 3:8, Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Hebrews 10:23, Hebrews 10:35-39, 1 John 2:19, Jude 1:20, Jude 1:21

otherwise: Ezekiel 3:20, Ezekiel 18:24, Ezekiel 33:17-19, Matthew 3:9, Matthew 3:10, John 15:2, Revelation 2:5

Reciprocal: Numbers 26:65 - They shall 2 Chronicles 33:24 - General Psalms 19:9 - judgments Psalms 28:4 - the work Psalms 101:1 - I will sing Ezekiel 14:8 - I will cut Hosea 2:4 - I will not Nahum 1:7 - Lord Acts 9:4 - he fell Romans 15:8 - truth James 1:25 - and

Cross-References

Joshua 24:2
Joshua said to the people, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold therefore the goodness, and severity of God,.... The consideration of both the grace and kindness of God to some, and his severity or strict justice towards others, is recommended by the apostle as very proper to abate pride, vain glory, and haughtiness of spirit; and to engage to humility, fear, care, and caution;

on them which fell, severity: the Jews who stumbled at Christ and his Gospel, and fell by unbelief, God in strict justice and righteous judgment not only destroyed, as afterwards their nation, city, and temple, and scattered them abroad in the world to be a reproach, a proverb, a taunt, and a curse in all places; but cast them off as his people, broke his covenant with them, took away his Gospel from them, left them out of a Gospel church state, except a few, and gave up the generality of them to blindness and hardness of heart; so that wrath is come upon them to the uttermost, both with respect to things civil and religious, and they continue as living standing monuments of God's severity and justice, to be beheld by us Gentiles with pity and concern, and to excite in us the fear of God, and caution as to our conduct and behaviour in the world, and in the church:

but towards thee, goodness; the Gentiles, who not only share in the goodness and grace of God, displayed in the election of many of them to eternal life, in their redemption by Christ, and the effectual calling of them by the grace of God; but in their church state, they being made fellow citizens with the saints, fellow heirs, and of the same body, and having a place and a name in God's house, better than that of sons and daughters; and therefore under great obligation to fear the Lord, and his goodness, and to walk worthy of the calling wherein they are called, in all humility and lowliness of mind:

if thou continue in his goodness; meaning not the love, grace, and free favour of God, or the grace of the Spirit, a continuance in which no "if" is to be put upon; for such who are interested in the love of God always continue in it, and nothing can separate them from it; and such as have the graces of the Spirit implanted in them, as faith, hope, and love, can never lose them; these always remain in them, and they in the possession of them, though not always in the exercise of them; but the goodness of God in a church state is here meant, as the means of grace and comfort, the ministration of the word and ordinances; and the sense is, if thou dost not despise the riches of divine goodness in a church relation, if thou dost not abuse it, or walk unworthy of it, if thou abidest by it, and retainest a value for it, thou wilt still share the advantages of it:

otherwise thou also shall be cut off; from the good olive tree, the Gospel church state, into which the Gentiles were taken; and which, with respect to particular persons, may intend the act of excommunication by the church, expressed in Scripture by purging the old leaven, putting away the wicked person, withdrawing from such that are disorderly, and rejecting heretics, that is, from the communion of the church; and with respect to whole bodies and societies, an entire unchurching of them by removing the Gospel, and the ordinances of it; which threatening has been awfully fulfilled in many Gentile churches, in Asia, Africa, and Europe; and therefore may serve to awaken our fear, care, and caution, lest we should be treated in like manner.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Behold, therefore ... - Regard, or contemplate, for purposes of your own improvement and benefit, the dealings of God. We should look on all his dispensations of judgment or of mercy, and derive lessons from all to promote our own steadfast adherence to the faith of the gospel.

The goodness - The benevolence or mercy of God toward you in admitting you to his favor. This calls for gratitude, love, confidence. It demands expressions of thanksgiving. It should be highly prized, in order that it may excite to diligence to secure its continuance.

The severity of God - That is, toward the Jews. The word “severity” now suggests sometimes the idea of harshness, or even of cruelty. (Webster.) But nothing of this kind is conveyed in the original word here. It properly denotes “cutting off,” ἀποτομίαν apotomian from ἀποτέμνω apotemnō, to cut off; and is commonly applied to the act of the gardener or vine-dresser in trimming trees or vines, and cutting off the decayed or useless branches. Here it refers to the act of God in cutting off or rejecting the Jews as useless branches; and conveys no idea of injustice, cruelty, or harshness. It was a just act, and consistent with all the perfections of God. It indicated a purpose to do what was right, though the inflictions might seem to be severe, and though they must involve them in many heavy calamities.

On them which fell, severity - On the Jews, who had been rejected because of their unbelief.

But towards thee, goodness - Toward the Gentile world, benevolence. The word “goodness” properly denotes benignity or benevolence. Here it signifies the kindness of God in bestowing these favors on the Gentiles.

If thou continue in his goodness - The word “his” is not in the original. And the word “goodness” may denote integrity, probity, uprightness, as well as favor; Romans 3:12, “There is none that doeth good.” The Septuagint often thus uses the word; Psalms 13:1, Psalms 13:3, etc. This is probably the meaning here; though it may mean “if thou dost continue in a state of favor;” that is, if your faith and good conduct shall be such as to make it proper for God to continue his kindness toward you. Christians do not merit the favor of God by their faith and good works; but their obedience is an indispensable condition on which that favor is to be continued. It is thus that the grace of God is magnified, at the same time that the highest good is done to man himself.

Otherwise thou also shalt be cut off - Compare John 15:2. The word “thou” refers here to the Gentile churches. In relation to them the favor of God was dependent on their fidelity. If they became disobedient and unbelieving, then the same principle which led him to withdraw his mercy from the Jewish people would lead also to their rejection and exclusion. And on this principle, God has acted in numberless cases. Thus, his favor was withdrawn from the seven churches of Asia Rev. 1–3, from Corinth, from Antioch, from Philippi, and even from Rome itself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. Behold therefore the goodness — The exclamation, Behold the goodness of God! is frequent among the Jewish writers, when they wish to call the attention of men to particular displays of God's mercy, especially towards those who are singularly unworthy. See several instances in Schoettgen.

And severity of God — As χρηστοτης, goodness, signifies the essential quality of the Divine nature, the fountain of all good to men and angels, so αποτομια, severity, as it is here translated, signifies that particular exercise of his goodness and holiness which leads him to sever from his mystical body whatsoever would injure, corrupt, or destroy it. The apostle in these verses uses a metaphor taken from engrafting, εγκεντρισις, from the verb εγκεντριζω, from εν, in, and κεντριζω, to puncture, because engrafting was frequently done by making a puncture in the bark of a tree, and then inserting a bud taken from another. This was the practice in the Roman agriculture, as we learn from Virgil, Georg. ii, ver. 73:-

Nam qua se medio trudunt de cortice gemmae,

Et tenues rumpunt tunicas, angustus in ipso

Fit nodo sinus: huc aliena ex arbore germen

Includunt, udoque docent inolescere libro.

For where the tender rinds of trees disclose

Their shooting gems, a swelling knot there grows;

Just in that space a narrow slit we make,

Then other buds from bearing trees we take;

Inserted thus, the wounded rind we close,

ln whose moist womb the admitted infant grows.

DRYDEN.

In all countries the principle is the same, though the mode is various.

The apostle, having adopted this metaphor as the best he could find to express that act of God's justice and mercy by which the Jews were rejected, and the Gentiles elected in their stead, and, in order to show that though the Jewish tree was cut down, or its branches lopped off, yet it was not rooted up, he informs the Gentile believers that, as it is customary to insert a good scion in a bad or useless stock, they who were bad, contrary to the custom in such cases, were grafted in a good stock, and their growth and fruitfulness proclaimed the excellence and vegetative life of the stock in which they were inserted. This was the goodness of the heavenly gardener to them; but it was severity, αποτομια, an act of excision to the Jews.

The reader will observe that this term belongs to engrafting: often, in this operation, a part of a branch is cut off; in that part which remains in connection with the tree a little slit is made, and then a small twig or branch taken from another tree is, at its lower end, shaved thin, wedge-like, and then inserted in the cleft, after which the whole is tied together, clayed round, c., and the bark unites to bark and the stock and the scion become thus one tree, the juices of the whole stock circulating through the tubes of the newly-inserted twig; and thus both live, though the branch inserted bears a very different fruit from that which the parent stock bore. I have often performed this operation, and in this very way, with success: and I cannot conceive that the apostle could have chosen a more apt or more elegant metaphor. The Jewish tree does not bring forth proper fruit; but it will answer well to ingraft a proper fruit-bearing tree on. The Gentiles are a wild olive, which is a tree that bears no fruit; but it may be made to bear if grafted on the Jewish stock. Some of the branches were cut off, that the branches of this wild olive might be inserted: the act by which this insertion is made is termed αποτομια, goodness, benignity: the act by which the branches of the original stock are broken off is termed αποτομια, excision; from απο, from, and τεμνω, I cut, still keeping the metaphor taken from engrafting in view. Now, let the apostle's mode of reasoning be observed: the tree is cut down, or its branches lopped off; but the tree is not rooted up. The Jews have stumbled, but not so as to fall irrecoverably; for if they abide not still in unbelief, they shall be grafted in, Romans 11:23. The Gentiles which are grafted in on these cut-off branches, like the scion inserted into another stock, partake of the root, which absorbs from the earth the nutritious juices, and the fatness of the Jewish tree, the blessings and privileges which that people have long enjoyed, in consequence of the Abrahamic covenant, Romans 11:17; the root, the Jewish covenant, bears them: not they the root, Romans 11:18. As, therefore, the continuance of the Gentiles as the Church and people of God depends upon their interest in the Abrahamic covenant, the blessings of which they derive through the medium of the Jews, they should be grateful to God, and tolerant to those through whom they have received such blessings. And as, in the case of grafting, the prosperity of the engrafted scion depends on the existence of the parent stock, so the continuance of the Gentiles in this state of favour, (following the metaphor,) in a certain way depends on the continuance of the Jewish people: and they are preserved, as so many scions which are in process of time to be engrafted on the Gentiles; and thus the Gentiles shall become the means of salvation to the Jews, as the Jews have been the means of salvation to the Gentiles. Following, therefore, the metaphor a little farther, which seems to have been so well chosen in all its parts, the continued existence of the Jews as a distinct people, together with the acknowledgment of the Gentiles, that they have derived their salvation and state of blessedness through them-of which Jesus Christ, born of the stock of David, is the author; and the Jewish Scriptures, which the Gentiles receive as inspired by God, are the evidence-then, the restoration of the Jews to the favour of God is a necessary consequence, and indeed seems to be the principal end in reference to which the apostle reasons. The Gentiles, however, are to take care that the restoration of the Jews be not at their expense; as their calling and election were at the expense of the Jews: the latter being cut off, that the former might be grafted in, Romans 11:19. Of this there is no kind of necessity, for the original stock, the Abrahamic covenant, is sufficient to receive them all; and so Jews and Gentiles become one eternal flock, under one Bishop and Shepherd of all their souls.