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New Living Translation

Romans 9:7

Being descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Circumcision;   Covenant;   Hypocrisy;   Isaac;   Predestination;   Quotations and Allusions;   Scofield Reference Index - Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Church of Israel;   Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abraham;   Church;   Election;   Isaac;   Israel;   Mission;   Remnant;   Servant of the lord;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christians, Names of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Calvinists;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Isaac;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel, Spiritual;   Justification;   People of God;   Promise;   Romans, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Election;   Evil;   John the Baptist;   Paul the Apostle;   Predestination;   Romans, Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Election;   People ;   Rebecca ;   Seed;   Tradition;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Esau;   Plagues of egypt;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Encampment at Sinai;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Children of Israel;   Heredity;   Isaac;   Quotations, New Testament;   Seed;  

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
Bloodline and papers don't make you Abe's kids. The Good Book says, "Isaac is the one whose kids will be counted."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED."
Legacy Standard Bible
nor are they all children because they are Abraham's seed, but: "through Isaac your seed will be named."
Bible in Basic English
And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.
Darby Translation
nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children: but, In Isaac shall a seed be called to thee.
Christian Standard Bible®
Neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac.
World English Bible
Neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your seed be called."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Weymouth's New Testament
nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "Through Isaac shall your posterity be reckoned."
King James Version (1611)
Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Literal Translation
nor because they are Abraham's seed are all children, but "In Isaac a Seed shall be called to you." Gen. 21:12
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
nether are they all children, because they are the sede of Abraham: but in Isaac shal the sede be called
Mace New Testament (1729)
neither are they who are the race of Abraham, all children: but 'tis said, "in Isaac shall thy posterity be called."
Amplified Bible
and they are not all the children of Abraham because they are his descendants [by blood], but [the promise was]: "YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED THROUGH ISAAC" [though Abraham had other sons].
American Standard Version
neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Revised Standard Version
and not all are children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
nether are they all chyldren strayght waye because they are the seed of Abraham. But in Isaac shall thy seede be called:
Update Bible Version
neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall your seed be called.
Webster's Bible Translation
Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Young's Literal Translation
nor because they are seed of Abraham [are] all children, but -- `in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee;'
New Century Version
and only some of Abraham's descendants are true children of Abraham. But God said to Abraham: "The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac."
New English Translation
nor are all the children Abraham's true descendants; rather " through Isaac will your descendants be counted ."
Berean Standard Bible
Nor because they are Abraham's descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, "Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned."
Contemporary English Version
In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised
Complete Jewish Bible
indeed, not all the descendants are seed of Avraham ; rather, "What is to be called your ‘seed' will be in Yitz'chak."
English Standard Version
and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Neither are they all children, because they are the seede of Abraham: but, In Isaac shall thy seede be called:
George Lamsa Translation
Neither, because they are of the seed of Abraham are they all his children: for it was said, In Isaac shall your seed be called.
Hebrew Names Version
Neither, because they are Avraham's seed, are they all children. But, "In Yitzchak will your seed be called."
International Standard Version
and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you."Genesis 21:12">[fn]Genesis 21:12; Galatians 4:23; Hebrews 11:18;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
neither also are they who are of the seed of Abraham all children; because it was said, In Ishok shall be called unto thee the seed:
Murdock Translation
Neither are they all sons, because they are of the seed of Abraham: for it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
New King James Version
nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." Genesis 21:12">[fn]
New Life Bible
Not all of Abraham's family are children of God. God told Abraham, "Only the family of Isaac will be called your family."
English Revised Version
neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
New Revised Standard
and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but "It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Neither, because they are seed of Abraham, are all children, - but, In Isaac, shall there be called unto thee a seed.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Neither are all they that are the seed of Abraham, children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
King James Version
Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Lexham English Bible
nor are they all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but "In Isaac will your descendants be named."
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Neither are they all chyldren that are the seede of Abraham: But in Isaac shall thy seede be called.
Easy-to-Read Version
And only some of Abraham's descendants are true children of Abraham. This is what God said to Abraham: "Your true descendants will be those who come through Isaac."
New American Standard Bible
nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE NAMED."
Good News Translation
Nor are all of Abraham's descendants the children of God. God said to Abraham, "It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised you."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nethir thei that ben seed of Abraham, `alle ben sonys; but in Ysaac the seed schal be clepid to thee;

Contextual Overview

6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God's people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham's children. 9 For God had promised, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, "Your older son will serve your younger son." 13 In the words of the Scriptures, "I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

because: Luke 3:8, Luke 16:24, Luke 16:25, Luke 16:30, John 8:37-39, Philippians 3:3

In Isaac: Genesis 21:12, Hebrews 11:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:2 - the sons Genesis 15:5 - tell Genesis 17:7 - and to Genesis 21:3 - General Genesis 25:5 - General Genesis 48:17 - displeased him Psalms 73:1 - to such Isaiah 43:6 - bring Isaiah 65:23 - for Ezekiel 33:24 - but we Matthew 1:2 - Abraham Matthew 3:9 - We John 1:13 - not John 8:39 - If Romans 4:12 - to them Galatians 3:7 - they Galatians 3:29 - Abraham's Galatians 4:23 - born 1 Peter 3:6 - daughters

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
Genesis 8:17
Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth."
Genesis 9:1
Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth.
Genesis 9:19
From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither because they are the seed of Abraham,.... The Jews highly valued themselves, upon being the natural seed of Abraham; and fancied, upon this account, that they were children, which the apostle here denies: neither

are they all children; as in the former verse, he explains in what sense they were Israelites, which he had mentioned among their high characters and privileges, as descending from Jacob, and in what sense they were not; so in this he shows in what manner the "adoption", Romans 9:4, belonged to them, and it did not; being Abraham's seed, they were his natural children, and the children of God by national adoption; but, they were not all the spiritual children of Abraham, nor the children of God by the special grace of adoption; these characters only belonged to some of them, and which are equally true of Gentile believers; who being of the same faith with Abraham, are his children, his seed, and also the children of God: natural descent from Abraham avails nothing in this case, as is clear from the instance of Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was the natural seed of Abraham, as well as Isaac; but he was not a son of Abraham in a spiritual sense, nor a child of God; he was not a child of promise, this was peculiar to Isaac:

but in Isaac shall thy seed be called; see Genesis 21:12. The meaning of which is, either that the progeny of Abraham in the line of Isaac should only be called, accounted, and esteemed, in an eminent sense, the seed of Abraham, and not his posterity in the line of Ishmael: agreeably to which the Jews say c, that

"Ishmael is not בכלל זרעו של אברהם, "in the general account of the seed of Abraham"; for it is said, "in Isaac shall thy seed be called", Genesis 21:12; nor is Esau in the general account of the seed of Isaac; hence, says R. Joden bar Shalom, in Isaac, that is, in part of Isaac.''

So another d of their writers, on mentioning this passage, observes,

"that it is said in Isaac, ולא כל יצחק, but "not all Isaac";''

or all that sprung from him. Or this has respect to the most eminent and famous seed of Abraham, the Messiah, in whom all nations of the earth were to be blessed; who was to spring from him by Isaac, in the line of Jacob; and may likewise have a personal respect to Isaac himself, the son of the promise, a child of Abraham in a spiritual sense, when Ishmael was not; and to whom belonged the spiritual promises and blessings, and who was to be, and was effectually called by the grace of God; and may include also his whole seed and posterity, who, both natural and spiritual, were children of the typical promise, the land of Canaan, and the enjoyment of temporal good things; and the matter also children of the antitypical promise, or of those spiritual and eternal things, which God has promised to Abraham's spiritual seed, whether among Jews or Gentiles; and which always have their effect, and had, even when, and though Abraham's natural seed had a "lo ammi", Hosea 1:9, written upon them.

c T. Hieros. Nedarim, fol. 38. 1. d Yom Tob in Misn. Bava Metzia, c. 7. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Are they all children - Adopted into the true family of God. Many of the descendants of Abraham were rejected.

But in Isaac - This was the promise; Genesis 21:12.

Shall thy seed ... - Thy true people. This implied a selection, or choice; and therefore the doctrine of election was illustrated in the very commencement of the history of the nation; and as God had then made such a distinction, he might still do it. As he had then rejected a part of the natural descendants of Abraham, so he might still do it. This is the argument which the apostle is pursuing.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 9:7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, c.] Nor can they conclude, because they are the natural descendants of Abraham, that therefore they are all of them, without exception, the children in whom the promise is to be fulfilled.

But, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. — The promise is not confined to immediate natural descent, but may be accomplished in any part of Abraham's posterity. For Abraham had several sons besides Isaac, Genesis 25:1, Genesis 25:2, particularly Ishmael, who was circumcised before Isaac was born, and in whom Abraham was desirous that the promise should be fulfilled, Genesis 17:18, and in him God might have fulfilled the promise, had he so pleased and yet he said to Abraham, Genesis 21:12: Not in Ishmael, but in Isaac, shall thy seed be called.


 
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