The Meaning of Romans 9:12 Explained

Romans 9:12

KJV: It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

YLT: 'The greater shall serve the less;'

Darby: it was said to her, The greater shall serve the less:

ASV: it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

Discover Romans 9:12

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Romans 9:12?

MEANING: What does Romans 9:12 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Romans 9:12 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Romans 9:12?

What is the context of Romans 9:12?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

<3754> It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

What does Romans 9:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Romans 9:1-13 - Longing For His Kinsmen

Our consciences should be continually bathed in the light and warmth of the Holy Spirit, Romans 9:1, that the inward witness may be maintained in its integrity. We must love as Moses and Paul did, Romans 9:3, before we can understand Exodus 32:32 and Galatians 3:10. The Hebrew nation was marvelously privileged by adoption as God's firstborn, by having the Shekinah glory and by being called to maintain the witness of the Temple and its services, Romans 9:4. But these privileges were granted, not for the nation itself, but for the blessing of mankind. This is the meaning of election. There are elect races, elect nations, elect souls, that they may be able to impart of what they have received, and communicate whatever advantages have been entrusted.

The sorrowful admission must be made that a very large proportion of the Hebrew race had missed the privileges to which they were entitled, because they had regarded these merely as intended for their own comfort and enrichment, Romans 9:6. This was the outstanding difference between Esau and Jacob. It is plain that the hatred in Romans 9:13 means nothing more than relative repudiation, as it does in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 14:26. No personal animosity can obtain in the nature of the God of love except that He withholds from the recreant soul the full manifestation and outflow of His love. [source]

Chapter Summary: Romans 9

¹ Paul is sorry for the Jews
⁷ All of Abraham not of the promise
¹⁸ God's sovereignty
²⁵ The calling of the Gentiles and rejecting of the Jews, foretold
³² The cause of their stumbling

Greek Commentary for Romans 9:12

But of him that calleth [αλλ εκ του καλουντος]
Present active articular participle of καλεω kaleō in the ablative case after εκ ek The source of the selection is God himself. Paul quotes Genesis 25:33 (lxx). [source]

Elder - younger [μείζων - ἐλάσσονι]
Lit., greater - smaller. Compare Genesis 27:1, here the Hebrew is: “Esau his great son;” Sept., πρεσβύτερον elder Genesis 29:16, Sept., “The name of the greater was Leah, and the name of the younger ( τῇ νεωτέρᾳ ) Rachel.” See a similar use in Aeschylus, “Agamemnon,” 349, “Neither old ( μέγαν ) nor young ( νεαρῶν ) could escape the great net of slavery.” While in these cases “greater” and “smaller” are evidently used as older and younger, yet the radical meaning is greater and less, and the reference is not to age, but to their relative position in the theocratic plan. Μείζων greateroccurs in forty-four passages in the New Testament, and in no case with the meaning elder. Compare Genesis 25:23be stronger; Sept., ὑπέρεξει ; shall surpass. The reference, if to the persons of Jacob and Esau, is to them as representatives of the two nations. See Genesis 25:23. Historically the Edomites, represented by Esau, were for a time the greater, and surpassed the Israelites in national and military development. Moses sent envoys to the king of Edom from Kadesh, asking permission to pass through his country, which was refused, and the Edomite army came out against Israel (Numbers 20:14-21). Later they were “vexed” by Saul (1 Samuel 14:47), and were conquered and made tributary by David (2 Samuel 8:14). Their strength was shown in their subsequent attempts to recover independence (2 Kings 8:20, 2 Kings 8:21; 2 Kings 14:7; 2 Chronicles 28:17). Their final subjugation was effected by John Hyrcanus, who incorporated them into the Jewish nation and compelled them to be circumcised. -DIVIDER-

-DIVIDER-

[source]

What do the individual words in Romans 9:12 mean?

not of works but of the [One] calling it was said to her - The older will serve the younger

οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ἐρρέθη αὐτῇ ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι

ἔργων	works
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural Root: ἔργον Sense: business, employment, that which any one is occupied.
τοῦ	the [One]
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
καλοῦντος	calling
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: καλέω Sense: to call.
ἐρρέθη	it was said
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to utter, speak, say.
αὐτῇ	to her
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular Root: αὐτός Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὅτι	-
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since.
μείζων	older
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular, Comparative Root: μέγας Sense: great.
δουλεύσει	will serve
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: δουλεύω Sense: to be a slave, serve, do service.
ἐλάσσονι	younger
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Singular, Comparative Root: ἐλάσσων Sense: less.

What are the major concepts related to Romans 9:12?

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Similar Scriptures for Romans 9:12

		Genesis 25:22-23 [3]
		1 Kings 22:47 [2]
		2 Samuel 8:14 [2]