What shall we say then? Paul continued, that the Gentiles who did not pursue (διώκοντα, a form of διώκω) righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) obtained it (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη), that is, a righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) that is by faith, but Israel even though pursuing (διώκων, another form of διώκω) a law of righteousness (δικαιοσύνης, another form of δικαιοσύνη) did not attain it [Table].1 In other words, people who really worked at achieving righteousness by pursuing God’s law did not attain that righteousness, while people who did not pursue righteousness at all did attain it.
Isolated from any context, this sounds extraordinarily unfair. But this decision was made so far beyond any judgment of mine regarding what is fair, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.2
When Rebekah had conceived children by one man, Paul had written earlier, our ancestor Isaac – even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election would stand, not by works [ἔργων, a form of ἔργον] but by his calling [καλοῦντος, a form of καλέω]) – it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”3 just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”4 [Table].5 Complaining about this is about as productive as complaining about who my parents were. But just as God knows my parents and my upbringing, what advantages or debilities that afforded me, He knows who has received mercy and who He has hardened: God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens (σκληρύνει, a form of σκληρύνω) whom he chooses to harden.6
Why not? Paul continued. Why didn’t Israel attain the righteousness they pursued by law? Because they pursued it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works (ἔργων, a form of ἔργον).7 Paul wasn’t writing about faith alone, dead faith that produces no works: So also faith, if it does not have works (ἔργα, another form of ἔργον), is dead being by itself.8 Instead he wrote of deeds that have been done in God through faith in His credited righteousness: For everyone who does evil deeds (φαῦλα, a form of φαῦλος), Jesus said, hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds (ἔργα, another form of ἔργον) will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds (ἔργα, another form of ἔργον) have been done in God.9
Israel did not attain righteousness because they pursued it by dead works, if you will, apart from faith in the righteousness that comes from God: For ignoring the righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) that comes from God, Paul wrote early in the next chapter, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) they did not submit to God’s righteousness (δικαιοσύνῃ, another form of δικαιοσύνη).10
One more point of clarification before moving on: The Gentiles who did not pursue (διώκοντα, a form of διώκω) righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) before Paul preached the Gospel to them, did pursue it afterward, but not a law of righteousness (except those he wrote to at Galatia and Colossae in order to correct that very error). Paul’s instructions to the young Gospel preacher Timothy are helpful here: pursue (δίωκε, another form of διώκω) righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη) (e.g., the righteousness that comes from God), godliness, faithfulness (πίστιν, a form of πίστις), love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη), endurance (ὑπομονὴν, a form of ὑπομονή), and gentleness11 (πραϋπαθίαν, a form of πραϋπάθεια);12 and again, pursue (δίωκε, another form of διώκω) righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, a form of δικαιοσύνη), faithfulness (πίστιν, a form of πίστις), love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη), and peace (εἰρήνην, a form of εἰρήνη), in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.13 I note again how much of this flows directly from the Holy Spirit: the fruit of the Spirit is love (ἀγάπη), joy, peace (εἰρήνη), patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (πίστις), gentleness (πραΰτης), and self-control. Against such things there is no law [Table].14
They stumbled over the stumbling stone, Paul wrote of those who pursued a law of righteousness, just as it is written, “Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”15 I think it is worthwhile to unpack this a bit. The first phrase is very reminiscent of Isaiah 28:16.
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Paul (NET) |
Blue Letter Bible (Septuagint) |
NET Bible (Greek parallel text) |
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1 |
Look, I am laying in Zion a stone…
Romans 9:33 |
ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια16 Σιων λίθον | ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον |
Look, I am laying a stone in Zion, Isaiah wrote, an approved stone, set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation [Table]…I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line…17 The rabbis who translated the Septuagint chose ἐγὼ ἐμβαλῶ (I throw) a stone, which is quite evocative of Moses and the stone tablets of the law: When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.18 Paul did not believe that the cornerstone for the foundation (θεμέλια) stone (λίθον, a form of λίθος) of Zion was the law. He chose the word τίθημι (I will lay) instead.
For no one can lay (θεῖναι, a form of τίθημι) any foundation (θεμέλιον, another form of θεμέλιος) other than what is being laid, Paul wrote the Corinthians, which is Jesus Christ.19 And Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me [Table] – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down (τίθημι) my life for the sheep…This is why the Father loves me – because I lay down (τίθημι) my life, so that I may take it back again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down (τίθημι) of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down (θεῖναι, a form of τίθημι), and I have the authority to take it back again.20
Then Paul alluded to Isaiah 8:14 [Table]—a stone that will cause people to stumble and a rock that will make them fall—but he didn’t quote from the Septuagint. Indeed this is what the Lord told me, Isaiah wrote. He took hold of me firmly and warned me not to act like these people (Isaiah 8:11-16 NET):
“Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word. Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified [Table]. You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. He is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear. He will become a sanctuary, but a stone that makes a person trip, and a rock that makes one stumble – to the two houses of Israel. He will become a trap and a snare to the residents of Jerusalem [Table]. Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously injured, and will be ensnared and captured.” Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, seal the official record of God’s instructions and give it to my followers.
So Paul equated the stone the Lord would lay and the stone He would become to Jacob (the two houses of Israel). Did the translators of the Septuagint make this connection? It’s hard to say. They amended the text apparently to read, “and ye shall not come against [him] as against a stumbling-stone, neither as against the falling of a rock.”21
Finally Paul concluded with, yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame, which is quite similar to the end of Isaiah 28:16 in the Septuagint.
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Paul (NET) |
Blue Letter Bible (Septuagint) |
NET Bible (Greek parallel text) |
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…yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame
Romans 9:33 |
καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ | καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται |
The differences here are subtle. The Septuagint “uses the stronger negation, οὐ μὴ, whereas the NT uses the more normal weaker negation of merely, ‘οὐ‘.”22 The words καταισχυνθῇ and καταισχυνθήσεται are different forms of the same verb (καταισχύνω). “Thus, the difference here is only in regards to the mood and tense of the verb, having the aorist form and subjunctive mood in the LXX [Septuagint] and the future form and indicative mood in the NT. In the end since the subjunctive can be said to represent the verbal action (or state) as uncertain but probable (GGBB, 461), both Greek texts look forward to a future pleasant fulfillment for those who trust in him. While the LXX’s subjunctive may be a bit weaker in force, do not forget the strong οὐ μὴ which precedes the subjunctive, thus putting away any doubt as to its completion. Both Greek texts follow the MT equally as well, and the sense is not changed by this variation.”23
Addendum (6/20/2015): Jim Searcy has published that the Septuagint is a hoax written by Origen and Eusebius 200 hundred years after Christ. “In fact, the Septuagint ‘quotes’ from the New Testament and not vice versa…” His contention is that the “King James Version is the infallible Word of God.” So, I’ll re-examine the quotations above with the KJV.
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Paul (KJV) |
KJV |
NET Bible (Greek parallel text) |
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1 |
Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone… | Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone… | ἰδοὺ τίθημι ἐν Σιὼν λίθον προσκόμματος |
I’ll leave it to others to reason why Origen or Eusebius changed τίθημι (I lay) to ἐμβαλῶ (I throw) in their false Septuagint rather than copying Paul here.
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Paul (KJV) |
KJV |
NET Bible (Greek parallel text) |
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2 |
…and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. | …he that believeth shall not make haste. | καὶ ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται |
The KJV here is similar to the NET: The one who maintains his faith will not panic.24 If the original Hebrew read make haste or panic rather than be ashamed (καταισχυνθήσεται), I leave it to Mr Searcy or others to understand why Paul changed it and why Origen or Eusebius almost (καταισχυνθῇ) but not quite copied Paul.
Addendum: April 21, 2025
Tables comparing Isaiah 28:17; Exodus 32:19; Isaiah 8:11; 8:13; 8:15 and 8:16 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 28:17; Exodus 32:19; Isaiah 8:11; 8:13; 8:15 and 8:16 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and a table comparing 1 Timothy 6:11 in the KJV and NET follow.
| Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. | Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. | I will make justice the measuring line, fairness the plumb line; hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge, the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place. |
| καὶ θήσω κρίσιν εἰς ἐλπίδα ἡ δὲ ἐλεημοσύνη μου εἰς σταθμούς καὶ οἱ πεποιθότες μάτην ψεύδει ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ὑμᾶς καταιγίς | καὶ θήσω κρίσιν εἰς ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλεημοσύνη μου εἰς σταθμούς, καὶ οἱ πεποιθότες μάτην ψεύδει· ὅτι οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ὑμᾶς καταιγίς |
| And I will turn judgment into hope, and my mercy will become weight balances, and as for you who trust vainly in falsehood, I tell you that the tempest will not pass you by; | And I will cause judgment [to be] for hope, and my compassion shall be for [just] measures, and ye that trust vainly in falsehood [shall fall]: for the storm shall by no means pass by you, |
| And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount. | And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. | When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. |
| καὶ ἡνίκα ἤγγιζεν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ὁρᾷ τὸν μόσχον καὶ τοὺς χορούς καὶ ὀργισθεὶς θυμῷ Μωυσῆς ἔρριψεν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ τὰς δύο πλάκας καὶ συνέτριψεν αὐτὰς ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος | καὶ ἡνίκα ἤγγιζε τῇ παρεμβολῇ, ὁρᾷ τὸν μόσχον καὶ τοὺς χορούς, καὶ ὀργισθεὶς θυμῷ Μωυσῆς ἔρριψεν ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ τὰς δύο πλάκας, καὶ συνέτριψεν αὐτὰς ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος |
| Now when he was drawing near to the camp, he sees the calf and the dancing, and being enraged with anger, Moyses threw from his hands the two tablets and shattered them beneath the mountain. | And when he drew nigh to the camp, he sees the calf and the dances; and Moses being very angry cast the two tables out of his hands, and broke them to pieces under the mountain. |
| For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, | For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, | Indeed this is what the Lord told me quite forcefully. He warned me not to act like these people: |
| οὕτως λέγει κύριος τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρὶ ἀπειθοῦσιν τῇ πορείᾳ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου λέγοντες | Οὕτω λέγει Κύριος· τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρὶ ἀπειθοῦσι τῇ πορείᾳ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου λέγοντες |
| Thus says the Lord, With a strong hand do they reject the course of the way of this people, saying: | Thus saith the Lord, With a strong hand they revolt from the course of the way of this people, saying, |
| Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. | Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. | You must recognize the authority of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear. |
| κύριον αὐτὸν ἁγιάσατε καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φόβος | Κύριον αὐτὸν ἁγιάσατε, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φόβος |
| Sanctify the Lord himself, and he himself will be your fear. | Sanctify ye the Lord himself; and he shall be thy fear. |
| And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. | And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. | Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, and will fall and be seriously injured, and will be ensnared and captured.” |
| διὰ τοῦτο ἀδυνατήσουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοὶ καὶ πεσοῦνται καὶ συντριβήσονται καὶ ἐγγιοῦσιν καὶ ἁλώσονται ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὄντες | διὰ τοῦτο ἀδυνατήσουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοὶ καὶ πεσοῦνται καὶ συντριβήσονται, καὶ ἐγγιοῦσι καὶ ἁλώσονται ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ |
| Therefore, many among them shall become powerless, and they shall fall and be crushed, and people who are in safety shall draw near and be taken. | Therefore many among them shall be weak, and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw nigh, and men shall be taken securely. |
| Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. | Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. | Tie up the scroll as legal evidence, seal the official record of God’s instructions, and give it to my followers. |
| τότε φανεροὶ ἔσονται οἱ σφραγιζόμενοι τὸν νόμον τοῦ μὴ μαθεῖν | Τότε φανεροὶ ἔσονται οἱ σφραγιζόμενοι τὸν νόμον τοῦ μὴ μαθεῖν |
| Then shall become manifest those who seal up the law so that they might not learn. | Then shall those who seal themselves that they may not learn the law be made manifest. |
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1 Timothy 6:11 (KJV) |
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| But you, as a person dedicated to God, keep away from all that. Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. | But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. |
| Σὺ δέ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε θεοῦ, ταῦτα φεῦγε· δίωκε δὲ δικαιοσύνην εὐσέβειαν πίστιν, ἀγάπην ὑπομονὴν πραϋπαθίαν | συ δε ω ανθρωπε του θεου ταυτα φευγε διωκε δε δικαιοσυνην ευσεβειαν πιστιν αγαπην υπομονην πραοτητα | συ δε ω ανθρωπε του θεου ταυτα φευγε διωκε δε δικαιοσυνην ευσεβειαν πιστιν αγαπην υπομονην πραοτητα |
1 Romans 9:30, 31 (NET)
3 For a table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation to that of the Septuagint see Who Am I? Part 14
4 For a table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation to that of the Septuagint see Who Am I? Part 14
5 Romans 9:10-12 (NET)
6 Romans 9:18 (NET)
8 James 2:17 (NET)
9 John 3:20, 21 (NET)
10 Romans 10:3 (NET)
11 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πραϋπαθίαν here, a form of πραϋπάθεια, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πραοτητα (KJV: meekness), a form of πραότης.
12 1 Timothy 6:11b (NET)
13 2 Timothy 2:22 (NET)
14 Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)
16 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations (θεμέλια, a form of θεμέλιος) of the prison were shaken (Acts 16:26 NET).
17 Isaiah 28:16a, 17a (NET)
18 Exodus 32:19 (NET)
20 John 10:14, 15, 17, 18a (NET)
22 This website about the use of the Septuagint in the New Testament is no longer available.
23 This website about the use of the Septuagint in the New Testament is no longer available.
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