Romans 10:19-21 Romans 10:19-Paul Cites Deuteronomy 32:21 To Demonstrate That Israel Understood The Gospel Paul poses another rhetorical question in Romans 10:19, which suggests that Israel didn’t understand the gospel and he refutes this notion by citing Deuteronomy 32:21. Romans 10:19, “But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, ‘I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.’” “But ” is the strong adversative conjunction alla ( a)llav) (al-lah), which introduces a rhetorical question that stands in direct contrast with what might be expected, namely that the Israelites understood the gospel. In Romans 10:18, Paul anticipated the possible objection that maybe not all Israel heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ in the first place and that is the reason why they have not believed. Romans 10:18, “But on the contrary, I ask, have they never heard? Indeed, they have heard! ‘Their voice has gone out extending throughout all the earth, that is, their teachings extending throughout the ends of the inhabited world.’” In this passage, the apostle Paul poses a rhetorical question that expects a strong affirmation, which asserts that Israel did in fact hear the gospel about Christ and to support this assertion he cites Psalm 19:4. Now here in Romans 10:19, he again anticipates a possible objection, namely that Israel did not understand the gospel. To anticipate this possible objection, the apostle employs the strong adversative conjunction alla that introduces a rhetorical question that implies that not all Israel has understood the gospel message. However, as was the case in Romans 10:18, Paul uses the double negative expression me ouk in Romans 10:19 to emphatically reject such an idea that they did not understand the gospel message of Christ. Just as he cited Psalm 19:4 in Romans 10:18 and to support his assertion that Israel heard the gospel so in Romans 10:19 Paul cites Deuteronomy 32:21 to support his assertion that Israel did understand the gospel. We will translate alla , “but on the contrary .” Romans 10:19, “But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, ‘I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.’” 2009 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1 “I say ” is the first person singular present active indicative form of the verb lego ( levgw ) (leg-o), which means, “to ask” since it is connected to the rhetorical question that follows it. The first person singular form of the verb refers of course to Paul. The present tense of the verb is an “instantaneous” or “aoristic” present used to indicate that an action is completed at the moment of speaking. The active voice indicates that Paul, as the subject produced the action of asking this rhetorical question. The indicative mood is “declarative” presenting this assertion as an unqualified statement. We will translate lego , “ I ask .” Romans 10:19, “But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, ‘I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.’” “Surely Israel did not know, did they ” is composed of the negative particle me ( mhv) (may), which is followed by the nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Israel ( )Israh/l ) (Is-rah-ale), “ Israel ” and the emphatic negative adverb ou ( ou)) (oo), “ not ” and the third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb ginosko ( ginwvskw ) (ghin-oce-ko), “ did know .” The proper name Israel refers of course to the nation of Israel who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, aka, Israel. It refers to unregenerate Israel since Paul says that they pursued a righteous status with God by obedience to the Mosaic Law and as a result they never attained perfect obedience to the Law, which it required. The word functions as a “nominative subject” meaning that it is performing the action of the verb ginosko . Ginosko denotes in Koine Greek the intelligent comprehension of an object or matter, whether this comes for the first time, or comes afresh, into the consideration of the one who grasps it (“to come to know, to experience, to perceive”) or whether it is already present (“to perceive”). The ingressive aspect of the act of comprehension is originally emphasized but faded into the background and the meaning can be simply “to know,” or “to understand.” The original form gignosko is found from Homer on. The shortened form ginosko was Aeolic and Ionic, but appears in common Greek from Aristotle (384- 322 B.C.) and both these words are formed from the root gno -. Ginosko and its related terms were a part of the vocabulary of religion, philosophy, and ethics, especially in the Hellenistic period. 2009 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 A distinct characteristic of ginosko in ancient Greek thought was that it accented to a certain extent the idea of understanding what is known in contrast to experiencing something to acquire knowledge. Ginosko means to see things as they truly are and to the Greeks knowledge attained through observation with one’s own eyes was more reliable than hearing which is less tangible. It basically means to notice, perceive, or recognize a thing, person, or situation through the senses, particularly sight. This leads to an intelligent ordering in the mind of what has been perceived in the world of experience. Thus the verb also means experience, learn, get to know: what has been experienced becomes known to the one who has experienced it. Liddell and Scott list the following classical meanings for the word (page 350): (1) to come to know, perceive (2) to know by reflection (3) to know by observation (4) to discern, distinguish, recognize (5) to form a judgment, think (6) to understand (7) to judge, determine, to decree that (8) to be pronounced of a sentence or a judgment (9) to be judged guilty (10) to know carnally (11) to make known, celebrate. Ernst Dieter Schmitz lists the following secular Greek meanings for the word (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, volume 2, page 392): (1) to notice, perceive, or recognize a thing, person, or situation through the senses, particularly sight (Homer Odyssey 15, 532 and 24, 217). (2) to distinguish, for experience or recognition of a phenomenon among similar or different ones may lead to this (cf. Homer Iliad, 5, 128, 182). (3) to know in a personal way (Heracles Frag. 97), to understand (already in Homer Odyssey 16, 136), to know (Democ. Frag. 198; used par. with oida ), to be acquainted with, to be expert (gnostos , an expert, Plato, Republic 1, 347d), and to judge (Demosthones 658, 23). (4) to recognize as a friend, love as a friend (Xenophon Cyr. 1, 4, 27). (5) to reflect, judge, investigate by logical thought-processes. (6) to be judged. (7) to gain insight, to perceive intuitively. The Greek’s usage of the word contrasts with the Hebrew mind in the Old Testament, which placed more emphasis upon hearing since the perception of doctrine came through hearing as recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4, “ Hear, O Israel .” In the Septuagint, ginosko replaces 14 different Hebrew expressions as well as variations of these: (1) `amar ( rma ), to say (Jgs. 6:29) (2) bin ( wyb ), Qal: perceive, understand (Prov. 24:12; Is. 40:21); hiphil: perceive (Job. 9:11); hithpoel: understand (Jer. 30:24 [37:24]). (3) de `ah ( hud ), knowledge (Is. 11:9). (4) da `ath (jud ), knowledge (Gen. 2:176, Prov. 22:17, Is. 44:19). (5) chazah ( hzj ), see (Is. 26:11). (6) yadha ` ( udy ), Qal: know (Ex. 16:12, 2 Sm. 3:25, Jon. 1:12); niphal: be made known (Lev. 4:14, Jgs. 16:9, Ps. 48:3 [47:3] ); hiphil: make known (Hb. 3:2); hophal: made known (Lev. 4:23, 28); hithpael: make oneself known (Nm. 12:6). 2009 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3 (7) yedha ` ( udy ), know (Dn. 2:9, 4:17 [4:14] - Aramaic); learn (Ezr. 4:15 - Aramaic). (8) ya `adh ( udy ), appoint; niphal: meet (Ex. 29:42, 30:6, Nm. 17:4). (9) ya `ats ( Juy ), advise, counsel; niphal: consult together (Is. 45:21). (10) laqach (jql ), take (1 Sm. 17:18). (11) matsa ( aXm ), find (Jgs. 14:18). (12) naghadh ( dgn ), hiphil: declare (Is. 48:6). (13) nakhar ( rbn ), Hiphil: regard (Dt. 33:9); recognize (1 Kgs. 20:41 [21:41] ). (14) ra `ah ( har ), see (Nm. 11:23, Jgs. 2:7); consider (Ex. 33:13). (15) shama ` ( umv ), hear (Neh. 4:15, Is. 48:8). (16) takhan ( wbh ), Qal: consider (Prv. 24:12); piel: measure (Is. 40:12 [40:13] ). One term clearly predominates as the correspondent to ginosko which is yadha `, “to know.” While the Greeks were concerned with detached knowledge and a speculative interest in the metaphysical nature of things, the Old Testament regards knowledge as something which continually arises from personal encounter. Schmitz list the following meanings for ginosko in the Septuagint (LXX) (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology volume 2, page 395): (1) to notice, experience, observe (e.g. Gen. 3:7; 41:31; Jdg. 16:20; Eccl. 8:5; Is. 47:8; Hs. 5:3), then the observing of things like good and bad (2 Sm. 19:35 [MT 19:36]) or right and left (Jon. 4:11) leads to distinguishing between them.