John 1:47

1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, ¹  “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ² 

Romans 2:28-29

2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart ³  by the Spirit ⁴  and not by the written code. ⁵  This person’s ⁶  praise is not from people but from God.

Romans 4:16

4:16 For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, ⁷  with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, ⁸  who is the father of us all

Romans 9:6-7

9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, ⁹  9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Grk “said about him.”

² tn Or “treachery.”

³ sn On circumcision is of the heart see Lev 26:41; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Ezek 44:9.

⁴ tn Some have taken the phrase ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati, “by/in [the] S/spirit”) not as a reference to the Holy Spirit, but referring to circumcision as “spiritual and not literal” (RSV).

⁵ tn Grk “letter.”

⁶ tn Grk “whose.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the phrase “this person’s” and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation.

⁵ tn Grk “that it might be according to grace.”

⁶ tn Grk “those who are of the faith of Abraham.”

⁷ tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”

⁹ tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.