Romans 9:6-10

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, ¹  9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” ²  9:8 This means ³  it is not the children of the flesh ⁴  who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. 9:9 For this is what the promise declared: ⁵  “About a year from now ⁶  I will return and Sarah will have a son.” ⁷  9:10 Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, ⁸  our ancestor Isaac –

[9:6]  ¹ tn Grk “For not all those who are from Israel are Israel.”

[9:7]  ² 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.

[9:8]  ³ tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

[9:8]  ⁴ tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.

[9:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “For this is the word of promise.”

[9:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “About this time I will return.” Since this refers to the time when the promised child would be born, it would be approximately a year later.

[9:9]  ⁷ sn A quotation from Gen 18:10, 14.

[9:10]  ⁸ tn Or possibly “by one act of sexual intercourse.” See D. Moo, Romans (NICNT), 579.