Romans 11:17

Some of the branches. Jeremiah had represented Israel as an olive tree (see Jer. 11:16; cf. Hosea 14:6). Compare also the OT image of the vine (Ps. 80:8; Isa. 5:7). Jesus compared Himself to a vine and His disciples to the branches (John 15:1-6).

Be broken off. Rather, “were broken off.” The reference is to the unbelieving Jews, who, in rejecting Christ, sealed not only their own fate but also that of the nation. The kingdom of God was taken away from them and “given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (see on Matt. 21:43).

A wild olive tree. This may be understood as “a wild olive shoot” (see RSV). The figure fittingly represents the condition of the Gentiles, who had not been favored with the religious privileges of the Jews.

Wert graffed in. Rather, “were grafted in.” Paul is not speaking of a future possibility, but of something that had already happened in the experience of many Gentiles. The grafting of a branch from a wild tree into the stock of a cultivated tree is a process that is normally never performed. The common procedure is to graft a tame shoot onto a wild stock, such as, for example, the Persian or English walnut onto a black walnut stock, as is common in California. Paul expressly states in v. 24 that the grafting of the Gentiles into the stock of Israel is “contrary to nature.” The call and conversion of the Gentiles was contrary to Jewish expectation.

Among them. This is the simplest rendering, meaning, “among the good branches.” Some, however, render the phrase “in their place” (see RSV), meaning, “in the place of the severed branches.”

Partakest. Literally, “became a sharer” (cf. Eph. 3:6). The Gentile Christians became sharers of God’s eternal plan of salvation.

Root and fatness. Important textual evidence may be cited (cf. p. 10) for omitting the words “root and.” The meaning is not essentially altered by the omission of these words. Evidence may also be cited for the reading “the fat-dispensing root.”