Romans 11:25

     25. For I would not . . . that ye should be ignorant of this mystery—The word "mystery," so often used by our apostle, does not mean (as with us) something incomprehensible, but "something before kept secret, either wholly or for the most part, and now only fully disclosed" (compare Ro 16:25; 1Co 2:7-10; Eph 1:9, 10; 3:3-6, 9, 10).

      lest ye should be wise in your own conceits—as if ye alone were in all time coming to be the family of God.

      that blindness—"hardness"

      in part is happened to—"hath come upon"

      Israel—that is, hath come partially, or upon a portion of Israel.

      until the fulness of the Gentiles be—"have"

      come in—that is, not the general conversion of the world to Christ, as many take it; for this would seem to contradict the latter part of this chapter, and throw the national recovery of Israel too far into the future: besides, in Ro 11:15, the apostle seems to speak of the receiving of Israel, not as following, but as contributing largely to bring about the general conversion of the world—but, "until the Gentiles have had their full time of the visible Church all to themselves while the Jews are out, which the Jews had till the Gentiles were brought in." (See Lu 21:24).

Romans 16:25

     25. Now to him that is of power—more simply, as in Jude 24, "to Him that is able."

      to stablish—confirm, or uphold

      you, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ—that is, in conformity with the truths of that Gospel which I preach, and not I only, but all to whom has been committed "the preaching of Jesus Christ."

      according to the revelation of the mystery—(See on Ro 11:25).

      which was kept secret since the world began—literally, "which hath been kept in silence during eternal ages."

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