Romans 11:8
as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day."
as it is written
This phrase indicates that Paul is referencing the Old Testament, grounding his argument in the Hebrew Scriptures. The phrase underscores the continuity and fulfillment of God's word throughout the Bible. It reflects the Jewish tradition of citing Scripture to validate a point, showing that the New Testament is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. This connection emphasizes the unchanging nature of God's word and His sovereign plan throughout history.

God gave them
The phrase highlights God's active role in the spiritual condition of Israel. The Greek word for "gave" (ἔδωκεν, edōken) suggests a deliberate act of God. This can be challenging to understand, but it reflects the biblical theme of divine sovereignty. God, in His wisdom and justice, allows certain conditions to persist for His greater purposes. This is not to suggest that God is unjust, but rather that His ways are higher than ours, and His plans are ultimately for the good of those who love Him.

a spirit of stupor
The term "stupor" (κατανύξεως, katanuxeōs) implies a state of spiritual insensitivity or dullness. This condition is not merely physical but deeply spiritual, indicating a lack of awareness or responsiveness to God's truth. Historically, this reflects Israel's repeated disobedience and rejection of God's prophets, culminating in their rejection of Christ. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of hardening one's heart against God.

eyes that could not see
This phrase metaphorically describes spiritual blindness. The inability to see is not due to a lack of evidence or revelation but a willful rejection of it. In the biblical context, seeing often symbolizes understanding and acceptance of God's truth. The historical context includes Israel's failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah despite the clear signs and prophecies fulfilled in Him.

and ears that could not hear
Similar to the previous phrase, this describes a spiritual deafness. Hearing in the Bible often represents obedience and receptivity to God's word. The Greek word for "hear" (ἀκούειν, akouein) implies not just the act of hearing but understanding and responding. This condition reflects a persistent refusal to heed God's message, as seen throughout Israel's history.

to this very day
This phrase indicates the ongoing nature of Israel's spiritual condition at the time of Paul's writing. It suggests that the state of spiritual stupor was not just a past event but continued into the present. This continuity serves as a warning and a call to repentance, emphasizing the urgency of turning back to God. It also highlights the patience and long-suffering of God, who continues to hold out His hands to a disobedient people, as Paul later elaborates in Romans 11.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the Book of Romans, addressing the believers in Rome about the spiritual state of Israel.

2. Israel
The nation to whom God originally gave His law and promises, yet many of whom have rejected the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

3. God
The sovereign being who, according to His divine plan, has allowed a partial hardening of Israel.

4. Prophets Isaiah and David
Old Testament figures whose writings Paul references to explain Israel's spiritual condition.

5. The Church in Rome
The recipients of Paul's letter, consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers.
Teaching Points
Understanding Spiritual Blindness
Recognize that spiritual blindness is a condition allowed by God as part of His sovereign plan. It serves as a warning and a call to humility for all believers.

The Role of God's Sovereignty
Acknowledge that God’s sovereignty is at work even in the hardening of hearts. This should lead us to trust in His ultimate plan and purpose for both Israel and the Church.

The Importance of Spiritual Awareness
Cultivate a heart that seeks understanding and spiritual awareness. Pray for eyes to see and ears to hear the truths of God’s Word.

Intercession for Israel
As believers, we are called to pray for the salvation of Israel, that the veil of blindness may be lifted through Christ.

Personal Reflection on Receptivity
Examine personal receptivity to God’s Word. Are there areas in our lives where we are spiritually blind or deaf?
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of a "spirit of stupor" challenge our understanding of God's justice and mercy?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we are not spiritually blind or deaf to God's Word in our daily lives?

3. How does understanding the partial hardening of Israel affect our view of God's plan for salvation history?

4. What practical steps can we take to intercede for those who are spiritually blind, both within Israel and among the nations?

5. How do the connections between Romans 11:8 and other scriptures deepen our understanding of God's redemptive plan?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 29:4
This verse speaks of God not giving Israel a heart to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear, which Paul echoes in Romans 11:8.

Isaiah 29:10
Isaiah prophesies about God pouring out a spirit of deep sleep on Israel, which Paul references to explain the current spiritual blindness.

Psalm 69:22-23
David's imprecatory prayer against his enemies, which Paul uses to illustrate the spiritual stupor of Israel.

Matthew 13:14-15
Jesus speaks of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy regarding the people's inability to perceive spiritual truths.

2 Corinthians 3:14-16
Paul discusses the veil over the hearts of Israel, which is removed in Christ.
Spiritual BlindnessJohn PercivalRomans 11:8
DespondencyJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
God Hath not Cast Off His PeopleJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
God's Church Wider than Man'sC. Short, M.A.Romans 11:1-10
God's PeopleJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
God's RemainderBp. Huntington.Romans 11:1-10
Grace and UnbeliefT.F. Lockyer Romans 11:1-10
Israel not Utterly RejectedC.H. Irwin Romans 11:1-10
Mistakes Concerning the Number of the RighteousW. Jay.Romans 11:1-10
The Answer of God to ElijahElnathan Parr, B.D.Romans 11:1-10
The Election of GraceR.M. Edgar Romans 11:1-10
The Glory Which Will Redound to God from the Conversion of the JewsJ. Harris, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
The Old Testament ScripturesJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
The Prophet's Complaint and God's AnswerJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
The Rejection of IsraelJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:1-10
The Remnant, the Admonition, and the HopeW. Tyson.Romans 11:1-10
Israel's FailureJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
Salvation by GraceJ. Owen, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
Seeking and Obtaining SalvationElnathan Parr, B.D.Romans 11:6-10
Spiritual BlindnessT. Robinson, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
The Christian Doctrine of Divine GraceR. W. Hamilton, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
The Hardened SinnerJ. Lyth, D,D.Romans 11:6-10
The Judgment Upon Israel IsJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
The Present Condition of the JewsJ. Lyth, D.D.Romans 11:6-10
The Spirit of SlumberElnathan Parr, B.D.Romans 11:6-10
People
Benjamin, David, Elias, Elijah, Jacob, Paul, Romans
Places
Rome, Zion
Topics
Deep, Drowsiness, Ears, Hearing, Holy, Nothing, Says, Scripture, Sleep, Slumber, Spirit, Stupor, Writings, Written
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Romans 11:8

     2426   gospel, responses
     5064   spirit, emotional
     5159   hearing
     5534   sleep, spiritual
     6195   impenitence, results

Romans 11:1-12

     6710   privileges
     7135   Israel, people of God

Romans 11:1-18

     7125   elect, the

Romans 11:1-36

     4492   olive

Romans 11:7-8

     5135   blindness, spiritual

Library
June 19. "Who Hath First Given to Him, and it Shall be Recompensed unto Him Again" (Rom. xi. 35).
"Who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again" (Rom. xi. 35). The Christian women of the world have it in their power, by a very little sacrifice, to add millions to the treasury of the Lord. Beloved sisters, have you found the joy of sacrifice for Jesus? Have you given up something that you might give it to Him? Are you giving your substance to Jesus? He will take it, and He will give you a thousandfold more. I should rather be connected with a work founded on great sacrifice
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Trinity Sunday the Article of Faith on the Trinity.
Text: Romans 11, 33-36. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen. THE ARTICLE OF FAITH ON THE TRINITY. 1. This epistle is read today because the festival
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Trinity Sunday the Doctrine of the Trinity.
Second Sermon. Text: Romans 11, 33-36. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.[1] [Footnote 1: This sermon was first printed in 1535, at Wittenberg.] 1. This festival requires us to instruct the people in the dogma of the Holy Trinity, and to strengthen both memory and faith concerning it. This is the reason why we take up the subject once more. Without proper instruction and a sound foundation in this regard, other dogmas cannot be rightly and successfully treated. The other festivals of the year present
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Spiritual Blindness.
"As it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear."--ROMANS xi. 8. "Blindness in part is happened to Israel."--ROMANS xi. 25. It is a sad and painful reflection, and one which is continually forced upon us as we read the New Testament, that the long training and preparation of the Jews brought them at the last not to the acceptance but to the rejection of Jesus. They had been taught, generation after generation, that they
John Percival—Sermons at Rugby

Christianity Requires the Temper of Childhood.
MARK x. 15.--"Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." These words of our Lord are very positive and emphatic, and will, therefore, receive a serious attention from every one who is anxious concerning his future destiny beyond the grave. For, they mention an indispensable requisite in order to an entrance into eternal life. "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

The Hardening of Nations.
"The election hath obtained it, and the rest were hardened."-- Rom. xi. 7. St. Paul's word, at the head of this article, is strikingly impressive, and its content exceedingly rich and instructive. It clearly announces the fact that the hardening is not exceptional or occasional, but universal, affecting all, who, being in contact with the divine Love, are not saved by it. The last limitation is necessary, for of the heathen it can not be said that they are hardened. Only they can be hardened who
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Of Holy virginity
Of Holy Virginity. [De Virginitate.] Translated by Rev. C. I. Cornish, M.A., of Exeter College, Oxford Retr. ii. 23. "After I had written on the Good of Marriage,' it was expected that I should write on Holy Virginity; and I did not delay to do so: and that it is God's gift, and how great a gift, and with what humility to be guarded, so far as I was able I set forth in one volume. This book begins," &c. c1. We lately put forth a book "of the Good of Marriage," in which also we admonished and admonish
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Now this Election the Apostle Demonstrating to Be...
17. Now this election the Apostle demonstrating to be, not of merits going before in good works, but election of grace, saith thus: "And in this time a remnant by election of grace is saved. But if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace." [2672] This is election of grace; that is, election in which through the grace of God men are elected: this, I say, is election of grace which goes before all good merits of men. For if it be to any good merits that it is given,
St. Augustine—On Patience

History of Arian Opinions.
Arius's own sentiments; his Thalia and Letter to S. Alexander; corrections by Eusebius and others; extracts from the works of Asterius; letter of the Council of Jerusalem; first Creed of Arians at the Dedication of Antioch; second, Lucian's on the same occasion; third, by Theophronius; fourth, sent to Constans in Gaul; fifth, the Macrostich sent into Italy; sixth, at Sirmium; seventh, at the same place; and eighth also, as given above in §8; ninth, at Seleucia; tenth, at Constantinople; eleventh,
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Epistle Xliii. To Eulogius and Anastasius, Bishops.
To Eulogius and Anastasius, Bishops. Gregory to Eulogius, Bishop of Alexandria, and Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. When the excellent preacher says, As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles I will honour my ministry (Rom. xi. 13); saying again in another place, We became as babes among you (1 Thess. ii. 7), he undoubtedly shews an example to us who come after him, that we should retain humility in our minds, and yet keep in honour the dignity of our order, so that neither should our humility be
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Beatific vision. (Continued. )
In the Beatific Vision our intellect is glorified, and our thirst for knowledge completely satisfied. Man was created with a thirst for knowledge which can never be satiated in this world. Sin, which greatly weakened and darkened his mental faculties, has not taken away his desire and love for knowledge. And the knowledge which he acquired by eating the forbidden fruit, rather increased than satisfied his thirst. But all his efforts to reach the perfection of knowledge, even in the natural order,
F. J. Boudreaux—The Happiness of Heaven

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be the glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). Has God foreordained everything that comes to pass? Has He decreed that what is, was to have been? In the final analysis this is only another way of asking, Is God now governing the world and everyone and everything in it? If God is governing the world then is He governing it according to a definite purpose, or aimlessly and at random? If He is governing it according to some purpose, then
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Reprobation Asserted: Or, the Doctrine of Eternal Election and Reprobation Promiscuously Handled, in Eleven Chapters.
WHEREIN THE MOST MATERIAL OBJECTIONS MADE BY THE OPPOSERS OF THIS DOCTRINE, ARE FULLY ANSWERED; SEVERAL DOUBTS REMOVED, AND SUNDRY CASES OF CONSCIENCE RESOLVED. BY JOHN BUNYAN OF BEDFORD, A LOVER OF PEACE AND TRUTH. 'What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.'--Romans 11:7 London: Printed for G. L., and are to be sold in Turn-stile-alley, in Holbourn. Small 4to, 44 pages. EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. This valuable tract
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Original and the Actual Relation of Man to Law.
ROMANS vii. 10.--"The commandment which, was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." The reader of St. Paul's Epistles is struck with the seemingly disparaging manner in which he speaks of the moral law. In one place, he tells his reader that "the law entered that the offence might abound;" in another, that "the law worketh wrath;" in another, that "sin shall not have dominion" over the believer because he is "not under the law;" in another, that Christians "are become dead to the law;" in
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

"Wash You, Make You Clean; Put Away the Evil of Your Doings from Before Mine Eyes; Cease to do Evil,"
Isaiah i. 16.--"Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil," &c. There are two evils in sin,--one is the nature of it, another the fruit and sad effect of it. In itself it is filthiness, and contrary to God's holiness; an abasing of the immortal soul; a spot in the face of the Lord of the creatures, that hath far debased him under them all. Though it be so unnatural to us, yet it is now in our fallen estate become, as it were, natural, so that
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

God's Works of Providence
Rom. xi. 36.--"For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory for ever, Amen."--Psal. ciii. 19.--"The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens and his kingdom ruleth over all."--Matt. x. 29.--"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." There is nothing more commonly confessed in words, than that the providence of God reaches to all the creatures and their actions, but I believe there is no point of religion
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Because of Its Bearing Upon the Gentiles.
This aspect of our subject has not received the attention which it deserves. It has been assumed by some that the present dispensation is the time when God is blessing the Gentiles and that in the Millennium the Jews will be the special objects of God's favor. It is true that in the Millennium Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of their inheritance and that at that time they shall occupy the chief position, governmentally, among the nations, but it is a mistake to suppose that the Gentiles will
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Christ a Complete Saviour:
OR, THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, AND WHO ARE PRIVILEGED IN IT. BY JOHN BUNYAN Advertisement by the Editor. However strange it may appear, it is a solemn fact, that the heart of man, unless prepared by a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, rejects Christ as a complete Saviour. The pride of human nature will not suffer it to fall, as helpless and utterly undone, into the arms of Divine mercy. Man prefers a partial Saviour; one who had done so much, that, with the sinner's aid, the work might be
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Some General Uses.
Before we come to speak of some particular cases of deadness, wherein believers are to make use of Christ as the Life, we shall first propose some useful consequences and deductions from what hath been spoken of this life; and, I. The faith of those things, which have been mentioned, would be of great use and advantage to believers; and therefore they should study to have the faith of this truth fixed on their hearts, and a deep impression thereof on their spirits, to the end, that, 1. Be their case
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Work of the Holy Spirit Distinguished.
"And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."--Gen. i. 2. What, in general, is the work of the Holy Spirit as distinguished from that of the Father and of the Son? Not that every believer needs to know these distinctions in all particulars. The existence of faith does not depend upon intellectual distinctions. The main question is not whether we can distinguish the work of the Father from that of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, but whether we have experienced their gracious operations.
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

I Fear, I Say, Greatly for Thee, Lest...
39. I fear, I say, greatly for thee, lest, when thou boastest that thou wilt follow the Lamb wheresoever He shall have gone, thou be unable by reason of swelling pride to follow Him through strait ways. It is good for thee, O virgin soul, that thus, as thou art a virgin, thus altogether keeping in thy heart that thou hast been born again, keeping in thy flesh that thou hast been born, thou yet conceive of the fear of the Lord, and give birth to the spirit of salvation. [2142] "Fear," indeed, "there
St. Augustine—Of Holy Virginity.

Concerning the Ministry.
Concerning the Ministry. As by the light or gift of God all true knowledge in things spiritual is received and revealed, so by the same, as it is manifested and received in the heart, by the strength and power thereof, every true minister of the gospel is ordained, prepared, and supplied in the work of the ministry; and by the leading, moving, and drawing hereof ought every evangelist and Christian pastor to be led and ordered in his labour and work of the gospel, both as to the place where, as to
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

The Angel's Message and Song
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the LORD came upon them, and the glory of the LORD shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD . And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

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