Later text
Romans 9:29BSB
It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
Intertextuality Pair
Romans 9:29 → Isaiah 1:9
Quotation
Earlier text
Isaiah 1:9BSB
Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.
Significance
Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 in Romans 9:29 to conclude his argument about the remnant, following his citation of Isaiah 10:22-23 in verses 27-28. Isaiah's original context is the opening indictment of Judah, where the prophet acknowledges that only divine mercy prevented total annihilation like Sodom and Gomorrah. Paul introduces this with "as Isaiah foretold" (proeirēken), emphasizing prophetic anticipation. The key term "offspring" or "seed" (sperma) connects to the broader seed-promise trajectory: God's preservation of a remnant ensures the continuation of the line through which Messiah would come. The Sodom-Gomorrah comparison underscores the severity of judgment that the remnant was spared — total, irreversible destruction. Paul's argument moves from the limitation of the remnant (Isa 10:22-23, only a remnant will be saved) to divine grace in preserving even that remnant (Isa 1:9), establishing that Israel's salvation is entirely a matter of sovereign mercy.
- Found via
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
- Reference Type
- Direct Quotation
- Connection Method(s)
- Analogy + Longitudinal Theme
Related Anchor-Text Networks
Hermeneutical Notes
NT Use Pattern: Assimilated — Second half of the Isaiah 10:22-23 + Isaiah 1:9 composite at Romans 9:27-29. The remnant motif from Isaiah 1 fuses with the remnant-judgment from Isaiah 10.
Linked Mentions 3