NT Text: Romans 9:9
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s): Promise-Fulfillment + Typology (Providential Type, Forward-Looking)
Significance: Paul quotes Genesis 18:10 (cf. 18:14) in Romans 9:9 to distinguish the children of promise from the children of the flesh, arguing that physical descent from Abraham does not constitute membership in the true Israel. The divine promise (ho logos tēs epangelias) declared to Abraham that Sarah would bear a son "at this time" (kata ton kairon touton) establishes the pattern of sovereign election: Isaac's birth was not by natural means but by divine intervention. Paul's point is that God's word has not failed (9:6) because the true "seed" was always determined by divine promise rather than physical lineage. This text serves as the first of two election-illustrations (Isaac in vv. 7-9, Jacob in vv. 10-13), both demonstrating that God's saving purposes operate through sovereign choice. The quotation follows the LXX of Genesis 18:10 with minor adaptations.