Directory | Site Map | Explanation | Monotheism Romans 9:5b “Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” [King James/Authorized Version, 1611] by Paul Sumner This verse has been a hot spot in the world of Bible translations. The Greek is ambiguously phrased, according to grammarians. And many Evangelical editors have argued that the KJV reading above does not do justice to the expressed deity of Christ. Instead, they prefer to translate Paul's words something like this: To them belong the patriarchs, and from whom their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. [English Standard Version, 2001] Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. [New International Version, revised ed. 2011] There is a major theological difference between the KJV and these other versions. What is not apparent to most readers of the NT, is the fact that the oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament did not contain punctuation marks. So any differences in phrasing in modern Bibles are only opinions of what Paul meant. This is verse 5b in unaccented Greek and is literally translated into English: ...from whom the Christ according to the flesh the one being over all God blessed unto the ages amen Septuagint Use of "Blessed" In the LXX, the phrase eulogetos ("blessed be") is used many times for God. For example: Gen 9:26 ["Blessed be the Lord"]; 14:20 ["Blessed be God the Most High"]; 24:27 ["Blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham"]; Ps 17:46 ["Blessed be my Rock"; Eng 18:46]; 40:13 ["Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel"; Eng 41:13]; 118:12 ["Blessed are you O Lord"; Eng 119:12]. [Top] 1) New Testament translator Richard Francis Weymouth commented on Romans 9:5. (The New Testament in Modern Speech, 5th ed. 1929, p. 677, notes on Rom. ix.5; emphasis added) “There are really only two 'main interpretations' [of Romans 9:5]. (a) “The Christological interpretation, predicating of Christ…the divine attributes 'He who is over all, God,' and ascribing to Him the doxology, 'blessed for ever.' (b) “The Doxological, which supposes a break after 'as concerning the flesh,' and makes the rest a doxology to God. “The difficulty felt with regard to the reference to Christ is not due to doctrinal bias, but to Pauline usage, and indeed to that of the N.T. writers generally. It is true that Paul freely transfers to Christ O.T. language used of Jehovah. He regards Him as the cause and goal, the unifying principle, of all created things (e.g. Col. 1. 15-17); but he never calls Him 'God,' still less 'God over all' (contrast Eph. iv. 6), and elsewhere his doxologies are addressed to God the Father…. “[H]ere he is speaking of the Messiah promised to the Jews. Was this Christ 'God over all'? Surely in an argument meant to be conciliatory such an assertion would exasperate the deep-rooted monotheism of his countrymen.” [Top] 2) In his NT version, Arthur S. Way footnotes: “Paul nowhere else calls Jesus God over all, nor does he ever apply to Him the word eulogetos [blessed].” [The Letters of Saint Paul, 1953, p. 118]. 3) The Roman Catholic New American Bible (revised edition, 2010; emphasis added) reads: “Some editors punctuate this verse differently and prefer the translation, 'Of whom is Christ, according to the flesh, who is God over all.' However, Paul's point is that God who is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah.” [Top] Various editors and commentators interpret what they think Paul's intent is here in Romans 5:9 by comparing what else he says about God, Yeshua, and blessedness. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:25) The God and Father of the Lord Yeshua, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. (2 Cor 11:31) Romans 10:9 reveals Paul's standard "God–and–Lord" imagery: If you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It's fair to conclude that if Paul, in his letter to the Roman believers, wanted them to know that Jesus is "God over all" he would have penned this verse as: "If you confess with your mouth Yeshua as God...you will be saved." [Top] The following table lists sample English translations of Romans 9:5. Generally, it is modern Protestant evangelical versions that interpret the passage as though it promotes the Messiah's deity.