Romans 10:7
“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Paul isn't asking if someone needs to physically descend into the grave, but rather if we have to perform an impossible feat to secure salvation. The profound point is that the saving work is already finished in Christ's death and resurrection, making righteousness accessible through faith, not impossible works.
Paul is contrasting the righteousness that comes from meticulously following the Law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. He argues that attempting to achieve righteousness through Law-keeping is like trying to ascend into heaven or descend into the deepest abyss to bring Christ back from the dead – impossible tasks. In this passage, he quotes Old Testament verses to show that the way of salvation through faith is not some unattainable, hidden mystery, but is readily accessible.
The Bible uses vivid imagery to describe the places beyond our understanding. What does Paul mean by 'the deep' in this passage?
Paul is adapting language from the Old Testament to describe the ultimate depths – the realm of the dead, often called Hades or the abyss. This wasn't just a physical 'down there'; it represented a place of separation from God, a profound 'depth' beyond human reach.
Think of the ancient world's understanding: the sea was vast and mysterious, a symbol of the unknown. The 'deep' referred to this, and in a spiritual sense, to the place where spirits go after death. Paul uses this imagery to contrast the supposed impossibility of reaching such depths with the reality of salvation.
He's not saying Christ literally went to a place of eternal punishment to 'get' salvation. Instead, he's using this extreme example to show how unnecessary and impossible such a feat would be for us to achieve salvation on our own.
Why does Paul bring up the nearly impossible task of descending into the abyss when talking about faith and salvation?
Paul contrasts the overwhelming, impossible task of descending into the abyss to rescue someone with the simple act of faith.
He's using a rhetorical question to highlight that salvation doesn't require us to do the impossible. The righteousness that saves us isn't found by performing some Herculean feat, like retrieving Christ from the dead (which would be impossible anyway).
Instead, the message of salvation is 'near you' (Romans 10:8). It's not distant or hidden. The work of bringing Christ up from the dead has already been done by God through Jesus' resurrection. Our part is not to perform the impossible, but to believe the accomplished work.
Understand the original words
abyssos · Greek Noun
The deep, dark, or unfathomable place; often associated with the realm of the dead or the place of judgment.
Paul's powerful analogy draws on the ancient Jewish understanding of profound depths (like the sea or the underworld) to emphasize that salvation through Christ is not an impossible quest to retrieve someone from the dead, but a readily available gift through faith in His finished work.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites escape slavery in Egypt, marking a pivotal moment of divine intervention and the establishment of their covenant relationship with God.
c. 1406 BC
Conquest of Canaan
Following Moses' death, Joshua leads the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land, fulfilling God's promises but also introducing ongoing struggles with Canaanite influence.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Exile of Northern Kingdom
The powerful Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and scattering them, a stark warning for Judah.
586 BC
Babylonian Exile of Judah
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire conquer Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah, destroying the Temple and exiling most of the population, a period of profound spiritual crisis.
This is the Old Testament passage Paul is quoting from and adapting, originally speaking about the accessibility of God's commands, not about descending to the depths to bring someone back from the dead.
Psalm 139:7-10This psalm explores the impossibility of escaping God's presence, echoing the theme of insurmountable distances or depths that Paul uses to contrast with the accessibility of faith's message.
Luke 8:31Here, the 'abyss' is directly linked to the realm of demons, highlighting the perilous and seemingly inaccessible depths that Christ's victory over death transcends.
Jonah 2:2Jonah's experience of being in the belly of the great fish and praying from the 'depths' or 'grave' serves as an ancient (and in Paul's view, a prophetic foreshadowing) example of descent into a place of extreme peril from which rescue is nearly impossible.
Revelation 9:1-2This passage in Revelation describes the opening of the bottomless pit, further associating the 'abyss' with a place of darkness and despair, reinforcing the idea of Christ's victory over such depths.
barnesRomans 10:7: "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"
Or who shall descend into the deep? - These words are also a part of the address of Moses, Deuteronomy 30:13 . But it is not literally quoted. The Hebrew is, "Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldst say, Who shall go over the sea for us, etc." The words of the quotation are changed, but not the sense; and it is to be remembered that Paul is not professing to quote the words of Moses,…
vincentRomans 10:7: "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"
Descend into the deepRev., abyss. Septuagint, Who shall pass through to beyond the sea? See on Luke 8:31. Paul changes the phrase in order to adapt it to the descent of Christ into Hades. The two ideas may be reconciled in the fact that the Jew conceived the sea as the abyss of waters on which the earth rested. Compare Exodus 20:4. Thus the ideas beyond the sea and beneath the earth coincide i…
Paul isn't asking if someone needs to physically descend into the grave, but rather if we have to perform an impossible feat to secure salvation. The profound point is that the saving work is already finished in Christ's death and resurrection, making righteousness accessible through faith, not impossible works.
Paul is contrasting the righteousness that comes from meticulously following the Law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. He argues that attempting to achieve righteousness through Law-keeping is like trying to ascend into heaven or descend into the deepest abyss to bring Christ back from the dead – impossible tasks. In this passage, he quotes Old Testament verses to show that the way of salvation through faith is not some unattainable, hidden mystery, but is readily accessible.
Paul is contrasting the righteousness that comes from meticulously following the Law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. He argues that attempting to achieve righteousness through Law-keeping is like trying to ascend into heaven or descend into the deepest abyss to bring Christ back from the dead – impossible tasks. In this passage, he quotes Old Testament verses to show that the way of salvation through faith is not some unattainable, hidden mystery, but is readily accessible.
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c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Decree
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus, conquers Babylon. His decree allows exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
c. 30 BC - c. 33 AD— this verse
Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth lives, teaches, dies on the cross, and is resurrected, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and initiating the new covenant.
c. AD 62-67
Paul's Imprisonment and Writings
The Apostle Paul, while imprisoned, writes epistles, including Romans, to guide the early church in understanding salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
"“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." — Paul isn't asking if someone needs to physically descend into the grave, but rather if we have to perform an impossible feat to secure salvation. The profound point is that the saving work is alrea…
