What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed here is the distinction Paul draws: Israel as a whole didn't find what it was looking for, but a specific group, "the election," did obtain it. The crucial point is that "the rest" didn't just fail to find it; they were actively "hardened," implying a spiritual insensitivity that set them apart from the chosen remnant.
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing the question of why the majority of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, even though salvation was their ultimate aim. He contrasts the nation's general failure to grasp this salvation with the fact that a chosen remnant, both Jewish and Gentile, did attain it. This verse sets up the explanation for this puzzling outcome: that the rest of Israel became hardened, a spiritual state that prevented them from receiving God's grace through faith.
Israel was seeking something vital, something they believed was their right. But they didn't find it. Why?
Paul sets up a contrast here. Israel, as a nation pursuing righteousness through the Law, didn't achieve its goal – a right standing with God.
What They Sought
They were looking for acceptance and favor from God based on their adherence to the Law. This was the aim of their religious efforts.
Why They Missed It
The method was flawed. Trying to earn God's approval through works of the Law was an impossible task and the wrong path to true righteousness. True righteousness comes through faith in God's promises and His Messiah.
Paul draws a stark division: some 'obtained,' while others were 'hardened.' What does this mean for God's people?
The verse divides Israel into two groups based on their response to God's offer in Christ:
The Elect Obtained
This refers to a specific group within Israel – the chosen remnant. They 'obtained' righteousness and salvation not by their own striving, but because God sovereignly chose them and drew them to Himself through faith in Jesus.
The Rest Were Hardened
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For the majority, who rejected Jesus, Paul uses the word 'hardened.' This isn't just a passive state; it signifies a spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness that prevents them from seeing or accepting the truth about Jesus. It's a condition where their hearts become unresponsive to God's call.
Understand the original words
eklogē · Greek Noun
Those whom God, according to His sovereign purpose and eternal counsel, has chosen for salvation, not based on foreseen merit, but according to His own good pleasure and mercy.
pōroō · Greek Verb (passive participle used as noun)
The state of spiritual dullness, insensitivity, or callousness where the heart becomes unresponsive to divine truth, often as a result of persistent rejection of God’s revelation.
The hardening of Israel mentioned here is understood against the backdrop of centuries of covenant history, divine judgment, and the present reality of the Gospel's rejection by many Jews, while a chosen remnant and Gentiles embrace it.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Jehoiakim of Judah and many nobles are taken captive to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile and the loss of Jewish sovereignty.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This event was a profound crisis for Jewish identity and faith.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great Allows Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple.
c. 440 BC
Ezra and Nehemiah's Reforms
Ezra and Nehemiah lead efforts to re-establish religious and civic order in Jerusalem after the return from exile, emphasizing strict adherence to the Law.
c. 4 BC - 30/33 AD
Life and Ministry of Jesus
Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God, performs miracles, and is crucified. His followers believe he is the Messiah, but the Jewish religious establishment largely rejects him.
c. AD 30-60— this verse
Early Spread of the Gospel
The Apostle Paul and other missionaries spread the Christian message, including to Gentiles. This period sees a growing divide between Jewish followers of Jesus and mainstream Judaism.
AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
Roman forces under Titus destroy Jerusalem and its Temple in response to a Jewish revolt. This event marks a major turning point, solidifying the separation between Judaism and Christianity.
This passage speaks about God having mercy on whom he wants and hardening whom he wants, directly paralleling the hardening mentioned for 'the rest' of Israel in Romans 11:7.
Isaiah 6:9-10This Old Testament passage is quoted by Paul and describes a similar divine hardening, where a message is sent to make people understand, see, and hear, but they remain unresponsive. It lays the groundwork for understanding the hardening in Romans 11:7.
John 12:39-40This passage also quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 and explicitly states that God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they could not believe or be healed. This echoes the hardening of the rest of Israel in Romans 11:7.
Romans 10:3This verse explains that Israel sought to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to God's righteousness, which is the core reason for their failure to 'obtain' what they were seeking, as stated in Romans 11:7.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25This passage contrasts the 'foolishness' of God with human wisdom, showing that God chooses the weak and foolish to shame the wise and strong. This theme of God's choice (the 'election') leading to salvation, while others remain in their natural state, parallels the election obtaining salvation while the rest are hardened.
ellicottRomans 11:7: "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded"
(7) What is the result? Not only did Israel fail to obtain the salvation which it sought, and which the select few succeeded in obtaining, but it was consigned to a state of complete spiritual apathy and torpor, and its very blessings became a curse and a snare. Were blinded.—An erroneous translation, arising from a confusion of two similar words. The correc…
vincentRomans 11:7: "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded"
Obtained (ἐπετυχεν)The simple verb τυγχάνω means originally to hit the mark; hence to fall in with, light upon, attain.The election (ἡ ἐκλογὴ)Abstract for concrete. Those elected; like ἡ περιτομή the circumcision for those uncircumcised (Ephesians 2:11. Compare τὴν κατατομήν the concision, Philippians 3:3).Were blinded (ἐπωρώθησαν)Rev., correctly,…
What's easily missed here is the distinction Paul draws: Israel as a whole didn't find what it was looking for, but a specific group, "the election," did obtain it. The crucial point is that "the rest" didn't just fail to find it; they were actively "hardened," implying a spiritual insensitivity that set them apart from the chosen remnant.
Paul is addressing the question of why the majority of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, even though salvation was their ultimate aim. He contrasts the nation's general failure to grasp this salvation with the fact that a chosen remnant, both Jewish and Gentile, did attain it. This verse sets up the explanation for this puzzling outcome: that the rest of Israel became hardened, a spiritual state that prevented them from receiving God's grace through faith.
Paul is addressing the question of why the majority of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah, even though salvation was their ultimate aim. He contrasts the nation's general failure to grasp this salvation with the fact that a chosen remnant, both Jewish and Gentile, did attain it. This verse sets up the explanation for this puzzling outcome: that the rest of Israel became hardened, a spiritual state that prevented them from receiving God's grace through faith.
"What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened," — What's easily missed here is the distinction Paul draws: Israel as a whole didn't find what it was looking for, but a specific group, "the election," did obtain it. The crucial point is that "the…
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Last reviewed October 2026