Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is driving home the radical inclusivity of God's plan: if justification is by faith, then God can't possibly be the God of only the Jews, because that would limit His saving power to one group and exclude everyone else. His point is that God's nature and His saving work are far too vast and generous to be confined to any single people.
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is building a case for how everyone is justified by faith in Jesus, not by following the Jewish law. He's just argued that justification comes through faith, not works, and that God's righteousness is revealed apart from the law. Now he preemptively answers the question of whether this new way of salvation makes God exclusive to Jews.
Have you ever felt like you didn't quite belong? Paul tackles this head-on, questioning if God's favor is limited to one group. Let's see what he reveals about the divine heart.
Paul is dismantling the idea that God only has a special relationship with the Jewish people. He poses a rhetorical question: 'Is God the God of Jews only?' The immediate, emphatic answer is 'Yes, of Gentiles also!' This isn't just a gentle suggestion; it's a bold declaration that God's identity and purpose are not confined to one nation. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer for all humanity. This truth is foundational to understanding the gospel, which is good news for everyone, regardless of their background or heritage.
If God is for everyone, how does that change the game for how people are made right with Him? Paul connects this big idea to a crucial concept.
Paul's rhetorical questions in Romans 3:29 are directly linked to the preceding discussion about justification by faith. He's already established that salvation isn't earned by following the Jewish law (works of the law). This means the 'way' God makes people right with Himself is open to everyone. Because God is the God of both Jews and Gentiles, the method of justification must be the same for both. This method, Paul will go on to explain, is through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a divine provision, not a human achievement, accessible to all who believe.
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Ioudaiōn · Greek Noun
The Jewish people, identified as the covenant people of God, distinguished by their ancestral heritage and the sign of the covenant.
ethnōn · Greek Noun
All people who are not of Jewish descent. In the New Testament, it signifies the inclusion of the nations into the salvation plan of God, demonstrating His universal reach.
This verse is a foundational promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him, directly supporting the idea that God's plan extends beyond just one ethnic group.
Isaiah 49:6This prophecy speaks of the Servant being a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the ends of the earth, echoing Paul's argument that God's redemptive purposes are universal.
Acts 10:34-35Peter's realization in Cornelius's house that 'God shows no favoritism' directly illustrates Paul's point that God accepts anyone who fears him and does what is right, regardless of their background.
Galatians 3:28This passage clearly states that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, emphasizing the unity and equal standing of all believers in God's sight, a concept Paul is building towards.
ellicottRomans 3:29: "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:"
(29) Is he not also. —Insert “or.” “Or are we to suppose that God is the God of (literally, belongs to ) the Jews only?”—taking up the point in the last verse, that any man, simply quâ man, and without regard to distinction of race, was capable of justification.
bensonRomans 3:29: "Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:"
Romans 3:29-31 . Is he the God of the Jews only? — He argues from the absurdity of such a supposition. Can it be imagined that a God of infinite love and mercy should limit and confine his favours to the little perverse people of the Jews, leaving all the rest of mankind in an eternally desperate condition? That would by no means agree with the idea we have of the divine goodness, for his t…
Paul is driving home the radical inclusivity of God's plan: if justification is by faith, then God can't possibly be the God of only the Jews, because that would limit His saving power to one group and exclude everyone else. His point is that God's nature and His saving work are far too vast and generous to be confined to any single people.
Paul is building a case for how everyone is justified by faith in Jesus, not by following the Jewish law. He's just argued that justification comes through faith, not works, and that God's righteousness is revealed apart from the law. Now he preemptively answers the question of whether this new way of salvation makes God exclusive to Jews.
Paul is building a case for how everyone is justified by faith in Jesus, not by following the Jewish law. He's just argued that justification comes through faith, not works, and that God's righteousness is revealed apart from the law. Now he preemptively answers the question of whether this new way of salvation makes God exclusive to Jews.
"Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also," — Paul is driving home the radical inclusivity of God's plan: if justification is by faith, then God can't possibly be the God of only the Jews, because that would limit His saving power to one group…
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Last reviewed October 2026