Romans 9:15-16
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse isn't just about God's absolute power to choose who receives mercy. Notice how it uses two words: "mercy" and "compassion." While "mercy" speaks to a general good will or favor, "compassion" hints at a deeper, empathetic feeling, like a gut reaction to suffering. This suggests God’s sovereign choice isn't just arbitrary but also deeply moved by the brokenness He sees.
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice in salvation, not human effort or lineage, is the basis of His plan. He anticipates the objection that this makes God unjust, but then firmly declares that God is not unjust and upholds His right to show mercy as He wills, even quoting God's own words to Moses from Exodus to demonstrate this principle.
Ever feel like God's fairness is a puzzle? This verse tackles that head-on, showing that God's choices aren't always about what we'd expect.
Paul quotes God speaking to Moses in Exodus 33:19, declaring, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' This isn't a cosmic game of chance. It's a foundational statement about God's sovereignty.
A Divine Declaration
Why does God choose some and not others? This verse points us beyond our own logic to the profound mystery of divine action.
The wording 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy' is a powerful way of saying that the ultimate reason for God's mercy is His own good pleasure. It's not because someone did something special to God merciful to them.
Ask a follow-up
The Depth of Divine Choice
Understand the original words
eleos · Greek Noun
The unmerited favor and active withholding of judgment or wrath from those who deserve it, flowing from God's character and sovereign will.
oiktirmos · Greek Noun
A deep, sympathetic feeling of distress for others, accompanied by an earnest desire to alleviate their suffering; in Scripture, it often refers to God's tender care for His people.
thelema · Greek Noun
The fundamental power of choice, volition, or desire inherent in human beings. In a theological sense, it often contrasts the fallen human capacity to choose with the sovereign determination of God.
trechon · Greek Noun
Physical effort, striving, or running; used metaphorically for human works or attempts to achieve righteousness or spiritual goals apart from God’s grace.
eleeo · Greek Verb
Compassion or pity shown by a superior to an inferior, especially by God toward sinful humanity. It is the withholding of deserved judgment and the granting of unmerited favor.
Paul's use of God's words to Moses underscores that God's sovereign right to show mercy is established in the foundational moments of Israel's history, even amidst their repeated failures and His judgments. It pushes back against the idea that human actions or merit could obligate God's grace.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
God Declares His Name to Moses
After the golden calf incident, Moses pleads to see God's glory. God responds by proclaiming His name, emphasizing His mercy and compassion, stating: 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' This occurs at Mount Sinai.
c. 1446 BC
Israel's Idolatry at Sinai
While Moses is receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites fashion and worship a golden calf, deeply angering God. This event highlights Israel's unfaithfulness and God's subsequent judgment and mercy.
c. 1400 BC - 586 BC
Period of Judges and Kings
Following the wilderness wanderings, Israel experiences cycles of disobedience, judgment, and deliverance under the Judges and later the Kings. These periods demonstrate God's consistent, though often tested, mercy and His sovereign choices in leadership and deliverance.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling many Israelites. This catastrophic event serves as a backdrop for questions about God's faithfulness and His sovereign dealings with His people.
This is the direct source of the quote in Romans 9:15, showing God's declaration of His sovereign right to show mercy and compassion as He chooses.
Exodus 34:6-7Immediately following God's declaration in Exodus 33:19, this passage reveals God's character as 'merciful and gracious,' offering a fuller picture of the compassion He exercises according to His will.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8This passage echoes the idea that God's choosing of Israel was not due to their greatness or numbers, but to His love and faithfulness, highlighting His sovereign, unmeritorious basis for favor.
Isaiah 45:9This verse presents a similar rhetorical question about challenging God's actions, underscoring the audacity of a created being questioning the Creator's sovereign decisions regarding mercy and purpose.
Jeremiah 18:6The imagery of the potter and the clay illustrates God's absolute sovereignty over His creation, paralleling His right to determine the destiny and reception of mercy for different individuals, just as a potter shapes the clay.
cambridgeRomans 9:15: "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
15 . For ] The connexion is; “The thought of injustice in these acts of the Eternal Judge is all the more to be rejected because they follow a principle expressed in His own words; for He says to Moses, &c.” That the principle, so expressed, is absolutely right, is taken for granted. To the Apostle, God’s word is final and absolute. With Him nothing indee…
barnesRomans 9:15: "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
For he saith to Moses - Exodus 33:19 . I will have mercy - This is said by God when he declared expressly that he would make all his goodness pass before Moses Exodus 33:19, and when, therefore, it was regarded, not as a proof of stern and inexorable justice, but as "the very proof of his benevolence," and the highest which he thought proper to exhibit. W…
The verse isn't just about God's absolute power to choose who receives mercy. Notice how it uses two words: "mercy" and "compassion." While "mercy" speaks to a general good will or favor, "compassion" hints at a deeper, empathetic feeling, like a gut reaction to suffering. This suggests God’s sovereign choice isn't just arbitrary but also deeply moved by the brokenness He sees.
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice in salvation, not human effort or lineage, is the basis of His plan. He anticipates the objection that this makes God unjust, but then firmly declares that God is not unjust and upholds His right to show mercy as He wills, even quoting God's own words to Moses from Exodus to demonstrate this principle.
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice in salvation, not human effort or lineage, is the basis of His plan. He anticipates the objection that this makes God unjust, but then firmly declares that God is not unjust and upholds His right to show mercy as He wills, even quoting God's own words to Moses from Exodus to demonstrate this principle.
"For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." — The verse isn't just about God's absolute power to choose who receives mercy. Notice how it uses two words: "mercy" and "compassion." While "mercy" speaks to a general good will or favor, "compassion…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
