CHAPTER 10
Romans 10:1-4
- Fratres, benevolentia certe cordis mei, et
deprecatio ad Deum super Israel, est in salutem. - Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to
God for Israel is, that they might be saved. - Testimonium enim reddo illis, quod zelum
Dei habent, sed non secundum scientiam: - For I bear them record that they have a zeal
of God, but not according to knowledge. - Ignorantes enim Dei justitiam, et propriam
justitiam quaerentes statuere, justitiae Dei subjecti
non fuerunt; - For they being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. - Finis enim Legis Christus in justitiam omni
credenti.^318 - For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth. - We here see with what solicitude the holy man obviated offenses; for in order to soften
whatever sharpness there may have been in his manner of explaining the rejection of the Jews, he
still testifies, as before, his goodwill towards them, and proves it by the effect; for their salvation
was an object of concern to him before the Lord, and such a feeling arises only from genuine love.
It may be at the same time that he was also induced by another reason to testify his love towards
the nation from which he had sprung; for his doctrine would have never been received by the Jews
had they thought that he was avowedly inimical to them; and his defection would have been also
suspected by the Gentiles, for they would have thought, as we have said in the last chapter, that he
became an apostate from the law through his hatred of men.^319
2.For I bear to them a testimony, etc. This was intended to secure credit to his love. There was
indeed a just cause why he should regard them with compassion rather than hatred, since he perceived
that they had fallen only through ignorance, and not through malignancy of mind, and especially
as he saw that they were not led except by some regard for God to persecute the kingdom of Christ.
Let us hence learn where our good intentions may guide us, if we yield to them. It is commonly
thought a good and a very fit excuse, when he who is reproved pretends that he meant no harm.
And this pretext is held good by many at this day, so that they apply not their minds to find out the
truth of God, because they think that whatever they do amiss through ignorance, without any
designed maliciousness, but with good intention, is excusable. But no one of us would excuse the
Jews for having crucified Christ, for having cruelly raged against the Apostles, and for having
(^318) The , “for,” at the beginning of Romans 10:4, connects it with the latter part of the preceding, as the , “for,” in the
preceding connects it with the latter part of Romans 10:2; and also in Romans 10:5 expresses a reason for what Romans 10:4
contains. So that we have a regular chain; the following sentence gives a reason for the one immediately preceding in four
instances. — Ed.
(^319) Calvin’s Latin for this verse is: “Fratres, benevolentia certe cordis mei et deprecatio ad Deum super Israel est in salutem
— Brethren, the goodwill indeed of my heart and prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation.” The word for “goodwill,” ,
means a kind disposition towards another, it means here a benevolent or a sincere desire, or, according to Theophylact, an earnest
desire. Doddridge renders it “affectionate desire;” Beza, “propensa voluntas — propense wish;” and Stuart, “kind desire.”
At the beginning of the last chapter the Apostle expressed his great grief for his brethren the Jews, he now expresses his
great love towards them, and his strong desire for their highest good — their salvation. — Ed.