Rom 9:30-33 | RWP | e4.org | Attained ( κατελαβεν ). Second aorist active indicative of καταλαμβανω , old verb, to grasp, to seize, to overtake (carrying out the figure in διωκω (to pursue). It was a curious paradox. Which is of faith ( την εκ πιστεως ). As Paul has repeatedly shown, the only way to get the God-kind of righteousness.

‏ Romans 9:30-33

Attained ( κατελαβεν ). Second aorist active indicative of καταλαμβανω, old verb, to grasp, to seize, to overtake (carrying out the figure in διωκω (to pursue). It was a curious paradox.

Which is of faith ( την εκ πιστεως ). As Paul has repeatedly shown, the only way to get the God-kind of righteousness.

Did not arrive at that law ( εις νομον ουκ εφθασεν ). First aorist active indicative of φθανω, old verb to anticipate (1Th 4:15), now just to arrive as here and 2Co 10:14. The word "that" is not in the Greek. Legal righteousness Israel failed to reach, because to do that one had to keep perfectly all the law.

We must supply the omitted verb εδιÂωξα (pursued) from verse 31. That explains the rest.

They stumbled at the stone of stumbling ( προσεκοψαν τω λιθω του προσκομματος ). The quotation is from Isa 8:14. Προσκοπτω means to cut ( κοπτω ) against ( προς ) as in Mt 4:6; Joh 11:9f. The Jews found Christ a σκανδαλον (1Co 1:23).

Paul repeats the phrase just used in the whole quotation from Isa 8:14 with the same idea in "a rock of offence" ( πετραν σκανδαλου, "a rock of snare," a rock which the Jews made a cause of stumbling). The rest of the verse is quoted from Isa 28:16. However, the Hebrew means "shall not make haste" rather than "shall not be put to shame." In 1Pe 2:8 we have the same use of these Scriptures about Christ. Either Peter had read Romans or both Paul and Peter had a copy of Christian Testimonia like Cyprian's later.