What Does Romans 9:16 Mean in the King James?
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Mercy does not begin when your effort becomes enough; it begins in the God who is actively showing it.
THE MEANING
Your wanting and striving are real, but they do not originate the mercy reaching you. The decisive action belongs to God, who is showing mercy now; the verse locates its source in compassion rather than in the strength of your will or effort.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie this undoes is that wanting God enough or working hard enough earns compassion. The verse places mercy’s source in God’s action, not your performance.
THE ROOT
ἐλεοῦντος
eleountos
GROWS FROM
ἐλεε- (elee-), from ἐλεέω (eleeō)
to show mercy, to have compassion
“sheweth mercy” in this verse is eleountos. English can make mercy sound like a quality, while the Greek form here is an active participle: God is the one showing it. Its related words carry mercy into a merciful character and into concrete giving, so the verse’s emphasis is compassion in motion.
ALSO GROWS
eleos: mercy
ἔλεος
This noun names the mercy God is actively showing in the verse.
eleēmōn: merciful
ἐλεήμων
The same word family describes a person characterized by mercy, linking the act to the nature behind it.
eleēmosynē: almsgiving; compassionate giving
ἐλεημοσύνη
Here mercy takes visible form as something given to another.
THE PATTERN
What God gives has its source in God’s action, not in human force, labor, or will.
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.THE THREAD
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.The plea “have mercy” is ἐλέησον (eleēson, “show mercy”), a form of ἐλεέω (eleeō, “show mercy”), the same word family as Romans’ “sheweth mercy.” Romans names the source; Matthew lets you hear the appeal from the side of the one needing mercy.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us