In Greek the expected answer to Paul’s question, Did the people of Israel not know?, is “Yes, they did know.” Paul is saying that Israel not only heard the message (v. 18) but that they were capable of understanding it. However, as he points out from Deuteronomy 32.21, the people of Israel will be put to shame because they failed to believe, though the Gentiles did believe. In the passage in Deuteronomy, God, not Moses, is the speaker. The same thing is true concerning the passage quoted from Isaiah in the two following verses.

The introductory rhetorical question may be changed into a statement—for example, “The people of Israel certainly did know.”

Jealous of a people may be expressed in some languages as “jealous because of a people.” Jealousy is often expressed in rather idiomatic terms—for example, “to burn in your hearts,” “not to want to look at,” or “to see with dark eyes.”

Since in the quotation of verse 19 Moses is represented as speaking on behalf of God (I certainly refers to God), it may be necessary in some languages to introduce the direct quotation in such a way that this relation is clear—for example, “Moses himself, speaking for God, is the first one to answer.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .