SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 11:24

11:24a

For: Here this word introduces a second reason or basis for Jews being grafted in, once they believe in Jesus.

if: Here the word if introduces a situation that is true. If this first part is true, that supports the second part (God will graft in Jews, if they believe in Jesus (11:24c)) to also be true.

In some languages, translating literally here would have a different meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

if ⌊it is true that
-or-
you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, ⌊therefore⌋ how much more…

you were cut from: The clause you were cut is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

God⌋ cut you from

you: This word is emphatic in the Greek. For example:

you yourself
-or-
as for you, if you…

a wild olive tree: The phrase indicates that the tree from which the person was cut was by nature a wild olive tree, as opposed to a cultivated one. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

the wild olive tree to which you belonged
-or-
your parent/own wild olive tree

11:24b

and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated: The phrase contrary to nature indicates that grafting of a branch from the wild olive tree into the cultivated olive is contrary to nature. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

grafted to a cultivated tree to which you did not belong
-or-
grafted to a cultivated olive tree that was not your own tree

were grafted: The word “you” is implied from 11:24a. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

God⌋ grafted ⌊you

one that is cultivated: The word cultivated indicates that people planted this olive tree and took care of it. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

a domestic olive tree
-or-
the planted olive
-or-
the cared-for tree

11:24c–d

how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!: The phrase how much more indicates that it is more fitting for God to graft the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree, than to graft wild olive branches to it. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

it is much more fitting/proper that these, the natural branches, will be grafted back into their own olive tree
-or-
it is right indeed for God to graft these, the natural branches, back into their own tree

will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

God⌋ will graft these, the natural branches, into their own olive tree

these, the natural branches: The Greek is more literally “these (ones), the (ones) according-to nature.” The last part (“according-to nature”) here refers to the branches of the cultivated tree. The word these emphasizes that Paul was talking here about the branches of the cultivated olive tree. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

these branches, to the tree to which they belong
-or-
these ones, the branches of their parent/own ⌊cultivated⌋ tree

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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