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Verse

Romans 9:28

ESV for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay."
NIV For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
NASB FOR THE Lord WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.'
CSB since the Lord will execute his sentence completely and decisively on the earth.
NLT For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.'
KJV For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
NKJV For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

What does Romans 9:28 mean?

Paul is in the middle of a quote from Isaiah 10:22–23 about the sons of Israel. He is showing that even in the Old Testament era, God was clear that only a remnant of the Israelites would be saved, not the entire offspring of that nation. In verse 24, Paul wrote that God has called out His people from both the Jews and the Gentiles. He has called them to faith in Christ and to receive His mercy.

Why do we need mercy from God that is only available in Christ? That is answered here in the quote from Isaiah: judgment is coming. The Lord will carry out his sentence on the earth for the sins of humanity. It will come quickly and without delay, in terms of God's timing. In other words, when the moment for judgment comes, God will not hesitate.

This is a startling thing to some who have grown up Jewish and under the law. As Paul showed in Romans chapter 2, many Jews of his era believed they would not face God's judgment simply because they were born Jewish. Paul, though, makes clear that all who are not in Christ—including those who have not been called out from among the Jewish nation to be a remnant of the Jewish people—will receive God's wrathful justice.
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