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Romans 10:14–21, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Romans 10:14–21
The Proclaimed Word Reaches Out while Israel's Response Remains Contested
The proclaimed word goes out, and Scripture still pictures God's hands stretched toward Israel.
How are people to call on one they have not believed? How believe without hearing, hear without a preacher, preach unless they are sent? "How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good news." Not all obeyed the good news. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Israel has heard; Moses and Isaiah already pictured a nation provoked by those who are "not a nation," and Isaiah's last word here is God's own: all day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.
Beautiful feet do not romanticize colonial mission or make messengers unaccountable. Mixed response is interpreted by Scripture, not by contempt. The chapter ends with appeal, not with a closed door.
How this should shape us
Send and support messengers who tell the truth without erasing cultures or answering to no one. If you preach, keep your feet beautiful by remaining accountable, and do not treat Israel's mixed response as permission to sneer.
Teach it back
Explain Romans 10:14–21 in your own words. Include its place in Romans, its movement, one material uncertainty, and one misuse the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Faith comes by hearing may mean Christ's word or word about Christ; Paul's chain can be logical, rhetorical, or missional. Israel's disobedience must not become a timeless ethnic stereotype.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Romans 10:14–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 10:14–21
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 10:14–21, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 10:14–21, with bibliography and endnotes
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 10:14–21
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 10:14–21
Supports: Romans 9:6-11:32, continuing Israel, the olive tree, mercy, and anti-replacement alternatives.
Nanos, 'The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable,' Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations 11.1 (2016), complete open article
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Romans 10:14–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 10:14–21
Open the Romans Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - Romans with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 10:14–21, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open NET Romans 10 notesmodern open commentary
Romans
Donny Ray Mathis II
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Exact location: Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 10:14–21, with bibliography and endnotes
Open source ↗modern catholic translation notes
The Letter to the Romans: introduction and chapter notes
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010-2026 online edition
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
Exact location: USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 10:14–21
Open source ↗modern jewish annotated new testament
Romans introduction and annotations in The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Mark D. Nanos; edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler
Oxford University Press, 2011
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Exact location: Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 10:14–21
Open source ↗peer reviewed jewish christian relations article
The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable (Romans 11:29): If So, How Can Paul Declare that Not All Israelites Truly Belong to Israel (9:6)?
Mark D. Nanos
Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations 11.1, 2016
Supports: Romans 9:6-11:32, continuing Israel, the olive tree, mercy, and anti-replacement alternatives.
Exact location: Nanos, 'The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable,' Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations 11.1 (2016), complete open article
Open source ↗