“But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.”
My Notes
What Does Romans 9:31 Mean?
"But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness." Paul articulates one of the central ironies of redemptive history: Israel pursued righteousness through law-keeping and didn't attain it, while Gentiles who weren't even pursuing righteousness obtained it through faith. The people who tried hardest missed it. The people who weren't even in the race crossed the finish line.
The word "followed after" (diōkō) means to pursue aggressively, to chase, to hunt. Israel didn't casually observe the law — they pursued righteousness with intensity and dedication. And still missed it. The problem wasn't effort; it was method. They pursued righteousness as something earned rather than received, and the pursuit itself became the obstacle.
Reflection Questions
- 1.In what areas of your faith life are you 'pursuing' something that can only be 'received'?
- 2.How does the idea that effort can actually be an obstacle to grace challenge your approach to spiritual growth?
- 3.What would it look like to stop chasing righteousness and start receiving it?
- 4.Why is the message that 'trying harder' doesn't work so offensive to religious people?
Devotional
Israel chased righteousness with everything they had. They memorized the law, built fences around it, structured their entire culture around obedience. Nobody tried harder. And they missed it.
Meanwhile, Gentiles who never read a Torah scroll, never observed a Sabbath, never circumcised their sons — they obtained righteousness. Not by trying. By believing.
This is one of the most humbling realities in Scripture. Effort doesn't guarantee arrival. In fact, sometimes effort is the very thing that keeps you from getting there — because the effort itself becomes the point. Israel was so focused on pursuing righteousness that they couldn't receive it. They were so busy earning that they couldn't accept the gift.
If you're exhausted from trying to be good enough — if your spiritual life feels like an endless chase where the finish line keeps moving — Paul is describing your situation with devastating clarity. The thing you're chasing can't be caught. It can only be received. And the moment you stop running and start believing — trusting the God who gives righteousness as a gift rather than awarding it as a prize — you attain what all your effort couldn't produce.
The runners missed it. The receivers got it. That's the scandal of grace, and it's been tripping people up for two thousand years.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Wherefore? because they sought it not by faith,.... The question is asked, why they did not attain to that, which with…
But Israel - The Jews. The apostle does not mean to affirm that none of the Jews had obtained mercy, but that “as a…
But Israel, which followed after - But the Jews, who have hitherto been the people of God, though they have been…
The apostle comes here at last to fix the true reason of the reception of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews.…
which followed Lit. following; and so better.
the law of righteousness Not simply "righteousness," as in Rom 9:30;…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture