Romans 10:20

“And Isaiah is very bold and says: I was found by those who did not seek me; I became visible to those who did not ask for me.”
Romans 10:20 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

AndδὲIsaiahἨσαΐαςis very boldἀποτολμᾷandκαὶsays:λέγειI was foundΕὑρέθηνbyἐνthose whoτοῖςdid notμὴseekζητοῦσινme;ἐμὲI becameἐγενόμηνvisibleἐμφανὴςto those whoτοῖςdid notμὴask forἐπερωτῶσινme.ἐμὲ

Quotation · Isaiah 65:1-2

Go to Isaiah 65:1-2

Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 and applies the first verse to the nations and the second to Israel.

Formula: Ἠσαΐας δὲ ἀποτολμᾷ καὶ λέγει “and Isaiah is very bold and says” (Romans 10:20)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Ἠσαΐας δὲ ἀποτολμᾷ καὶ λέγει Εὑρέθην ἐν τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν πρὸς δὲ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ λέγει Ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα

Hebrew (Masoretic text): נִדְרַשְׁתִּי לְלוֹא שָׁאָלוּ נִמְצֵאתִי לְלֹא בִקְשֻׁנִי אָמַרְתִּי הִנֵּנִי הִנֵּנִי אֶל גּוֹי לֹא קֹרָא בִשְׁמִי פֵּרַשְׂתִּי יָדַי כָּל הַיּוֹם אֶל עַם סוֹרֵר הַהֹלְכִים הַדֶּרֶךְ לֹא טוֹב אַחַר מַחְשְׁבֹתֵיהֶם

Septuagint (Isaiah 65:1-2 in the Septuagint numbering): Ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν, εὑρέθην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσιν· εἶπα Ἰδού εἶμι, τῷ ἔθνει οἵτινες οὐκ ἐκάλεσαν τὸ ὄνομά μου. ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πρὸς λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα, οἳ οὐκ ἐπορεύθησαν ὁδῷ ἀληθινῇ ἀλλ’ ὀπίσω τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 5 consecutive words: “ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Romans 10:20, word by word

IsaiahἨσαΐαςĒsaias

Isaiah

Isaiah, the prophet of Judah whose book announces the Messiah and God's salvation.

Where else “Ēsaias” appears

is very boldἀποτολμᾷapotolmai

be bold

Be bold, dare to speak boldly.

Where else “apotolmai” appears

saysλέγειlegei

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legei” appears

I was foundΕὑρέθηνHeurethēn

find

To come upon something or someone, after searching or by surprise.

Where else “Heurethēn” appears

seekζητοῦσινzētousin

seek

To go after something or someone until it is found.

Where else “zētousin” appears

I becameἐγενόμηνegenomēn

become

To turn into something new, different from before.

Where else “egenomēn” appears

visibleἐμφανὴςemphanēs

visible, revealed

Visible, revealed, openly shown.

Where else “emphanēs” appears

ask forἐπερωτῶσινeperōtōsin

ask

Ask, question.

Where else “eperōtōsin” appears

Translation note

Isaiah 65:1-2, according to the Greek (also the following verse).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Isaiah 65:1-2

Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 and applies the first verse to the nations and the second to Israel.

See them side by side

Romans 10:20

²⁰And Isaiah is very bold and says: I was found by those who did not seek me; I became visible to those who did not ask for me.

Isaiah 65:1-2

¹“I let myself be sought by those who did not ask; I let myself be found by those who did not seek me; I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name.

The context

19But I say: It is not that Israel did not know, is it? First Moses says: I will provoke you to jealousy with what is not a nation; with a nation without understanding I will make you angry.

20 · This verse (above)

21But to Israel he says: All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.

Read all of Romans 10

To study Romans 10 in a group

1. What it says
What questions does Paul ask in vv. 14-15 about how people come to believe?
2. What it means
What does Paul want to show with that chain of questions (calling, believing, hearing, preaching, sending)? (vv. 14-15)
3. How I live it
Who made the good news known to you? How can you share something good with someone this week?

How to use it