Bible Strands
Romans 11:16
If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses Gentile believers in Rome regarding their relationship to Israel within God's redemptive plan. He speaks at a moment explaining how Israel's temporary rejection and future acceptance function within the broader narrative of salvation.
The words — ἀπαρχὴ (aparchē) means "firstfruit" or initial portion, and ἁγία (hagia) denotes "holy" or set apart. The text states that if the initial portion or root is consecrated, the remainder or branches share that status.
The thread — This firstfruit principle runs in Leviticus 23:10, Proverbs 3:9, and Ezekiel 44:30, where consecrating the initial yield sanctifies the whole harvest. Paul applies this ritual and agricultural concept to explain how Israel's spiritual standing affects the grafted Gentile believers.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that spiritual reality flows from a consecrated source to the whole group. It asks the reader to examine whether their own foundation or community reflects that same consecrated status rather than relying on independent merit.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops;
- Ezekiel 44:30 The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.
- Leviticus 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest.
- Numbers 15:17 Then the LORD said to Moses,
- Jeremiah 2:21 I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?
- James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
- Romans 11:17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Exodus 23:16 You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.
- Deuteronomy 18:4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.