• Romans 11:24
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 24 εἰ If γὰρ for σὺ you ἐκ out of τῆς the κατὰ according to φύσιν nature ἐξεκόπης you were cut out ἀγριελαίου of field olive tree καὶ and παρὰ beside φύσιν nature ἐνεκεντρίσθης you were grafted in εἰς into καλλιέλαιον, fine olive tree, πόσῳ to how much μᾶλλον rather οὗτοι these οἱ the (ones) κατὰ according to φύσιν nature ἐνκεντρισθήσονται they will be grafted in τῇ to the ἰδίᾳ own ἐλαίᾳ. olive tree.

  • Romans 11:24
    American Standard Version

    • 24 For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

  • Romans 11:24
    The Emphasized Bible

    • 24 For if thou out of the naturally wild olive was cut out, And beyond nature hast been engrafted into the good olive How much rather shall these the natural [branches] be engrafted into their own olive tree?

  • Romans 11:24
    King James Version

    • 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

  • Romans Study Notes—Chapter 11
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 11:24

      grafted contrary to nature into the garden olive tree: Normally, farmers grafted branches from a cultivated, or garden, olive tree into a wild olive tree. As a result, the wild olive tree would produce better fruit, comparable to fruit from the tree from which the branch had been cut. The reverse​—grafting wild branches into a cultivated tree​—would be quite contrary to the regular procedure and would usually not be expected to yield good results. However, grafting a branch from a wild olive tree into a cultivated one was what some farmers occasionally did in the first century. (See Media Gallery, “Grafting an Olive Branch.”) By alluding to just such a procedure that would seem unusual​—even unnatural, or contrary to nature​—Paul heightens the force of his illustration. Paul uses the cultivated olive tree to illustrate how God’s purpose with regard to the Abrahamic covenant was fulfilled. He likens those who become part of Abraham’s offspring to branches on this symbolic olive tree. (Ro 11:21) The Gentile Christians are likened to branches from a wild olive tree because they had previously been alienated from God’s people, Israel, who were Abraham’s natural offspring and heirs of the covenant made with Abraham. (Eph 2:12) But when some Jews, likened to the natural branches, showed a lack of faith, they were rejected by God and “broken off.” (Ro 11:20) Jehovah arranged for these Gentiles to be grafted in to replace the unproductive branches. (Ga 3:28, 29) Just as branches from a wild olive tree would thrive when grafted into a cultivated olive tree, the Gentile Christians benefit greatly as they receive “the richness [lit., “fatness”]” of the garden olive tree’s root. This arrangement highlighted God’s undeserved kindness toward the Gentile Christians and removed any basis for boasting on their part.​—Ro 11:17; compare Mt 3:10; Joh 15:1-10.

      the garden olive tree: In the Greek term kal·li·eʹlai·os used here, the word for “olive tree” has a prefix that comes from the word ka·losʹ. It means “good; fine; excellent,” implying well-suited for its purpose​—like an olive tree that is cultivated in order to be fruitful and productive. Here the garden, or cultivated, olive tree is contrasted with the olive tree that is wild (a·gri·eʹlai·os; lit., “field olive tree”) and uncultivated.