Romans 10:18 (WEB)

Passage

But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”Psalm 19:4

Nearby Context

Romans 10:16 But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”Isaiah 53:1

Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:18 But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”Psalm 19:4

Romans 10:19 But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, with a nation void of understanding I will make you angry.”Deuteronomy 32:31

Romans 10:20 Isaiah is very bold, and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”Isaiah 65:1

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "didn", "hear", "most", "certainly", "sound", "went", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "didn", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "So faith comes by hearing and hearing..." into verse 19's "But I ask didn t Israel know...", so "world" and "didn" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "didn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.