Romans 10:19 (YLT)

Passage

But I say, Did not Israel know? first Moses saith, `I will provoke you to jealousy by <FI>that which is<Fi> not a nation; by an unintelligent nation I will anger you,'

Nearby Context

Romans 10:17 so then the faith <FI>is<Fi> by a report, and the report through a saying of God,

Romans 10:18 but I say, Did they not hear? yes, indeed--`to all the earth their voice went forth, and to the ends of the habitable world their sayings.'

Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? first Moses saith, `I will provoke you to jealousy by <FI>that which is<Fi> not a nation; by an unintelligent nation I will anger you,'

Romans 10:20 and Isaiah is very bold, and saith, `I was found by those not seeking Me; I became manifest to those not inquiring after Me;'

Romans 10:21 and unto Israel He saith, `All the day I did stretch out My hands unto a people unbelieving and gainsaying.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "first", "moses", "saith", "provoke", "jealousy", "nation", and "unintelligent". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "israel" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "but I say Did they not hear..." into verse 20's "and Isaiah is very bold and saith...", so "israel" and "first" 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 "israel" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.