VERSE OF THE DAY
Romans 11:33 (New Living Translation)
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Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
For how great are God’s treasure and knowledge of wise though yet impossible it is to truly understand his decision and ways in his desires
Yes, God’s riches are very great! His wisdom and knowledge have no end! No one can explain what God decides. No one can understand his ways.
What Does Romans 11:33 Mean? ►
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Romans 11:33(NASB)
Verse Thoughts
The whole of Paul’s Roman epistle is glorifying the wonderful works of God, while exposing the depravity of man. It details the glorious plan of salvation and the enormous sacrifice of Christ on the cross, whereby fallen man is not only released from slavery to sin; delivered from eternal condemnation and reconciled back to God – but saved by grace through faith in Him; made a new creation in Christ; made a citizen of heaven and a joint-heir with the Son of God; bestowed with the riches of God’s grace; in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit; eternally secure in His gracious love – and so much more.
No surprise that near the end of this letter to the Romans.. Paul breaks into an escalating doxology of praise and worship as he cries out from the core of his being: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how unfathomable are His ways! They are beyond tracing out.. for they come from sovereign choice of God’s divine righteousness and His everlasting grace.
The Lord is indeed rich in goodness and grace; mercy and love -wisdom and knowledge and power and in Christ we too have been made rich in everything – for He has bestowed on us the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus our Saviour, and by faith, we have a rich reward that is kept for us in heaven.
The riches of His wisdom are unsurpassed and the riches of His judgements are altogether righteous. His ways are incomprehensible; His knowledge is unsearchable; His love is never-ending; His judgements are righteous and His strength is invincible. He carries out great and mighty works, which are marvellous to behold and His glorious deeds are without number. Who can know the mind of God and yet He has made His ways known to the children of men.. through the Person and work of His dearly beloved Son – and by His grace we have the mind of Christ.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Everything visible and invisible originate with Him and comes from Him. All things live through Him, and all things centre in Him for He is the Alpha and Omega – the Author and Finisher of our faith. To Him be all praise and glory forever and ever! Amen
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/romans-11-33
Romans 11:33 Meaning of Verse and Simple Commentary
Sep 5, 2020 by Editor in Chief
Romans 11:33
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
Explanation and Commentary of Romans 11:33
This is a worshipful moment in the letter of Paul to the Romans. Paul, who has deftly unraveled the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with more clarity than any other at any time, after ten and a half chapters, must stop to give glory to God. The depths of the simple message of Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2), has left him unable to go further without praising God for his wisdom, knowledge, judgment, and paths.
This should always be the true goal of theology, as it should be the true goal of all of life in God, God’s glory, his worship, and his praise. If God’s glory is the end for which he created the world, as the Westminster Confession rightly states, then certainly it is the end of all theological understanding. Any revelation of God’s nature and plans that don’t lead to doxology must be questioned. If any of God’s ways do not move us to delight and wonder, it may be that our hearts are not yet fully conformed to him, and our minds are not yet transformed by the renewal that comes from knowing him.

This particular declaration of praise follows Paul’s illumination about the temporary blinding and hardening of Israel so that the Gentile branches could be grafted in (Ro 11:1-32), and the future surety of the opening of the eyes, and the softening of the hearts of the Jews when the time is right for them to be saved, having been originally chosen by God as a people of his own. Paul is constantly amazed at the wisdom and power of God, and the way he has fulfilled and will fulfill his promise to Abraham to make him a blessing to all nations (Gen 22:18).
Breaking Down the Key Parts of Romans 11:33
#1 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
There is, of course, a sense in which the wisdom and knowledge of God are wide, and cover a wide range, but Paul’s main subject, the Gospel of Christ crucified, is simple, but deeper than we could ever imagine. The more Paul understands this one message, the more amazed he is at the depths of it.

#2 “How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
Clearly Paul doesn’t think that God’s judgments should not be searched or his paths traced out. More than anyone else, he has done for us that very thing. But consider how little the prophets and chroniclers of the Old Testament understood the nature of the first coming of the Messiah. Consider how unable to see were the scribes and teachers of the law when he came. We should expect that there is yet much we do not understand about the God whose “ways are higher than our ways” (Isa 55:8-9). We should surely seek to know what he has revealed, but what he has not, can only cause us to wonder and praise him.
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Biblical Translations of Romans 11:33
NIV
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
NLT
Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

ESV
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
KJV
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
NKJV
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
What does Romans 11:33 mean?
Paul has just concluded a long and complicated discussion of God’s unique relationship with Israel as a nation and with her people as individuals. He has compared and contrasted God’s actions toward Israel with His actions toward the Gentiles. He wrapped it up in the previous verse by declaring, in essence, that both groups have lived in disobedience and that God will show mercy to people from both groups in response to their faith in Christ.
Now Paul delivers a poem, structured much like a hymn, expressing his profound reaction both to God’s ways and to His mercy to sinful human beings.
Paul starts by marveling at the depth of three of God’s characteristics. He is stunningly rich or wealthy. Earlier in Romans, Paul has written about the riches of God’s kindness and patience (Romans 2:4), the riches of His glory (Romans 9:23), and His riches—of mercy—for the world (Romans 11:12). In each case, God’s riches are described as graciously shared and never-ending.
Next, Paul is awed by the depth of God’s wisdom, likely in the expression of His love and power in making mercy available to all people through faith in Christ. This is followed by God’s deep knowledge, perhaps a reference to His “foreknowledge” of all who will come to Him through faith in Christ (Romans 8:29; 11:2).
Paul’s next two lines begins with “how.” How unsearchable or unfathomable are God’s judgments, Paul wonders. In other words, human beings simply lack the capacity to understand why God decides what He does. God’s ways are said to be inscrutable, like a code we can’t break.
One reason God retains the right to do as He will when it comes to showing mercy or not to human beings is that we do not have the capacity to understand His choices. His thoughts, His ways, His decisions are beyond us. We are left to simply yield to Him and to worship Him.
Context Summary
Romans 11:33–36 is Paul’s poetic, hymn-like praise of God and His amazing wisdom. He quotes Old Testament texts such as Isaiah and Job. The prior passage explained how God’s intent for Israel came with some level of mystery. As limited, created people, we will never be able to fully grasp the mind of God. The proper response, when we realize how beyond our understanding He is, is praise and worship.
Chapter Summary
In Romans 11, Paul concludes his exploration of God’s plan for His chosen people Israel. It’s true that as a nation, Israel has rejected faith in Christ, but a remnant of Israelites has believed in Jesus. God has hardened the rest in unbelief, but will bring Israel back to faith when enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then many Israelites will trust in Christ, as well, and God will renew His covenant with His people. Paul concludes this section with a powerful poem or hymn about God’s independence and how He is beyond our full comprehension
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