Romans 9:5 Is Jesus God over all?

Romans 9:5 Is Jesus God over all?

A claim often made by trinitarians when asserting that Jesus is God is that he is called God over all in Romans 9:5. 

If we look at this verse in many Bible translations we will see that it reads exactly as such. 

Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. NIV 

Romans 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. ESV 

The NLT literally reads he is God, the one who rules over everything.

Romans 9:5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. NLT 

Using any of these versions of the Bible we can see why trinitarians will make the claim regarding Jesus being called God in this verse. 

However, this is not how all translations render this verse. 

The KJV reads rather differently than the NIV, ESV and NLT 

Romans 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. KJV

Here, we see that Jesus is over all, God blessed for ever. It does not read that Jesus is God.

Many other modern versions also read similarly to the KJV

Romans 9:5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. NASB

Romans 9:5 whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. ASV

Romans 9:5  whose are the fathers, and of whom is the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen. Youngs Literal.

If a trinitarian uses any of these versions, then they cannot argue that this verse says that he is God. This is not how these versions read.

The NRSV reads that the Messiah is God blessed.

Romans 9:5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

The NEB reads differently again, May God be blessed.

Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them, in natural descent, sprang the Messiah. May God, supreme above all, be blessed for ever! Amen

So, which is the correct reading in this verse? Interestingly this is not based on any textual variant, unlike in many passages where we find different readings. The underlying Greek text is the same.

The NA/UBS text that most modern versions are based on, reads the same as the Textus receptus, the underlying text of the KJV (and some others)

Romans 9:5 ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.

The Greek literally reads
Whose (are)  the patriarchs and from whom (is) Christ according to the flesh being overall God blessed to the ages Amen.
(words in brackets are inferred but not in the text).

It is actually the word order that is changed in the translation in order to have it read that Jesus is God. Theos, God, is moved from its position to being before before the word overall as to read “God over all” rather than “over all God blessed”.

The ESV has also added the words “and from their race” which do not appear in the Greek.

Romans 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. ESV 

We can only speculate as to why they have done this.

The natural word order of the Greek supports the reading as found in the KJV, NASB and Youngs, among many others. “who is over all, God Blessed forever” is the honest reading of the Greek.

The NIV has a footnote that reads:
“Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!”

Will Kinney, a Trinitarian KJV onlyist textual critic and so in no way someone that denies the trinity states:

“Christ is not “ God over all” because this would exalt Christ above the Father. Christ was, is, and shall always be the second Person of the triune God, in submission to the Father. John 5:30 “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” “
Another King James Bible Believer – Deity of Christ 3 verses (brandplucked.com)

He then cites the following 2 verses in order to support his statement. 

1 Corinthians 11:3 “the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”

1 Corinthians 15:28 “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”

I agree with him here that Christ is not above the father, maybe for different reasons, but even in a trinitarian understanding, Christ is not over the father and so is not over all.

What is certain is that scholars are in no way unanimous in their understanding of this verse, either for the referent being Jesus or God the father.

Many believe this is a doxology to God the father, although this is also in no way unanimous and many contest this assertion.

(I may expound upon this further at some point)

I may also include here the various scholars that argue for each reading…although this in no way will prove any of the readings as there are many on each side of the debate.

It is of course important to take into account the entire book of Romans where we see Paul assert that God the father is the one referred to as God.

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