SEV Biblia, Chapter 9:20
Mas antes, oh hombre, ¿quin eres t, para que alterques con Dios? O dir el vaso de barro al que lo labr: ¿Por qu me has hecho tal?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 9:20
Verse 20. Nay but, O man, who art thou] As if he had said: Weak, ignorant man, darest thou retort on the infinitely good and righteous GOD? Reflect on thyself; and tell me, after thou hast abused the grace of God, and transgressed his laws, wilt thou cavil at his dispensations? God hath made, created, formed the Jewish nation; and shall the thing formed, when it hath corrupted itself, pretend to correct the wise and gracious Author of its being, and say, Why hast thou made me thus? Why hast thou constituted me in this manner? Thou hast done me wrong in giving me my being under such and such conditions. Old John Goodwin's note on this passage is at least curious: "I scarce (says he) know any passage of the Scripture more frequently abused than this. When men, in the great questions of predestination and reprobation, bring forth any text of Scripture which they conceive makes for their notion, though the sense which they put upon it be ever so uncouth and dissonant from the true meaning of the Holy Ghost, yet, if any man contradict, they frequently fall upon him with-Nay but, O man; who art thou? As if St. Paul had left them his heirs and successors in the infallibility of his spirit! But when men shall call a solid answer to their groundless conceits about the meaning of the Scriptures, a replying against God, it savours more of the spirit who was seen falling like lightning from heaven, than of His, who saw him in this his fall."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 20. Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God ? etc..] Or answerest again to God: some have been so weak and wicked as to suggest, that the apostle met with an objection he could not answer, or give a fair solution of, and therefore takes the method he does: but when the several things returned in answer by the apostle are considered, it will appear that he has taken the wisest method to silence such an audacious objector, and that he abundantly clears God from the charge of cruelty and unmercifulness. And he answers first, by putting the insolent creature in mind of what he was; nay, but O man, who art thou? etc.. Thou art man, and not God; a creature, and not the Creator; and must not expect that he, thy Creator, will give an account of his matters to thee, or a reason why he does, this or the other thing. Thou art but a man, who in his best estate was vanity, being mutable; thou art a fallen sinful creature, and obnoxious to the wrath and displeasure of God for thy sins, and darest thou to open thy mouth against him? thou art a poor, foolish, and ignorant man, born like a wild ass's colt, without understanding, and wilt thou take upon thee to confront, direct, or counsel the Most High, or tell him what is fitting to be done, or not done? next the apostle answers, by pointing out his folly and madness, in replying to God. To speak to God in behalf of a man's self at the throne of grace, in the most submissive manner, for any mercy or favour wanted, is an high privilege, and it is a wonderful condescension in God to admit of; and when a man, a good man takes upon him to plead with God on the behalf of others, of a wicked people, a sinful nation, he ought to set before him the example and conduct of Abraham, who in a like case acknowledged himself to be but dust and ashes, and more than once entreated, that the Lord would not be angry at his importunity; but for a man to answer again to God, which a servant ought not to do to his master, to litigate a point with God, to dispute a matter with him, is the highest instance of arrogance and impudence: woe unto him that striveth with his Maker, let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth, ( Isaiah 45:9): with their equals, with men like themselves, but let no man dare to contend with God; if he should, he cannot answer him one of a thousand, ( Job 9:3); for he is wise in heart, in forming all his counsels, purposes, and decrees; and mighty in strength, to execute them; who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered? ( Job 9:4). Another way the apostle takes in answering the objection is, by showing the absurdity of a creature's wrangling with God about his make, and the circumstances in which he is made: shall the thing formed, say unto him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus ? reference is had to ( Isaiah 45:9,10); Now as it would be a most absurd thing for the clay, was it capable of speaking, to say to the fashioner of it, why dost thou put me into such or such a shape and form? or for any piece of workmanship to say to the maker of it, he has no hands, no head, no judgment and skill; or for a child to say to its parents, what begettest thou, or what hast thou brought forth? so absurd and unreasonable is it, for any to say to God, why hast thou appointed me to such and such ends and purposes, and has brought me into being in such a manner, and under such circumstances? There is a story in the Talmud f181 , which may be pertinently produced here; it happened to R. Eleazar ben Simeon, of Migdal Gedur, that he went from his master's house, and he was riding on an ass, and travelling by the sea side, and as he rejoiced exceedingly, and his heart was lifted up because he had learnt much of the law, there was joined to him a certain man that was very much deformed, and says to him, peace be upon thee Rabbi; but he did not return the salutation to him, but says to him Raca, how deformed is that man! perhaps all thy townsmen are as deformed as thee; he replied to him, I do not know, but go and say, yna[ mwal , to the workman that made me, how ugly is this vessel thou hast made, when he knew in himself that he has sinned; upon this the Rabbi dismounted his ass, and fell down before him, and said unto him, I entreat of thee forgive me; he said unto him, I cannot forgive thee, till thou goest to the workman that made me, and say, how ugly is this vessel which thou hast made.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-24 - Whatever God does, must be just. Wherein the holy, happy people of God differ from others, God's grace alone makes them differ. In thi preventing, effectual, distinguishing grace, he acts as a benefactor whose grace is his own. None have deserved it; so that those who ar saved, must thank God only; and those who perish, must blame themselve only, Hos 13:9. God is bound no further than he has been pleased to bind himself by his own covenant and promise, which is his reveale will. And this is, that he will receive, and not cast out, those tha come to Christ; but the drawing of souls in order to that coming, is a anticipating, distinguishing favour to whom he will. Why does he ye find fault? This is not an objection to be made by the creature agains his Creator, by man against God. The truth, as it is in Jesus, abase man as nothing, as less than nothing, and advances God as sovereig Lord of all. Who art thou that art so foolish, so feeble, so unable to judge the Divine counsels? It becomes us to submit to him, not to repl against him. Would not men allow the infinite God the same sovereig right to manage the affairs of the creation, as the potter exercises i disposing of his clay, when of the same lump he makes one vessel to more honourable, and one to a meaner use? God could do no wrong however it might appear to men. God will make it appear that he hate sin. Also, he formed vessels filled with mercy. Sanctification is the preparation of the soul for glory. This is God's work. Sinners fi themselves for hell, but it is God who prepares saints for heaven; an all whom God designs for heaven hereafter, he fits for heaven now Would we know who these vessels of mercy are? Those whom God ha called; and these not of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles. Surel there can be no unrighteousness in any of these Divine dispensations Nor in God's exercising long-suffering, patience, and forbearanc towards sinners under increasing guilt, before he brings utte destruction upon them. The fault is in the hardened sinner himself. A to all who love and fear God, however such truths appear beyond their reason to fathom, yet they should keep silence before him. It is the Lord alone who made us to differ; we should adore his pardoning merc and new-creating grace, and give diligence to make our calling an election sure.
Greek Textus Receptus
μενουνγε 3304 PRT ω 5599 INJ ανθρωπε 444 N-VSM συ 4771 P-2NS τις 5101 I-NSM ει 1488 5748 V-PXI-2S ο 3588 T-NSM ανταποκρινομενος 470 5740 V-PNP-NSM τω 3588 T-DSM θεω 2316 N-DSM μη 3361 PRT-N ερει 2046 5692 V-FAI-3S το 3588 T-NSN πλασμα 4110 N-NSN τω 3588 T-DSM πλασαντι 4111 5660 V-AAP-DSM τι 5101 I-ASN με 3165 P-1AS εποιησας 4160 5656 V-AAI-2S ουτως 3779 ADV
Vincent's NT Word Studies
20. O man. Man as man, not Jew.That repliest (o antapokrinomenov). Only here and Luke xiv. 6. Lit., to contradict in reply: to answer by contradicting. Thus, in the case of the dropsical man (Luke 14.), Jesus answered (apokriqeiv) the thought in the minds of the lawyers and Pharisees by asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" Then He asked, "Who of you would refuse on the Sabbath to extricate his beast from the pit into which it has fallen?" And they were unable to answer Him in reply: to answer by contradicting Him. So here, the word signifies to reply to an answer which God had already given, and implies, as Godet observes, the spirit of contention.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
9:20 {Nay, but, O man, who art thou?} (o anqrwpe, men oun ge su tis ei?). "O man, but surely thou who art thou?" Unusual and emphatic order of the words, proleyis of su (thou) before tis (who) and men oun ge (triple particle, men, indeed, oun, therefore, ge, at least) at the beginning of clause as in #Ro 10:18; Php 3:8 contrary to ancient idiom, but so in papyri. {That repliest} (ho antapokrinomenos). Present middle articular participle of double compound verb antapokrinomai, to answer to one's face (anti-) late and vivid combination, also in #Lu 14:6, nowhere else in N.T., but in LXX. {The thing formed} (to plasma). Old word (Plato, Aristophanes) from plassw, to mould, as with clay or wax, from which the aorist active participle used here (t"i plasanti) comes. Paul quotes these words from #Isa 29:16 verbatim. It is a familiar idea in the Old Testament, the absolute power of God as Creator like the potter's use of clay (#Isa 44:8; 45:8-10; Jer 18:6). me expects a negative answer. {Why didst thou make me thus?} (ti me epoisas houtws?). The original words in Isaiah dealt with the nation, but Paul applies them to individuals. this question does not raise the problem of the origin of Sin for the objector does not blame God for that but why God has used us as he has, made some vessels out of the clay for this purpose, some for that. Observe "thus" (houtws). The potter takes the clay as he finds it, but uses it as he wishes.
