9:5

God, who is over all, be praised forever: This phrase refers to Jehovah God; it is an exhortation to praise him for what he has done for his people, including what is mentioned earlier in this passage. However, some translations render this verse in a way that would identify Christ as Almighty God. For example, “the Christ, who is God over all.” Grammatically, such a rendering is possible, but the context has to be taken into consideration. The preceding passage describes God’s loving provisions for his people. Consider also what follows at Ro 9:6-13. These verses show that the outworking of God’s purpose depends, not on inheritance according to the flesh, but on the will of God. Verses 14-18 refer to God’s message to Pharaoh, as recorded at Ex 9:16, to highlight that God is over all. In verses 19-24, God’s superiority is further illustrated by the analogy of a potter and the clay vessels that he makes. Considering the context, it would therefore be natural for Paul to refer to “God, who is over all.” It is also noteworthy that Paul in his writings most often ascribes such expressions of praise, not to Christ Jesus, but to God. (Ro 11:34-36; 16:27; Ga 1:4, 5; Php 4:20; 1Ti 1:17) Paul clearly distinguishes between Jesus and Jehovah God, as at Ro 15:5, 6, where he urges fellow Christians to “glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Co 1:3; Eph 1:3) The main text rendering of Ro 9:5 is also strongly supported by Paul’s words at 1Co 15:27, 28.​—For a further discussion of Ro 9:5, see Kingdom Interlinear, App. 2D, “God, Who Is Over All.”

Amen: A term that is often used in the inspired letters of the Christian Greek Scriptures when the writer has expressed some form of praise to God.​—Ro 16:27; Eph 3:21; 1Pe 4:11; see study note on Ro 1:25.