Romans 11:22,23 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Behold, therefore In this dispensation; the goodness and severity of God Consider them maturely, and lay them deeply to heart: on them which fell The unbelieving Jews, who took offence at the mean appearance of Jesus, and so fell into unbelief, and were cut off for it; severity Or the exercise of strict justice; for God laid righteousness to the line, and judgment to the plummet, and dealt with them according to their sins, after many ages of astonishing patience and long-suffering exercised toward them. Observe, reader, God is most severe toward those who have been most distinguished by advantages on the one hand, and the abuse of them on the other. Divine patience, and privileges abused, turn to the greatest wrath. The word αποτομια, here rendered severity, literally means, a cutting off; the effect being put for severity, the cause. But toward thee Who art called to faith in Christ, without any merit in thyself; goodness Benignity and gentleness, as χρηστοτης signifies; if thou continue in his goodness That is, walk worthy of this privilege, into which thou art brought by God's goodness: or, if thou be careful to maintain thine interest in God's favour by continuing to depend upon, and comply with the design of his free grace, and endeavouring to please him continually: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off From communion with God and his people. And they also The Jewish nation; if they abide not in unbelief And thereby continue to reject Christ; shall be grafted in Restored to union with Christ and his church; for God is able to graft them in again And willing also, as the word δυνατος is frequently taken: (see Romans 4:21; Romans 14:4; Hebrews 2:18:) for it was to no purpose to mention God's ability to graft in the Jews, unless it had been accompanied with willingness. Locke says, “This grafting in again seems to import, that the Jews shall be a flourishing nation again, professing Christianity in the land of promise; for that is to be reinstated again in the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Paul might, for good reasons, be withheld from speaking out here. But in the prophets there are very plain intimations of it.”