Romans 9:6–8
“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Understanding God’s Covenant People Through Scripture
Many Christians today have been taught—often without question—that modern ethnic Jews and the nation of Israel are the unchanged, literal continuation of biblical Israel.1 This view, popularized largely by dispensationalist theology, suggests that God’s covenant people are still defined by physical descent from Abraham and that God’s promises must be fulfilled through a present-day geopolitical state.2
Yet a deeper reading of Scripture challenges that framework. It prompts questions not only of theology, but of genealogy and covenant identity. For instance: Was the line through which Christ came ethnically pure all the way back to Jacob? And if so, does that make Christ the only one truly qualified to carry the name “Israel”? More importantly, what defines God’s people under the New Covenant? Are they defined by race or by faith?
These questions reveal an important truth: God’s covenant people3 are no longer defined by lineage or nationality. The name Israel, as used in redemptive history, is redefined around Jesus Christ, the true Israelite4, the faithful Son, the seed of Abraham.
Judah and Tamar: God’s Sovereign Preservation of the Messianic Line
Genesis 38 records that Judah took a Canaanite wife named Shuah, who bore him three sons. Yet none of these sons would carry on the covenant line. Instead, it was through Tamar—Judah’s daughter-in-law, who bore twins by him—that the lineage continued through Pharez. Some traditions, like the Book of Jasher5, describe Tamar as a descendant of Shem, which may suggest God’s providence in preserving a pure Semitic line despite the surrounding Canaanite culture.
This was not accidental. The line through Pharez leads directly to David, and then ultimately to Christ. God orchestrated the preservation of the messianic line in a way that superseded human error and societal compromise.
Mary’s Lineage and the Legal Right of Kingship
The genealogy of Jesus through Mary6, recorded in Luke 3, bypasses the cursed royal line of Jeconiah by tracing descent through Nathan, another son of David. This ensures that Christ’s physical lineage remains intact and fulfills the promise of a righteous king from David’s house (Luke 1:32–33). Joseph’s lineage, shown in Matthew 1, gives Jesus the legal right to David’s throne.
Christ is thus both biologically and legally qualified to inherit the throne of David and to represent Israel in its fullness.
Ephraim and Manasseh: A Foreshadow of Gentile Inclusion
Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were born of an Egyptian mother and thus only half-Israelite by blood7. Yet Jacob adopted8 them as his own, granting them full tribal inheritance:
“Ephraim and Manasseh… are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.”
— Genesis 48:5
This adoption is not just a family act—it is prophetic. It anticipates the inclusion of Gentiles into the family of God8. Paul later affirms this in Ephesians:
“That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel…”
— Ephesians 3:6
As Ephraim and Manasseh were adopted in and made full heirs, so too are believing Gentiles brought into the covenant by faith.
Jesus: The True Israel
Matthew 2:15 applies Hosea’s words—“Out of Egypt have I called my son”—to Christ, not merely to national Israel. Jesus recapitulates the story of Israel: He comes out of Egypt, passes through the water, is tested in the wilderness, and remains obedient where the nation failed.
At His baptism, the Father declares:
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
— Matthew 3:17
Christ is the true Servant of God, the true Israel9. He fulfills the calling and mission that national Israel could not. In Him, the promises made to Abraham and David are fulfilled—not through political restoration, but through redemptive accomplishment.
What Became of the Ten Tribes?
In 722 B.C., the northern kingdom (Ephraim/Israel) was conquered by Assyria (2 Kings 17). Many were exiled or killed; others intermarried, resulting in the rise of the Samaritans. Over time, tribal purity—and with it, covenant identity grounded in genealogy—effectively disappeared10.
This scattering, known as the dispersion of the “lost tribes“,11 meant that many descendants of Jacob were no longer identifiable by tribe, if at all¹¹.
“Ye Are Not My People” — Hosea’s Prophetic Judgment and Hope
Hosea 1:9–10 contains both judgment and promise:
“Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people…
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea…”
Paul quotes this in Romans 9:25–26 to apply it not just to dispersed Israelites, but also to believing Gentiles. Those who were “not My people” will become “sons of the living God.” The fulfillment is spiritual and covenantal—not ethnic or political12.
Ezekiel’s Dry Bones and the Joining of the Two Sticks
In Ezekiel 37, God shows a valley of dry bones coming to life—a picture of spiritual resurrection. This is followed by a vision of two sticks (Judah and Ephraim) becoming one in God’s hand.
“And I will make them one nation… and one king shall be king to them all…”
— Ezekiel 37:22
This foreshadows unity in Christ, who brings together Jew and Gentile into one body (Ephesians 2:14–16). These prophecies do not point to two separate peoples, but to a unified covenant people in Christ.
Redefining the Name “Israel” in the New Covenant
Jesus said:
“Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep… My sheep hear my voice…”
— John 10:26–27
Only those who follow Christ are counted as His flock. Paul affirms:
“They are not all Israel, which are of Israel…”
— Romans 9:6
And again:
“If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed…”
— Galatians 3:29
The name “Israel” now applies to those who are in Christ13. Apart from Him, neither genealogy nor geography defines covenant status.
Conclusion: The Israel of God
The prophets foresaw a time when God’s people would be reconstituted not by ethnicity, but by faith. Jesus—the true Israelite—gathers into Himself all who believe, whether they come from Judah or from the nations14. The Church, His body, becomes the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham: one people, united under one Shepherd.
“And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” — Galatians 6:16
Footnotes
- “Literal continuation of biblical Israel” — A phrase used to describe the belief that modern Jews and the State of Israel are a direct, unchanged extension of the ancient Israelite people. This presumes unbroken ethnic lineage and uninterrupted covenant identity, which Scripture does not support (Romans 9:6–8). ↩︎
- “God’s promises must be fulfilled through a present-day geopolitical state” — This view is central to dispensational theology, which often teaches that God’s redemptive plan centers around modern Israel as a nation-state. It fails to see the fulfillment of God’s promises in Christ and His body, the church (Ephesians 2:11–22). ↩︎
- “God’s covenant people” — Biblically defined not by physical descent but by relationship with God through faith. See Romans 2:28–29 and Hebrews 8:10–13. ↩︎
- “Jesus Christ, the true Israelite” — He embodies everything the nation of Israel was meant to be: the faithful Son (Matthew 2:15; Isaiah 49:3), the true Vine (John 15:1), and the Servant in whom God is well pleased (Matthew 3:17). ↩︎
- “Book of Jasher” — An ancient Jewish historical source mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. While not canonical, it is sometimes cited in Jewish traditions regarding genealogy, such as Tamar’s Semitic lineage. ↩︎
- “The genealogy of Jesus through Mary” — Found in Luke 3, it traces through David’s son Nathan, avoiding the line of Jeconiah, who was cursed (Jeremiah 22:30). Joseph’s lineage in Matthew 1 secures Jesus’ legal right to David’s throne. ↩︎
- “Only half-Israelite by blood” — Ephraim and Manasseh were born to an Egyptian mother, Asenath, making them ethnically mixed (Genesis 41:45), yet fully accepted by Jacob as heirs. ↩︎
- “Jacob’s adopted” — In Genesis 48:5, Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, granting them tribal status. This act symbolically prefigures the adoption of Gentiles into God’s covenant family (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 9:25–26). ↩︎
- “Christ is the true Servant of God, the true Israel” — The gospel writers show that Jesus relives Israel’s story: Egypt (Matthew 2:15), wilderness testing (Matthew 4), covenant keeping (Matthew 5–7). He fulfills what Israel could not. ↩︎
- “Covenant identity grounded in genealogy—effectively disappeared” — The Assyrian conquest led to mass deportations, intermarriage, and repopulation (2 Kings 17), eroding the genealogical clarity of the northern tribes. ↩︎
- “Lost tribes” — Refers to the ten tribes of Israel that were scattered and absorbed into other nations after the Assyrian captivity. By the New Testament era, they were no longer a distinct, identifiable group. ↩︎
- “Not ethnic or political” Fulfillment of Hosea 1:10 — In Romans 9:25–26, Paul quotes Hosea to show that God’s promise to those “not my people” refers not to national restoration but to Gentile and remnant inclusion in Christs ↩︎
- “The name “Israel” now applies to those who are in Christ” — Paul writes, “They are not all Israel which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6) and “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed” (Galatians 3:29), affirming that faith—not flesh—determines Israel’s identity. ↩︎
- “Whether they come from Judah or from the nations” — Christ unites both in Himself: “There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek” (Romans 10:12). Through Him, believing Gentiles become “fellowcitizens” and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). ↩︎
