Did Paul deliberately plan the structure of Romans 9:4 to have eight points?
No. Paul did not deliberately plan Romans 9:4 to have eight points. He did not sit and meditate on how to find seven things and then add an eighth. Instead, he penned the verse as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance. The eight distinctive statements are recognized as miraculous, with eight signifying new beginnings.
Les teaches that as he teaches Scripture, he always likes to point out how intricately the whole book was put together—man could never have dreamed it up. In Romans 9:4, Paul unloads eight distinctive statements. In the numerology of Scripture, seven is God's number of completion, and an eighth always speaks of new beginnings or something beyond the finish. Les explains that when Paul penned Romans and came to verse 4, he did not sit and meditate for hours wondering how to find seven things and then come up with an eighth. He simply penned as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance. Looking back, we can say it is miraculous. This pattern of seven things and also an eighth has been with us all the way through Scripture.
Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
More Questions
Did Paul intentionally build the seven-plus-eighth structure in Romans 9:4?
Paul did not deliberately plan a seven-items-plus-eighth structure when writing Romans 9:4; he wrote as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance, and the resulting pattern is miraculous.
Why is the seven-plus-eighth pattern in Romans 9:4 miraculous?
Paul did not sit and meditate to come up with seven things and then an eighth when he wrote Romans 9:4; he simply wrote as the Holy Spirit was giving him utterance, which is why the resulting pattern can be called miraculous.