Did Paul deliberately plan to include seven items and an eighth in Romans 9:4?
Paul did not intentionally construct Romans 9:4 to contain seven items plus an eighth. He simply penned the verse as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance. The eight distinctive statements that emerged display Scripture's numerology: seven signifies completion, and an eighth points to new beginnings.
Les teaches that when Paul was penning 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. Paul just penned as the Holy Spirit was giving him utterance. Les explains that in Scripture's numerology, seven is always God's number of completion, and an eighth of whatever it is speaks of new beginnings or something that goes beyond the finish. Thus the eight distinctive statements in Romans 9:4 are another miraculous instance of a pattern that 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
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.