A.T. Robertson Commentary Romans 11:17

"But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree;" — Romans 11:17 (ASV)

Branches (κλαδων). From κλαω, to break.

Were broken off (εξεκλασθησαν). First aorist passive indicative of εκκλαω. Play on the word κλαδος (branch) and εκκλαω, to break off. Condition of first class, assumed as true. Some of the individual Jews (natural Israel) were broken off the stock of the tree (spiritual Israel).

And thou (κα συ). An individual Gentile.

Being a wild olive (αγριελαιος ων). This word, used by Aristotle, occurs in an inscription. Ramsay (Pauline Studies, pp. 219ff.) shows that the ancients used the wild-olive graft upon an old olive tree to reinvigorate the tree precisely as Paul uses the figure here and that both the olive tree and the graft were influenced by each other, though the wild olive graft did not produce as good olives as the original stock. But it should be noted that in verse 24 Paul expressly states that the grafting of Gentiles on to the stock of the spiritual Israel was "contrary to nature" (παρα φυσιν).

Wast grafted in (ενεκεντρισθης). First aorist passive indicative of ενκεντριζω, to cut in, to graft, used by Aristotle. Belongs "to the higher Koine" (literary Koine) according to Milligan.

Partaker (συνκοινωνος). Co-partner.

Fatness (πιοτητος). Old word from πιων (fat), only here in N.T. Note three genitives here "of the root of the fatness of the olive."