Charles Ellicott Commentary Romans 11:7

"What then? that which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:" — Romans 11:7 (ASV)

What is the result? Not only did Israel fail to obtain the salvation which it sought, and which the select few succeeded in obtaining, but it was consigned to a state of complete spiritual apathy and torpor, and its very blessings became a curse and a snare.

Were blinded.—An erroneous translation, arising from a confusion of two similar words. The correct rendering, “were hardened,” is given in the margin.

Similarly, “were blinded” in 2 Corinthians 3:14, and “blindness” in Romans 11:25 of this chapter and Ephesians 4:18, should be changed to “were hardened” and “hardness.” The corresponding words in the Gospels are rightly translated.

The term is also employed in medicine in relation to the formation of chalkstone and so on.