Charles Ellicott Commentary Romans 9:22

"What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction:" — Romans 9:22 (ASV)

What if . . .—The sentence in the original is incomplete. In its complete form, it would begin something like, “If God, willing to show His wrath...” and imply a question such as, “(what can one reply?).” This latter implied question is dropped or lost in the course of the argument.

The best and simplest method to address this is the one adopted in the Authorized Version, which inserts “what” at the beginning: What if, etc. There is a second ellipsis later in the sentence: at the end of Romans 9:23, we would need to insert a clause such as “He reserved His glory for them” to make the sentence strictly grammatical.

These irregularities are due to the Apostle’s habit of dictating and the lively flow of his thoughts.

Willing.—While His will was (ultimately) to execute His wrath and display His sovereign judicial power, nevertheless He bore with evildoers and gave them time for repentance.

Regarding Romans 9:22-29:

These verses provide the concluding section of the vindication. All this plan of God’s dealings, apparently so severe, is really most merciful.

To those who truly deserved His wrath, He showed longsuffering. While for us who now believe, both Gentiles and Jews, He had mercy and glory in store.

But in both cases, the final result was strictly in accordance with prophecy: Hosea had foretold the admission of the Gentiles, and Isaiah, the exclusion of the greater part of the Jews.