What Does “All Israel Will Be Saved” Mean?
Question 10017
Few verses in the New Testament have sparked more debate than Romans 11:26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved.” What did Paul mean by “all Israel”? Does this refer to every individual Jew throughout history? The Church? Only the elect among ethnic Israel? Or Israel as a nation at some future point?
Getting this right matters because it shapes our understanding of God’s purposes for Israel, the Church, and the end times.
The Four Main Interpretations
Throughout Church history, four primary interpretations have emerged. The first view, popular among replacement theologians, understands “all Israel” to mean the Church—the spiritual Israel comprising both Jews and Gentiles. Proponents argue that since believers are Abraham’s spiritual seed (Galatians 3:29), “Israel” in Romans 11:26 includes all believers.
The second view holds that “all Israel” refers to the total number of elect Jews throughout all of history. As individual Jews come to faith across the centuries, eventually “all Israel”—meaning all elect Jews—will have been saved.
The third view, common among Reformed theologians, suggests that “all Israel” refers to the sum total of both Jewish and Gentile believers—the complete people of God drawn from both groups.
The fourth view, which aligns with dispensational premillennialism and which I believe best fits the text, understands “all Israel” to refer to ethnic Israel as a nation—specifically the generation living at the time of Jesus’ Second Coming who will turn to Him in faith.
Why “All Israel” Means Ethnic Israel
The context of Romans 9-11 is determinative. Throughout these three chapters, Paul consistently uses “Israel” and “Israelites” to refer to ethnic Jews in distinction from Gentiles. In Romans 9:3-4, Paul speaks of “my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites.” In Romans 9:6, he distinguishes between those who are merely physical descendants and those who are true Israel by faith—but the category remains ethnic Israel. In Romans 10:1, Paul expresses his heart’s desire “for Israel” to be saved—clearly referring to his unbelieving Jewish countrymen. In Romans 10:19-21, he quotes Old Testament passages that contrast Israel with “a nation that is not a nation” (the Gentiles).
In Romans 11 specifically, Paul continues this consistent usage. He asks if God has rejected “his people” (v. 1) and offers himself—a physical Israelite from Benjamin—as proof He hasn’t. He speaks of Israel’s “stumbling” (v. 11), their “failure” (v. 12), and their being “enemies” with respect to the gospel (v. 28). He uses the olive tree metaphor to contrast natural branches (Jews) with wild branches (Gentiles) that have been grafted in (vv. 17-24). Throughout this entire section, “Israel” consistently means ethnic Israel.
To suddenly shift the meaning of “Israel” in verse 26 to mean the Church would be exegetically jarring and contextually confusing. As Douglas Moo notes in his Romans commentary, “The flow of Paul’s argument makes it virtually certain that ‘Israel’ here, as throughout the chapter, refers to ethnic Israel” (p. 720). Leon Morris concurs: “Throughout this part of the letter Paul has been using ‘Israel’ to denote the Jewish nation, and there seems no reason for a change of meaning here” (Epistle to the Romans, p. 420).
What Does “All” Mean?
The Greek πᾶς Ἰσραήλ (pas Israēl) doesn’t necessarily mean every individual Israelite without exception but rather Israel as a whole, the nation in its entirety. This expression appears in the Old Testament in places like 1 Samuel 7:5 (“Gather all Israel”), 1 Kings 12:1 (“All Israel had come to make him king”), and Daniel 9:11 (“All Israel has transgressed your law”). In each case, “all Israel” refers to the nation collectively, not every individual without exception.
The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 10:1) uses the same expression, stating “All Israel has a share in the world to come,” followed immediately by exceptions. The phrase denotes Israel corporately, as a national entity, rather than a numerical totality of every single person.
Applied to Romans 11:26, this means that Israel as a nation—the generation alive at Jesus’ return—will corporately turn to their Messiah and be saved. Not necessarily every individual Jew in that generation, but Israel as a people, as a collective entity. The emphasis is on national salvation, the conversion of the nation as such, in contrast to the present situation where only a remnant believes.
The Sequence Paul Describes
Romans 11:25-26 presents a clear sequence. First, “a partial hardening has come upon Israel.” The word “partial” (ἀπὸ μέρους, apo merous) indicates that the hardening affects only part of Israel—there is still a believing remnant (as Paul argued in verses 1-10). Second, this hardening continues “until” (ἄχρι οὗ, achri hou) the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. This temporal clause indicates that the hardening has a divinely appointed terminus. Third, “and in this way” (καὶ οὕτως, kai houtōs) all Israel will be saved.
The phrase καὶ οὕτως is often translated “and so” but more precisely means “and in this manner” or “and in this way.” Paul is describing the manner by which Israel’s salvation will occur: through the process he has just outlined—the partial hardening during the time of Gentile ingathering, followed by Israel’s national turning when that era concludes.
The Old Testament Foundation
Paul immediately supports his statement with Old Testament quotations: “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (vv. 26b-27). This is a composite quotation drawing primarily from Isaiah 59:20-21 with elements from Isaiah 27:9 and Jeremiah 31:33-34.
In its original Isaiah context, this passage speaks of the Redeemer coming “to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.” Paul’s shift from “to Zion” to “from Zion” likely reflects his understanding that the Deliverer (Jesus) will come from the heavenly Zion to the earthly Zion at His return. The point is clear: this is a prophecy about God’s future dealing with “Jacob”—ethnic Israel—not the Church.
The connection to the new covenant (“this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins”) recalls Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God promises to make a new covenant specifically with “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” While the Church participates in the spiritual blessings of this covenant through Jesus, the ultimate fulfilment with national Israel remains future.
When Will This Occur?
From a dispensational premillennial perspective, this national salvation of Israel will occur in connection with Jesus’ Second Coming. Several prophetic passages illuminate when and how this will happen. Zechariah 12:10 describes Israel looking on “him whom they have pierced” and mourning in repentance. Zechariah 13:1 speaks of a fountain being opened “for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” Zechariah 14:4 describes the Lord’s feet standing on the Mount of Olives.
The events of the Tribulation period will bring Israel to the point of recognising their Messiah. Through the unprecedented trials of those seven years—what Jeremiah 30:7 calls “the time of Jacob’s trouble”—Israel will be purified and prepared for their Deliverer. When Jesus returns, the surviving remnant of Israel will recognise Him, repent, and be saved.
As J. Dwight Pentecost explains in Things to Come, “This salvation of Israel will take place at the second advent of Christ, when the nation turns to the Lord in response to the outpouring of God’s Spirit” (p. 296). John Walvoord similarly notes that “the salvation of all Israel refers to that future time when the nation Israel will turn to Christ at His second coming” (Romans, p. 179).
Theological Implications
This interpretation has significant theological implications. First, it affirms God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. If “all Israel” meant the Church, the force of Paul’s argument would be undermined. Paul is answering the question of whether God has rejected His people Israel (v. 1). His answer—culminating in verse 26—is that God will ultimately save Israel as a nation. This demonstrates that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (v. 29).
Second, it maintains the distinction between Israel and the Church that runs throughout Scripture. The Church is not “new Israel” or “spiritual Israel” in a way that replaces ethnic Israel. Both have distinct roles in God’s purposes, even though both are saved through faith in Jesus.
Third, it provides hope and guidance for Jewish evangelism. While Israel as a nation is currently hardened, we should still proclaim the gospel to Jewish people, knowing that God is even now calling out a remnant. And we can look forward to the day when the veil will be lifted and Israel will embrace their Messiah.
Conclusion
“All Israel will be saved” in Romans 11:26 refers to the future national salvation of ethnic Israel. When the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, when the Deliverer returns from Zion, Israel as a nation will turn to their Messiah and be saved. This is not every individual Jew without exception, but Israel as a corporate entity—the nation as a whole. This interpretation best fits Paul’s consistent usage of “Israel” throughout Romans 9-11, accords with the Old Testament prophecies Paul quotes, and maintains the integrity of God’s covenant promises to Abraham and his descendants.
“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved.” Romans 11:25-26a
Bibliography
- Barrett, C.K. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Black’s New Testament Commentary. London: A&C Black, 1991.
- Blaising, Craig A., and Darrell L. Bock. Progressive Dispensationalism. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1993.
- Cranfield, C.E.B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1979.
- Dunn, James D.G. Romans 9-16. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word Books, 1988.
- Fitzmyer, Joseph A. Romans. Anchor Bible. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
- Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1994.
- Moo, Douglas J. The Epistle to the Romans. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
- Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
- Pentecost, J. Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1958.
- Walvoord, John F. Romans: Everyman’s Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.
