Who are “they”?

Explanation:

Paul asks three rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14 with the third-person plural as the subject. That is, he asks how they can call on him, believe in him, and hear about him. He answers in Romans 10:15 by explaining that preachers are sent to preach the gospel. So who are they in Romans 10:14? By referring back to Romans 10:13, we can see that they refers to all people. We can detect this because in Romans 10:13 Paul says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Then in Romans 10:14 he introduces his three rhetorical questions related to they. How will they call upon him? How will they believe? and so on. Clearly, they refers to the all people Paul just mentioned in Romans 10:13.

Counterargument:

Paul opens Romans 10:14 with then, which indicates a turn in the argument.³ This leaves it open that he may be addressing a new subject in Romans 10:14 in relation to the subject in Romans 10:13. In fact, when we consider what Paul writes in Romans 10:16, we can deduce that he likely has the Jews in mind in this section. For in Romans 10:16 he explains that they have not all heard the gospel, referring to the Jews. Given that the subject they remains consistent in Romans 10:14–16, and that Paul alters the argument by introducing Romans 10:14 with then, likely Paul has in mind the Jews, not everyone, in Romans 10:14–15.

Response to counterargument:

While it might be that Paul slightly alters the subject when we reach Romans 10:16, the fact that he opens Romans 10:14 with then does not mean that he does not present a gospel principle applicable to everyone in Romans 10:14–15.⁴ Paul says in Romans 10:13 that whoever calls on the Lord will be saved. This raises a new important topic indicated by Paul’s use of then, which is how people can hear the gospel in order to call on the name of Jesus and be saved. Of course, this rhetorical question is relevant to all people, so it is intuitive to take they in Romans 10:14 to apply to all people. Then, when we reach Romans 10:16, Paul says that not all have believed. This is not an instance of him changing the subject but of him implying that, of all the people there are, some Jews have not believed. We can detect that he singles out the Jews from the all who do not believe because he goes on to explain this more clearly in Romans 10:19. So, neither the fact that Romans 10:14 opens with then nor the fact that he implies the Jews do not believe in Romans 10:16 means that the subject of Romans 10:14 is not the everyone from Romans 10:13.

Explanation:

It is not difficult to follow the logic of Paul’s thinking in Romans 10:13–15 to determine whom they refers to. Paul writes in Romans 10:13 that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Of course, this raises precisely the question he asks in Romans 10:14–15. How is everyone going to call on him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe unless they hear? How are they to hear unless someone preaches? In other words, Paul explains that everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved, before raising the obvious questions related to how everyone will have an opportunity to call on the Lord.

Counterargument:

Paul’s logic in fact stretches back to the beginning of Romans 9:1–33 when he first raises the issue that Israel rejected the gospel. So to understand the logic of Paul’s thinking we need to think beyond Romans 10:13–15 and look to the broader logic of Israel’s rejection of Christ. When we do this, we notice that Romans 10:14–15 likely addresses Israel in particular.

Response to counterargument:

This argument is not strong because Paul not only addresses Israel’s failure to believe the gospel, but he is also explaining the inclusion of the Gentiles. The inclusion of the Gentiles is an important theme for Paul, but it does raise the question, How are the Gentiles to call on the Lord and be saved without preachers? Of course, such a question raises a general gospel principle, which is that preaching is required for anyone’s faith.⁵

One problem with this view is that Paul does use the term they to refer to the Jews several times in this section (Romans 10:16–18). Given that Paul clearly uses they to refer to the Jews in Romans 10:16–18, it would make sense that he also uses it to refer to the Jews in Romans 10:14.

Explanation:

Paul uses the third-person plural in Romans 10:14 when he asks three rhetorical questions. The third-person plural is translated they, so we read Paul asking how they will call on him, believe in him, and hear about him. The last time Paul used the third-person plural (they) was in Romans 9:30–32 and Romans 10:2–3 to refer to Israel. There he explains that they (Israel) stumbled over the stumbling stone. Then in Romans 10:2–3 he writes that they (Israel) have a zeal for God, but they (Israel) did not submit to God’s righteousness. Given that Paul returns to the third-person plural in Romans 10:14 when he asks his three rhetorical questions, likely he has returned to Israel. He is asking how Israel will call on him, believe in him, and hear about him.⁸

Counterargument:

While it is true that Paul uses the third-person plural to refer to Israel in Romans 9:30–32 and Romans 10:2–3, he has also broadened the possibilities of whom he might refer to. For in Romans 10:11–13 he explains that everyone who believes will not be put to shame, for the Lord is Lord of Jew and Gentile, and all who call on him will be saved. So Paul has broadened the scope from speaking of Israel stumbling at the end of Romans 9:1–33 to explaining that Jesus is Lord over all humans, including Jews and Gentiles. Paul then immediately introduces his rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14–15, asking whether they will call on him, believe in him, and so on. Of course, it is a general principle that preachers are required for both Jews and Gentiles to call on the name of Jesus.⁹ So it is a general principle that they, referring to all people, require preachers. Therefore, it is unlikely that the third-person plural is only used to refer to the Jews in Romans 10:14–15.

Response to counterargument:

We have to notice that Paul will explicitly return to the unbelief of the Israelites in Romans 10:19. There he specifically asks whether Israel understood. His explicit comments in Romans 10:19 are actually drawing out his point in Romans 10:16, where he says that not all obeyed the gospel. Those who did not obey refers to the Israelites, whom Paul explicitly names in Romans 10:19. So, Romans 10:14–15 is sandwiched by references to Israel. That is, Paul ends Romans 9:1–33 and opens Romans 10:1–21 referring to Israel’s unbelief. He then explains the nearness of the gospel before circling back to this issue that Israel has not believed the gospel, an issue he makes explicit in Romans 10:19.¹⁰ Given that Israel is the main subject of these chapters, they likely refers to Israel.

Explanation:

By reflecting on the overall context of Romans 10:1–21, we can detect that the rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14–15 are related to Israel. Paul introduced the issue of Israel’s unbelief in Romans 9:30–32 when he explains that they stumbled over the stumbling stone. He goes on to write that Israel has a zeal for God, but it was ignorant of God’s righteousness. Of course, this raises the question, Did Israel even have an opportunity to hear the gospel? For if they never had an opportunity to hear the gospel, this would explain their unbelief. The notion that Israel may not have believed because they never heard the gospel is what the rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14–15 raise. Of course, Paul responds with a quote from Isaiah, which implies that the gospel has been preached and therefore Israel has no excuse.¹¹

Counterargument:

While it is true that Paul continues to probe the question of Israel’s unbelief in this chapter and into Romans 11:1–36, he also addresses all people in this section. In fact, the flow of his thinking favours the notion that the rhetorical questions are aimed at all people. In other words, how is anyone to call on him, believe in him, or hear about him unless preachers are sent? We can detect that the flow of Paul’s thought lends to the notion that the rhetorical questions are meant for all people because Paul specifically addressed the accessibility of the gospel to all people in Romans 10:4–13. Given that Paul has been addressing the accessibility of the gospel to all people in this extended section, it naturally follows that Romans 10:14–15 asks how anyone will call on, believe in, and hear him without preachers.

The one weakness of this view is that both the Jews and the Gentiles need preachers in order to hear the gospel. So even if Paul’s comments are directed at the Jews, they apply to all people. So if one asked Paul whether he addressed the Jews or Gentiles in Romans 10:14, he would likely say his statements are applicable to all people.