The Apostle said that the prophets testify that God sent these evangelists. Therefore, lest anyone object: if they were from God, then it follows that all should have heeded them, he affirms that, indeed, not all heeded the good news, but this does no harm to the truth. Isaiah spoke of this many years before: "Who has believed our report?" (Isa. 53:1). The word "who" is used here in place of "few" believed our report.
Rom. 10:17. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of God.
These words are connected with what precedes and represent, as it were, a conclusion from something said before. But with them the apostle also expresses something else. The Jews incessantly sought miracles, and even desired to see the resurrection. Therefore he says that faith comes from hearing, and one should not demand anything more than this hearing; for this hearing is not simple, not of ordinary speeches, but of the words of God. Therefore, if you seek miracles, which come from God, then believe also the words that are spoken from God.
Rom. 10:18. But I ask: have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."
Someone might ask: what does it matter to the Jews if the evangelists were sent, but the Jews did not hear? The Apostle answers: the whole world heard; how then did those not hear, among whom the apostles spent so much time and from whom they originated? Is such a thing possible?
Rom. 10:19. But I ask: Did Israel not know?
I raise again a new objection: if the apostles preached, but the Jews did not understand, do they not deserve to be excused? He resolves this objection as well.
Rom. 10:19. But first Moses says: I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will anger you by a foolish nation.
They, he says, should have understood that Christ was being preached, if not from anything else, then at least from the honor that the Gentiles were deemed worthy of. They saw that idolaters were suddenly deemed worthy of such blessings, and therefore should have been moved to emulation and concluded that this is the very people of whom Moses spoke. Not only was the greatness of the honor sufficient to move the Jews to emulation, but also the fact that a people so lowly as to not even deserve to be considered a people was deemed worthy of honor. "I will provoke you to jealousy," it is said, "by a foolish nation." For what is more senseless than the Gentiles, who worshiped wood and stone?
Rom. 10:20. And Isaiah boldly says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me."
Having said that Moses speaks first, he mentions also another prophet, who says the same thing more clearly and openly. Isaiah, he says, "is very bold," that is, he strove to express the truth in all its nakedness and preferred to expose himself to danger rather than remain silent. "I was found," it says in him, "by those who did not seek Me" and who did not ask for Me (Isa. 65:1). Those whom Moses called a foolish nation, Isaiah named as those who neither sought nor asked, that is, ignorant people and enemies of knowledge. So from all this the Jews should have understood that some were rejected and others were accepted.
Rom. 10:21. But about Israel he says: all day long I stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.
Lest the Jews should have the right to say to God: You were found by the Gentiles, but You did not wish to deal with us, the prophet adds: I "all day long," that is, at all times, "stretched out My hands," that is, I drew you to Myself, but you proved to be a disobedient and obstinate people. Therefore, you are to blame, not I. I stretched out My hands to you and called you, but you did not listen. From this it is evident that the Israelites both heard and knew, but did not wish to submit.