What Is True of the Part Will Be True of the Whole
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. Romans 11:16
This final verse in this section supports the hope already expressed that the blessings Israel has received will lead to even greater blessings in the future. Paul uses two metaphors, each of which uses the logic of “if the part, then the whole” to anchor his confidence about a greater future for Israel. ‘If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches’ (11:16).
‘If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy …’ (11:16a).The first is drawn from Numbers 15:17-21 where God commanded the people of Israel, after they entered the Promised Land, to offer to Him a donation from the ‘first fruits’ of the ‘lump of dough’ that they used to bake their bread. The ‘whole batch’ in context refers to Israel as a whole; ‘the part of the dough offered as firstfruits’ most likely refers to the remnant of Jewish Christianity of his own day (cf.11:17).
Paul’s uses the word ‘firstfruits’ for the first converts in a region (16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). If this is correct, Paul’s thinking is: when a representative piece of the dough is consecrated to God (the initial Jewish converts), the whole piece of dough is His (conversion of the rest can be expected to follow).
In the second image the ‘root’ almost certainly represents the patriarchs. ‘If the root is holy, so are the branches’ (11:16b). This fits the context of 11:17,18. Jewish (non-biblical) authors referred to Abraham and the patriarchs as a root (1 Enoch 93:5,8; Philo Heir 279; Jub.21-24) and Paul himself, in this context bases Israel’s future hope on God’s promises to the patriarchs. In 11:28 Paul writes that God loves Israel ‘on account of the patriarchs.’
It needs to be noted though, assuming the ‘root’ refers to the patriarchs, that this does not mean Abraham, Isaac and Jacob possessed qualities that earned spiritual benefits for themselves and their descendants. As Paul makes clear in Romans 4 and Galatians 3, the patriarchs conveyed spiritual benefits on their descendants only as recipients and transmitters of the promises of God. Their ‘holiness’ consisted in their having been set apart by God for this salvation-historical role. This does not mean all their descendants would be ‘saved.’ As in the Old Testament and in 1 Corinthians 7:14 ‘holy’ means that the people continue to be ‘set apart’ by God for special attention. The descendants of the patriarchs, the Jews, would continue to be ‘set apart for special attention.’