The Message of Salvation to All
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. Rom 10:18
Have they not... Questions 70-71. Next, Rom. 11:1. In this verse Paul answers another Jewish question, "Have they not heard"; that is, have all the Jews of the world heard the gospel? Yes, for like the heavenly bodies of Psm. 19:4 that send forth their testimony of a living God to all the world, so the gospel of Christ has borne testimony to all the Jews of the known world.
Paul cited this quotation from the LXX which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament’s version of (Psalms 19:4), to show that even David understood that God’s revelation of Himself has reached the entire earth.
The Greek word akoē (“hearing”) can mean the thing heard (the message; Rom. 10:16) or the act or sense of hearing (Rom. 10:17).
Someone, however, might insist that the Jews were not given adequate opportunity to hear the message. So, Paul said, But I ask (“say”), Did they not hear? He then quoted Psm. 19:4, concerning God’s general revelation in the cosmic heavens (cf. Rom. 1:18-20). However, that psalm also discusses God’s special revelation in the Old Testament (Psm. 19:7-11). Paul’s obvious answer to his question is that Israel had ample opportunity by both general and special revelation to respond to God. Certainly she heard.
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