Discovery BoxRomans 9:7-8 
Context9:7 nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” 1 9:8 This means 2 it is not the children of the flesh 3 who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.
Romans 9:11
Context9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election 4 would stand, not by works but by 5 his calling) 6 –
1 tn Grk “be called.” The emphasis here is upon God’s divine sovereignty in choosing Isaac as the child through whom Abraham’s lineage would be counted as opposed to Ishmael.
sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.
2 tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”
3 tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.
sn The expression the children of the flesh refers to the natural offspring.
4 tn Grk “God’s purpose according to election.”
5 tn Or “not based on works but based on…”
6 tn Grk “by the one who calls.”
sn The entire clause is something of a parenthetical remark.
