Romans 10:17 Explained

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." — Romans 10:17 (KJV)

Eleven words that describe faith as something received through the ear rather than generated in the will.

Read it in context: The Book of Romans. Also gathered under verses about faith.

Romans 10:17 in context

What does Romans 10:17 mean?

'Cometh by' is arrival, not manufacture — faith is described as reaching a person from outside. The chain runs backwards from faith to hearing to the word, which locates the origin outside the believer entirely. That is the pastoral force of it: if faith comes by hearing, then someone who feels they cannot believe harder is being pointed somewhere other than inward.

What is the context of Romans 10:17?

Paul is working through why Israel has largely not believed, and has just asked a chain of questions: how shall they call on him they have not believed, believe in him they have not heard, hear without a preacher. Verse 17 is the conclusion of that chain.

How do I pray Romans 10:17?

If faith feels thin, the verse prescribes hearing rather than trying. Read Scripture aloud, or have it read to you, which is what the original hearers did — almost none of them could read. Ask for faith to arrive rather than asking to produce it; the grammar of the verse puts you on the receiving end.

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