Robert B. Foster examines the intersection of the interpretation of the Bible and the formation of identity in communities. He maintains that in Rom 9 Paul uses prophetic texts from Malachi, Hosea and Isaiah to the story of Abraham's children in Genesis. This interpretation allows Paul to derive from the patriarchal tales a specific interpretation of the election: it is ironically the privilege of those who are at the same time God's chosen and rejected people. This understanding of the election, in turn, he applies to pagan followers of Christ and all Israel to create an all-embracing and yet differentiated Abrahamic identity for the Messiah's age.