Romans 15:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope."

NIV: And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope."

NASB: Again Isaiah says, 'THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM WILL THE GENTILES HOPE.'

CSB: And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.

NLT: And in another place Isaiah said, 'The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.'

KJV: And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

NKJV: And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

Paul is offering quotations from Old Testament Scriptures to support his recent claim. He is teaching that God's plan all along, has been for both the Jews and the Gentiles to come to faith in Christ. Those prophecies may not have explicitly spelled out how this would come to pass, but Paul is eager for his readers to see that the prophecies always pointed to the inclusion of the Gentiles in the praise of God.

Now Paul refers to something written by the prophet Isaiah in a version of Isaiah 11:10–12. "The root of Jesse" refers to the descendant of Jesse who will rise to rule over Israel and all the Gentile nations. This is a prophecy about the coming of Israel's promised Messiah. The Gentiles, however, will not merely become the servants of the Messiah. The verse ends with the statement that they will hope in Him.

Paul is connecting that Scripture to the truth that Christ has become Lord of all peoples, and the Gentiles who come to God through faith in Christ have placed their hope in Him for their salvation. Paul's bottom line is that Jesus is the fulfillment of all these Old Testament writings both for Israel and for the Gentile nations (Galatians 3:28–29).

Romans 15:8–13 shows that Christ came to serve the Jewish people as the fulfillment of all of God's promises to them. In doing so, He also became the hope of the Gentile peoples around the world. The Old Testament prophesies reveal that God's plan was always to receive praise from the Gentiles and to make it possible for them to be included in His grace. Paul prays a blessing of hope, joy, peace, and power for his Roman readers.

Romans 15 begins with Paul's encouragement to those strong in faith: to please other Christians before themselves so the church can be unified. Christ came to fulfill God's promises to Israel and about the Gentiles. Paul is satisfied with the faith and practice of the Roman Christians. His work of taking the gospel to unreached regions of Gentiles in his part of the world is completed, and he longs to come see them. First, he must deliver financial aid to Jerusalem, a trip about which he asks them to pray along with him.

Romans 15 concludes Paul's teaching that those strong in faith ought to sacrifice their own desires to live in harmony with other believers. Paul shows that God always planned to welcome the Gentile nations, and his mission is to introduce Gentiles to the message of salvation by faith in Christ. He longs to visit the Christians in Rome and plans to do so as soon as he delivers financial aid to poor Christian Jews in Jerusalem. He begins Romans 16 by greeting many friends and acquaintances in Rome by name, as part of a drawn-out ending to this letter.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.