Romans 15:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”

NIV: And again, 'Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.'

NASB: And again, 'PRAISE THE Lord ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM.'

CSB: And again,Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;let all the peoples praise him!

NLT: And yet again, 'Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.'

KJV: And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

NKJV: And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”

Paul is continuing to provide quotations from Old Testament Scriptures to support his teaching that Christ came to serve the Jews both to fulfill God's promises to them and to cause the Gentiles to glorify Him.

He now quotes almost directly from Psalm 117:1. David calls these people "the nations," a common Old Testament reference to all non-Jewish people: the Gentiles. Again, Paul is showing that God planned all along for Gentiles and Jews to praise the Lord together as they came to Him through faith in Christ.

The verse following Paul's quotation, Psalm 117:2, shows the Gentile nations praising the Lord for His steadfast love and faithfulness. This follows a major theme of New Testament teaching: that the gospel applies to all people and cultures, throughout all of mankind (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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 1:26:03 PM