Romans 15:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

NIV: and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: 'Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.'

NASB: and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written: 'THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING PRAISES TO YOUR NAME.'

CSB: and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,and I will sing praise to your name.

NLT: He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: 'For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.'

KJV: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

NKJV: and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.”

Paul is describing the reasons Christ came to earth. First, He was sent to become a servant to the Jewish people. He was, in fact, the means by which God kept all the promises He had made to Abraham and the patriarchs of Israel.

Now Paul says that Christ also became a servant to the Jews for another reason: so that the Gentiles would glorify God for His mercy. When the Israelites, for the most part, refused to come to God through faith in Christ, God offered the gift of His grace through faith in Christ to the rest of the world (Romans 11:11–12). That's how Jesus' mission to serve the Jews resulted in so many Gentiles giving glory to God for His mercy in forgiving their sins and sharing His glory with them.

Paul offers several quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures to show that this was always God's plan. He begins with the quote in this verse, most likely from Psalm 18:49. It's also possible Paul is citing 2 Samuel 22:50. The picture Paul uses this verse to construct is of David or the Jewish people praising God alongside the Gentiles.

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.