Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 15:32
That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
32. that I may come unto you, &c.] His coming might be hindered either by violence from “the unbelieving,” or by revivals of controversy and prejudice among “the saints;” and the latter would also grievously mar the “joy” of his visit to Rome when at length that visit was made. Here again the event forms a remarkable commentary. St Paul was permitted to come “with joy” (see Act 28:15-16, and cp. Php 1:12; Php 1:18,) to Rome, and to spend there a time of even unusual opportunity and influence; but the unforeseen circumstances of his imprisonment were to lead to this.
“Thus God grants prayer, but in His love
Makes times and ways His own.”
by the will of God ] As exercised in answer to your prayer.
may with you be refreshed ] Lit. may with you repose; (same word as 1Co 16:18; 2Co 7:13😉 a beautiful metaphor for the refreshment of holy intercourse in the midst of toil and care. Cp. Rom 1:12. The “repose” would come in “the mutual communication of faith, inner experiences, love, hope, &c.” (Meyer.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
That I may come to you – That I I may not be impeded in my intended journey by opposition in Judea.
With joy – Joy to myself in being permitted to come; and producing joy to you by my presence.
By the will of God – If God will; if God permit. After all his desires, and all their prayers, it still depended on the will of God; and to that the apostle was desirous to submit. This should be the end of our most ardent desires, and this the object of all our prayers, that the will of God should be done; compare Jam 4:14-15. Paul did go by the will of God; but he went in bonds.
And be refreshed – Greek, May find rest or solace with you.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 32. That I may come unto you with joy] That his apprehensions of ill usage were not groundless, and the danger to which his life was exposed, real, we have already seen in the account given of this visit, Acts 21, 22, 23, and 24; and that he had such intimations from the Holy Spirit himself appears from Ac 20:23; Ac 21:11; Ac 20:38. Should his journey to Jerusalem be prosperous, and his service accepted, so that the converted Jews and Gentiles should come to a better understanding, he hoped to see them at Rome with great joy: and if he got his wishes gratified through their prayers, it would be the full proof that this whole business had been conducted according to the will of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God: q.d. This would be a means to make me come unto you with the more comfort, if God will, or if God grant it to our prayers. This condition, if God will, he had before inserted upon this very occasion, Rom 1:10. See the like, 1Co 4:19; Jam 4:13,15. This he did to free himself from the suspicion of inconstancy, in case it should fall out otherwise; as also to show, that always, and in all things, he referred himself to the good pleasure and providence of God.
And may with you be refreshed; i.e. with your company and converse. This hath the same sense with Rom 1:12; see the notes there.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
32. That I may come unto youwith“in”
joy by the will of God(Act 18:21; 1Co 4:19;1Co 16:7; Heb 6:3;Jas 4:15)
and may with you berefreshedrather, “with you refresh myself,” afterall his labors and anxieties, and so be refitted for future service.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
That I may come unto you with joy,…. The end the apostle had, in desiring them to request the above things at the throne of grace for him, was, that he might come to them, which unless he was delivered from the unbelieving Jews, could not be; and therefore since they had an interest in this matter, he might hope they would be the more importunate in their supplications for him, the he might escape their hands; and seeing also, should the saints there use him in an ungrateful manner, and slight the kindness of the Gentile churches, and his service should not have the desired effect, his coming to them would be with sorrow: wherefore he puts them upon praying for success in this affair, that so when he came among them he should have no uneasiness upon his mind, or, anything of this kind to distress him, and interrupt that pleasure and delight he promised himself in their company and conversation: he adds,
by the will of God: resigning himself, and submitting all things to the sovereign will of God, and the wise disposals of his providence: he knew his deliverance from his enemies must be by, and the success of his services owing to, and his coming to Rome entirely according to, the will of God, and as he should think fit and proper; so he acted himself, and so he taught these believers to have their regard to, and sit down contented with the will of God in all things; to which he subjoins,
and may with you be refreshed; with the presence of God among them, with the Gospel in the fulness and blessing of it with which he should come and with the mutual faith and comfortable experience of him and them, which they should communicate to each other; than all which nothing is more reviving, and refreshing to the spirits of God’s people.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
That (). Second use of in this sentence, the first one sub-final ( ), this one final with , first aorist middle subjunctive of the double compound verb , late verb to rest together with, to refresh ( as in Mt 11:28) one’s spirit with (), with the associative instrumental case (with you), only here in the N.T.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
With you be refreshed [ ] . See on give rest, Mt 11:28.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “That I may come unto you with joy,” (hina en chara elthon pros humas) “In order that I may come unto you in joy,” be coming to you in a state of joy, because of a joyful acceptance of help from Gentile converts, church brethren from both the Asian and European continents of the areas of Galatia, Macedonia and Achaia, 1Co 16:1-4; Phm 1:20; 2Jn 1:4; 3Jn 1:4.
2) “By the will of God,” (dia thelematos theou sunanapausomai) “That through the will of God I may rest with you all,” be refreshed with you, after this journey is over. He did rest, abide with the Roman brethren later, but not as he had hoped, Act 18:21; yet by the will of God, Joh 17:7; Eph 5:17.
3) “And may together with you be refreshed “ or with you rest, rest from many days of long and weary journeys, 1Co 16:18; 2Ti 1:16. That they might be refreshed by his words and he by their prayers and help in his labors for Christ.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(32) The way in which he was received at Jerusalem would make a great difference to the feelings with which the Apostle would arrive in Rome. A favourable reception in Jerusalem would add much to his enjoyment and benefit from intercourse with the Roman Christians.
With you be refreshed.The Greek word is a rare compound, which is found besides in the LXX. version of Isa. 11:6, the leopard shall lie down with the kid. The whole phrase (and may with you be refreshed) is wanting in the Vatican MS.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘That I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you find rest.’
And part of the reason for his prayer is that once those hurdles have been overcome he may be able to come to the Roman Christians with joy through the will of God (which will be determined by whether God answers their prayers), and together with them ‘find rest’. For Paul life had been a constant struggle with the burden of all the churches, and at this current time apprehension as to what might happen at Jerusalem. He hopes to find some relief from this during his stay in Rome, prior to further exertions in Spain. He would in fact find that rest, but in a way totally different from what he expected, when he lived in his own hired house in Rome under guard (Act 28:30).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rom 15:32-33 . ] Aim of Rom 15:31 , and so final aim of . . ., Rom 15:30 . Comp. Gal 4:5 .
] in joyfulness . [32] But as a prisoner he came to Rome, whither the will of God ( . ) led him, nevertheless, otherwise than it had been his desire (comp. Rom 1:10 ).
] refresh myself with you , namely, through the mutual communication of faith, of inward experiences, of love, of hope, etc. Comp. , Rom 1:12 .
In the closing wish, Rom 15:33 , the designation of God as , the God who brings about peace, was the more naturally suggested, as the forebodings of the opposite of which he was going to encounter had just been before the apostle’s mind. Hence we have neither to assume a reference to the differences in Rom 14:1 ff. (Grotius and others), nor to take of the peace of reconciliation, Rom 5:1 (Philippi), or in the wide sense of salus (Fritzsche). Comp. rather 1Co 14:33 ; 2Co 13:11 ; Phi 4:9 ; Rom 16:20 ; 1Th 5:23 .
[32] It would even with the reading (see the critical notes), which Hofmann follows, belong to this word, beside which it stands, not to . (Hofmann).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
Ver. 32. Be refreshed ] See Trapp on “ Rom 1:12 “ See Trapp on “ 2Jn 1:12 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
32. ] . = , 1Co 4:19 ; otherwise in reff.
[ . . ., and may refresh myself together with you; i.e. ‘that we may mutually refresh ourselves, I after my dangers and deliverance, you after your anxieties for me.’ But the text is in some confusion.]
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
will. App-102.
and . . . refreshed = together with you be refreshed. Greek. sunanapauomai. Only here.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
32.] . = , 1Co 4:19; otherwise in reff.
[. . ., and may refresh myself together with you;-i.e. that we may mutually refresh ourselves, I after my dangers and deliverance, you after your anxieties for me. But the text is in some confusion.]
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 15:32. , that I may come to you with joy) I may come, has respect to the former part of Rom 15:31, and, with joy, to the latter.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 15:32
Rom 15:32
that I may come unto you in joy through the will of God,-Paul intimates that the failure of the Jewish brethren to receive in a Christian spirit the offering of the Gentile brethren would hinder his joy and destroy the blessing he anticipated. It would so distress him that he could not heartily enjoy his visit to the church in Rome, composed of both Jewish and Gentile Christians. The making and receiving of this offering would be the seal of the unity in Christ of Jew and Gentile.
and together with you find rest.-[He evidently looked forward to his interview with the Christians at Rome as a season of relief from conflict and labor. In Jerusalem he was beset by unbelieving Jews and harassed by Judaizing Christians; in most other places he was burdened with the care of the churches; but at Rome, which he looked upon as a resting place rather than a field of labor, he hoped to gather strength for the prosecution of his apostolic labors in still more distant lands.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
joy
See, 2Jn 1:4; 3Jn 1:4; Phm 1:20
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
I may: Rom 15:23, Rom 15:24, Rom 1:10-13, Act 27:1, Act 27:41-43, Act 28:15, Act 28:16, Act 28:30, Act 28:31, Phi 1:12-14
by the: Act 18:21, 1Co 4:19, Jam 4:15
and may: Pro 25:13, 1Co 16:18, 2Co 7:13, 1Th 3:6-10, 2Ti 1:16, Phm 1:7, Phm 1:20
Reciprocal: Rom 1:11 – I long Rom 1:12 – that I may Heb 6:3 – if Heb 13:19 – that I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
:32
Rom 15:32. By the will of God denotes that he would be able to carry out the desire as to visiting the brethren in Rome “if the Lord will.”
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 15:32. That in joy (the emphasis rests on this phrase) coming unto you through the will of God (there is considerable variation in the manuscripts, but this seems the best established reading), I may together with you find rest. This rendering follows the better supported reading, though the sense is not altered; some authorities omit the last clause. The reality was entirely different from this hope and prayer; but we cannot doubt that the Apostles arrival at Rome was in joy, even though in bonds, since in all he submitted himself to the will of God.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
that I may come unto you in joy through the will of God, and together with you find rest.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
The granting of these two requests would hopefully contribute to the realization of a third goal. This goal was Paul’s joyful arrival in Rome in God’s will (Rom 1:10) and his refreshment in the fellowship of the Roman saints.