Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Romans 1:13
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
13. Now I would not have you ignorant ] A characteristic phrase. See Rom 11:25; 1Co 10:1 ; 1Co 12:1; 2Co 1:8; 1Th 4:13.
I purposed to come unto you ] Within limits, evidently, St Paul’s plans were no more inspired than those of modern missionaries; his most deliberate intentions were liable to correction by his Master. The correction came often in the form, not of silent providence, but of miraculous intimation. See Act 16:6-7, and cp. 2Co 1:15-17.
but was let hitherto ] Lit. and was let (hindered). Practically, though not in grammatical form, this clause is a parenthesis. For the nature of the hindrance, see Rom 15:22-23.
that I might have some fruit ] Some results of my ministry. The “results” here contemplated would be not so much conversions as the deeper instruction of the converted.
other Gentiles ] Properly, the other Gentiles. This clause proves that the large majority of the Roman Christians were converts from paganism. The drift of the whole Epistle says the same.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
That oftentimes I purposed – See Rom 1:10. How often he had purposed this we have no means of ascertaining. The fact, however, that he had done it, showed his strong desire to see them, and to witness the displays of the grace of God in the capital of the Roman world; compare Rom 15:23-24. One instance of his having purposed to go to Rome is recorded in Act 19:21, After these things were ended (namely, at Ephesus), Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia to go to Jerusalem; saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome. This purpose expressed in this manner in the Epistle, and the Acts of the Apostles, has been shown by Dr. Paley (Horae Paulinae on Rom 1:13) to be one of those undesigned coincidences which strongly show that both books are genuine; compare Rom 15:23-24, with Act 19:21. A forger of these books would not have thought of such a contrivance as to feign such a purpose to go to Rome at that time, and to have mentioned it in that manner. Such coincidences are among the best proofs that can be demanded, that the writers did not intend to impose on the world; see Paley.
But was let hitherto – The word let means to hinder, or to obstruct. In what way this was done we do not know, but it is probable that he refers to the various openings for the preaching of the gospel where he had been, and to the obstructions of various kinds from the enemies of the gospel to the fulfillment of his purposes.
That I might have some fruit among you – That I might be the means of the conversion of sinners and of the edification of the church in the capital of the Roman Empire. It was not curiosity to see the splendid capital of the world that prompted this desire; it was not the love of travel, and of roaming from clime to clime; it was the specific purpose of doing good to the souls of human beings. To have fruit means to obtain success in bringing men to the knowledge of Christ. Thus, the Saviour said Joh 15:16, I have chosen you, and ordained you that you should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Rom 1:13
Oftentimes I purposed to come unto you.
Pauls purpose
I. Its history. Oftentimes. The project doubtless early formed. What more natural than that so distinguished a Christian citizen should desire to see the gospel firmly planted in the centre of the empire. This would be strongly opened by the conviction that from Rome the gospel would perforce radiate more powerfully. A Christianised Rome would mean a Christianised world. The purpose was originated or confirmed by Divine revelation (cf. Act_19:21; Act_27:24; Rom 15:23)
. His eye would never be off this great object.
II. Its temporary frustration.
1. Doubtless by Divine interpositions. He was kept from Rome as he was kept from Asia, etc. (Act 16:6-7). Sometimes Gods purposes are best answered by the frustration of our own when they are of the highest. Perhaps it was best for Paul to work his way to Rome by a circuitous route, coming in contact with diverse peoples, and so preparing him for dealing with the heterogeneous population of the capital. Anyhow, no ministry at Rome would have compensated for the loss of his brilliant history.
2. Certainly by necessary engagements (Rom 15:20-21). It is always best to do the duty which is nearest to hand, and follow it up by proceeding to the next. All Pauls career seems an illustration of this. He never seems to have gone out of his way. One event leads to another by a perfectly natural sequence.
3. Possibly Satan may have hindered. If at one time, why not at another (1Th 2:18; Dan 10:13)? Did he hinder at Illyricum (Rom 15:20) when Rome was so temptingly near?
III. Its ultimate object. Fruit.
1. This fruit was–
(1) The conversion of sinners (Col 1:6; Php 1:11).
(2) The comfort and advancement of believers (Joh 15:16; Php 1:25).
(3) The growth of the Church, both inwardly and outwardly.
2. Much fruit he had reaped already (Rom 15:18-21).
3. Yet he yearned for more. He could have no rest while one field remained unplanted, and he knew that the most fruitful field yet remained.
IV. Its accomplishment. Read Php 1:1-30, and remember that Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon were written at Rome. Who shall estimate the fruit reaped by this visit to Rome? Only the Great Husbandman at the Great Day. (J. W. Burn.)
But was let hitherto.—
The true estimate of hindrances
1. Distinguish between the imaginary and the real.
2. Do not be discouraged by them, nor seek to evade them.
3. Conquer them by prayer.
4. Convert them into means of advancement–among other things the apostles difficulties occasioned this Epistle to the Romans. (J. Lyth, D. D.)
That I might have some fruit.—
Anxiety for souls
Brainerd could say of himself on more than one occasion, I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls to Christ. While I was asleep I dreamed of these things; and, when I waked, the first thing I thought of was this great work. All my desire was for the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God.
Earnestness in seeking for souls
When Judson carried the message of salvation to the villages and jungles of India, he declared his conviction that men mast be redeemed to God by personal, individual contact with those who knew the grace of Christ; and he said, I am determined to preach the gospel wherever I can find a congregation of one.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. But was let hitherto] The word let, from the Anglo-Saxon, [Anglo-Saxon] to hinder, signifies impediment or hinderance of any kind: but it is likely that the original word, , I was forbidden, refers to a Divine prohibition:-he would have visited them long before, but God did not see right to permit him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He prevents a cavil; they might say, If Paul hath such a longing desire to see us, why doth he not come to us? To this he answers, it was not for want of will or affection; for he often intended and attempted it.
But was let hitherto; either by Satan, as 1Th 2:18; or by the Holy Spirit otherwise disposing of him, as Act 16:6,7; Ro 15:22. It is possible that he might be hindered also by his own infirmities, or by others necessities and entreaties, Act 10:48; 16:15; 28:14.
That I might have some fruit, i.e. of my ministry and calling, as the apostle of the uncircumcision. He hoped the gospel he should preach among them would have good success, and bring forth fruit in them, as it had done in other churches of the Gentiles. See Col 1:6.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. oftentimes I purposed to comeunto you, but was lethindered.
hithertochiefly by hisdesire to go first to places where Christ was not known (Ro15:20-24).
that I might have somefruitof my ministry
among you also, even as amongother GentilesThe GENTILEorigin of the Church at Rome is here so explicitly stated, that thosewho conclude, merely from the Jewish strain of the argument, thatthey must have been mostly Israelites, decide in opposition to theapostle himself. (But see on Introductionto this Epistle.)
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren,…. The apostle calls them brethren, because many of them were Jews, his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh, and all of them were his brethren in a spiritual relation; and this he does to express his affection to them, and engage their attention and credit to him, and particularly to this matter which he now acquaints them with, being unwilling they should be ignorant of it;
that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you: it was not a sudden start of mind, or a desire that lately arose up in him, but a settled resolution and determination, and which he had often made:
but was let hitherto; either by God, who had work for him to do in other places; or by Satan, who sometimes by divine permission has had such power and influence; see 1Th 2:18, or through the urgent necessities of other churches, which required his stay with them longer than he intended: his end in taking up at several times such a resolution of coming to them was, says he,
that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles: by fruit he means, not any reward of his labour, either temporal or eternal; but the conversion of sinners, the edification of saints, and the fruitfulness of believers in grace and works. The apostle seems to allude to the casting of seed into the earth: Christ’s ministers’ are husbandmen, who sow the seed of the word, which lies some time under the clods; wherefore patience is necessary to wait its springing up, first in the blade, and then in the ear, then in the full corn in the ear, when it brings forth fruit; all which depend on the blessing of God: and when he adds, “as among other Gentiles”, his design is not so much to let them know that they were as other Gentiles, upon a level with them, had no pre-eminence as citizens of Rome, over other saints, being all one in Christ Jesus; as to observe to them his success in other places, where he had been preaching the Gospel of the grace of God.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Oftentimes I purposed ( ). Second aorist middle of , old verb to place, to propose to oneself, in N.T. only here, Rom 3:25; Eph 1:9. See Ac 19:21 for this purpose.
And was hindered ( ). “But was hindered,” adversative use of .
That I might have some fruit ( ). Second aorist (ingressive), active of , to have, and here means “might get (ingressive aorist) some fruit.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
I would not have you ignorant. An emphatic expression calling special attention to what follows. Compare 1Co 10:1; 1Th 4:13.
Have some fruit [ ] . the phrase, compare ch. 6 22. A metaphorical statement of what is stated literally in ver. 11. Not equivalent to bear fruit, but to gather as a harvest. Compare Joh 4:36; Phi 1:22; Col 1:6. Fruit is a favorite metaphor with Paul. He uses it in both a good and a bad sense. See Rom 7:4, 5; Rom 6:22; Gal 5:22.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren,” (ou thelo de humas agnoein, adelphoi) “But brethren, “I do not wish (in any degree) you all to be ignorant,” or unaware that I have an honest and earnest interest in and care for you. Knowledge of a minister’s love and care is a comfort to his people, Mat 5:15-16.
2) “That oftentimes I purposed to come unto you,” (hoti pllakis proethemen) “I purposed to come of my own desire to you all,” again and again. Man purposes, but God disposes. His ways are higher than ours, Gen 50:20; Rom 15:24; Isa 55:11-12.
3) “But was let hitherto,” (kai ekoluthen achri tou deuro) “And was hindered (obstructed) until the present;” Satan often hinders good intentions and desires of God’s children, Rom 15:22; 1Th 2:18.
4) “That I might have some fruit among you also,” (hina tina karpos scho Kai en humin) “In order that I may also have some fruit among you all;” Fruit of the Spirit and of Christian labors is reflected in Salvation of the lost and Christian maturity, Joh 15:16-17; Gal 5:22-23.
5) “Even as among other Gentiles,” (kathos kai en tois loipois ethnesin) “Just as even also among the remaining nations, races, or peoples;” where Paul had already preached the gospel, in Corinth, 1Co 4:15; 1Th 2:19-20.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
13. I would not that you should be ignorant. What he has hitherto testified — that he continually requested of the Lord that he might visit them, might have appeared a vain thing, and could not have obtained credit, had he neglected to seize the occasion when offered: he therefore says, that the effort had not been wanting, but the opportunity; for he had been prevented from executing a purpose often formed.
We hence learn that the Lord frequently upsets the purposes of his saints, in order to humble them, and by such humiliation to teach them to regard his Providence, that they may rely on it; though the saints, who design nothing without the Lord’s will, cannot be said, strictly speaking, to be driven away from their purposes. It is indeed the presumption of impiety to pass by God, and without him to determine on things to come, as though they were in our own power; and this is what James sharply reprehends in Jas 4:13.
But he says that he was hindered: you must take this in no other sense, but that the Lord employed him in more urgent concerns, which he could not have neglected without loss to the Church. Thus the hinderances of the godly and of the unbelieving differ: the latter perceive only that they are hindered, when they are restrained by the strong hand of the Lord, so as not to be able to move; but the former are satisfied with an hinderance that arises from some approved reason; nor do they allow themselves to attempt any thing beyond their duty, or contrary to edification.
That I might obtain some fruit, etc. He no doubt speaks of that fruit, for the gathering of which the Lord sent his Apostles,
“
I have chosen you, that ye may go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit may remain.” (Joh 15:16.)
Though he gathered it not for himself, but for the Lord, he yet calls it his own; for the godly have nothing more as their own than the work of promoting the glory of the Lord, with which is connected all their happiness. And he records what had happened to him with respect to other nations, that the Romans might entertain hope, that his coming to them would not be unprofitable, which so many nations had found to have been attended with so much benefit.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) In the previous verses the Apostle has been speaking of his desire; here he speaks of his purpose, which is one step nearer to the realisation. He had intended to add the Roman Church to the harvest that he was engaged in gathering in.
Let.This is, of course, an archaism for hindered, prevented. The Greek is literally, and was prevented hitherto.
It is hardly worth while to speculate, as some commentators have done, on the causes that may have hindered the Apostle from going to Rome. In a life like his there may have been many.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Purposed His whole journeyings have been westward, as if with a presentiment that his destination was the great Capital, (Act 19:21.)
Let Hindered. Hence we see that the apostles were not inspired in all their plans, purposes, or opinions.
Fruit A fruitage of converts, which the apostle considered as the great harvest of his life.
Other Gentiles Though there were clearly Jews in the Roman Church, yet, as it was largely Gentile, and in the very center of Gentilism, he speaks as if they were a Gentile Church.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And I would not have you ignorant, brothers and sisters (brethren), that many times I purposed to come to you (and was up until now hindered), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.’
Lest they feel that his protestations about his wanting to visit them are rather weak (if he did why hadn’t he done so already?), he assures them that he had purposed to come to them many times in the past, but had each time been prevented from doing so by something unavoidable, something arising from his responsibility to care for the churches for which he was primarily responsible. He does not want them to be in any doubt about the matter (‘I would not have you ignorant’). For as the Apostle to the Gentiles he is eager to have some fruit in Rome, as he has had among the rest of the Gentiles. Rome was the hub of the empire. It was natural that he should want to have his part in planting seed there, and seeing the church firmly established. It was important for the whole worldwide church.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Paul Describes How He Feels A Sense Of Indebtedness To Proclaim The Good News To All, Including Those In Rome, And Gives The Essence Of That Good News. It Is The Power Of God Unto Salvation To All Who Believe (1:13-17).
The burden that Paul has to proclaim the Gospel is well brought out here. He feels under a great burden of debt to all men of whatever kind to bring to them the Good News of salvation, and that includes those in Rome. He is a debtor because he has God’s commission. He owes it to them because that is the purpose for which God has called him. And he is not only indebted, he is also ready. Indebtedness is accompanied by readiness and eager willingness. For he wants to assure them that he is not ashamed of that Good News which is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe. And that is because it reveals ‘a righteousness of God available through faith which is given to those who believe’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome After praying for the saints in Rome (Rom 1:8-12), Paul declares his desire to visit Rome (Rom 1:13-15). His debt to the Greeks and barbarians reflects his sense of God’s call to the Gentiles to receive salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
Rom 1:13
Rom 15:30-32, “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.”
Rom 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
Rom 1:14
1Co 9:16-17, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.”
Rom 8:12, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors , not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.”
Rom 13:8, “ Owe no man any thing, but to love one another : for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
The fourth stanza of Isaac Watt’s famous song At The Cross says, “But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I own. Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’tis all that I can do.” [135] Isaac Watts felt this debt of love we owe to Jesus when he wrote this verse.
[135] C. G. Sommers, and John L. Dagg, eds., The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts, Arranged by Dr. Rippon: with Dr. Rippon’s Selection (Philadelphia, PA: David Clark, 1838), 327.
Rom 1:14 “both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” Comments – We can see in Rom 1:15 how Paul contrasts to difference cultures of people using terms familiar with his readers. A Greek was a person who understood the Greek language, while a Barbarian was a person who could not speak or understand Greek. Most likely, the term “wise” applied to the Greeks, while “unwise” is used to describe the Barbarians. The Greeks sought wisdom (1Co 1:22), establishing universities in the ancient world, [136] so they would have considered themselves to be wise, and “Barbarians” to be uneducated and foolish.
[136] Strabo writes, “The inhabitants of this city [Tarsus] apply to the study of philosophy and to the whole encyclical compass of learning with so much ardour, that they surpass Athens, Alexandreia, and every other place which can be named where there are schools and lectures of philosophers.” ( Geography 14.5.13) See The Geography of Strabo, vol. 3, trans. H. C. Hamilton and W. Falconer (London: George Bell and Sons, 1889), 57.
1Co 1:22, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”
The term “Barbarian” is comparable to the Jewish term “Gentiles” in the sense that a barbarian was anyone in the Greco-Roman world who did not speak the Greek language. The Romans used it to refer to anyone who was not a Roman citizen. Note how Paul the apostle uses this same term to contrast it with the Greeks and as a person who does not understand the spoken language of the people.
1Co 14:11, “Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian , and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.”
Col 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian , Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
Luke uses it in the same sense.
Act 28:4, “And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.”
Luke would not have used this term in Act 28:2; Act 28:4 in a derogatory manner after the kindness that the people of Malta had showed them.
Rom 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Rom 1:15
Rom 5:5, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Php 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
A further reason for Paul’s desire to come:
v. 13. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
v. 14. I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise.
v. 15. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also. To the reason given above, that he wanted to impart to the brethren at Rome some spiritual gift and be strengthened with them, Paul here adds an explanation from the standpoint of his office as apostle to the Gentiles. He does not want them to be ignorant of the fact that he had often had the earnest intention to come to them, Act 19:21. Up to the present time he had been prevented from carrying out his purpose, chap. 15:20-22. It had not been lack of interest in them, indifference to the work carried on in their midst, which had kept him away, for he was fully aware of his position as the apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. He was anxious to have some fruit among the Romans also, to see some people added to the congregation as a result of his evangelical labors, just as he had seen such results among other Gentile nations; he wanted to gather fruit unto eternal life, Joh 4:36. The souls which a preacher of the Gospel gains by his testimony are looked upon by the Lord as fruit, as sheaves of the harvest, and for that reason Paul desired to labor in the midst of the world’s capital, to win more souls for the great spiritual harvest.
All this anxiety and desire, therefore, Paul bases upon the obligation which he feels resting upon him, so far as the preaching of the Gospel is concerned. To the Greeks, those that were familiar with the Greek language and the highest culture of the Romans, as well as to the barbarians, the people not conversant with these advantages; to the wise according to the standard of this world as well as to the unlearned and ignorant, he was debtor, he considered himself indebted. He felt that he owed them the Gospel of Jesus Christ; he could not rest content until he had discharged this debt. For that reason his willingness was directed toward the accomplishing of this end: he, on his part, was altogether prepared and ready, his readiness was a fact, he wanted to preach the Gospel in Rome also. This assurance, so fully substantiated, was undoubtedly sufficient to take away any scruples or doubts which the brethren at Rome might have entertained as to the great apostle’s personal feeling toward them. Note: The Gospel of Christ is intended for the uncivilized nations as well as for the civilized; barbarism is as little a hindrance to the spread of the Gospel as worldly culture and learning is an aid to its propagation. Mark also: Christians should at all times feel the obligation to preach the Gospel resting upon them; so long as there is even one individual in the world in whose case no effort has been made to make him acquainted with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, so long there is a debt scored against the Christians; it is time that we hurry with the discharge of this indebtedness.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Rom 1:13. But was let Hindered.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rom 1:13 . My longing towards you has often awakened in me the purpose of coming to you, in order also among you etc. Paul might have placed a before ., but was not obliged to do so (in opposition to Hofmann’s objection); and he has not put it, because he did not think of it. The discourse proceeds from the desire (Rom 1:11 ) to the purpose , which is coming nearer to realisation. Hence it is the less necessary to transfer the weight of the thought in Rom 1:13 to the clause expressive of purpose (Mangold).
. .] The Apostle lays stress on this communication. Comp on Rom 11:25 . The is the simple .
. ] is a parenthesis separated from the structure of the sentence, so that attaches itself to . . . . The , however, is not to be taken as adversative, as Kllner still thinks (see, in opposition to this, Fritzsche), but as the simple and marking the sequence of thought, which here (comp Joh 17:10 ) intervenes parenthetically . For the view which makes it still dependent on , so that it introduces the second part of what the readers are to know (Hofmann), is precluded by the following clause of purpose, which can only apply to that resolution so often formed.
] used only here in the N. T. as a particle of time , but more frequently in Plato and later authors; see Wetstein. That by which Paul had been hitherto hindered, may be seen in Rom 15:22 ; consequently it was neither by the devil (1Th 2:18 ) nor by the Holy Spirit (Act 16:6 f.). Grotius aptly observes (comp Rom 15:22 ): “Magis urgebat necessitas locorum, in quibus Christus erat ignotus.”
. . [372] ] is entirely parallel in sense with . . [373] in Rom 1:11 , and it is a gratuitous refining on the figurative to find specially indicated here the conversion of unbelievers beyond the range which the church had hitherto embraced (Hofmann); comp also Th. Schott, and even Mangold, who takes the Apostle as announcing his desire to take in hand the Gentile mission also among his readers, so that the would be Gentiles to be converted . No; by Paul, with a complimentary egotism flattering to the readers, describes that which his personal labours among the Romans would have effected consequently what had been said without metaphor in Rom 1:11 according to a current figure (Joh 4:36 ; Joh 15:16 ; Phi 1:22 ; Col 1:6 ), as harvest-fruit which he would have had among them, and which as the produce of his labour would have been his (ideal) possession among them. But in this view the literal sense of (comp Rom 6:21 f.) is not even to be altered by taking it as consequi (Wolf, Kypke, Koppe, Kllner, Tholuck, and others). To postpone the having the fruit, however, till the last day (Mehring) is quite alien to the context.
. .] as also among the remaining nations, i.e. Gentiles (see on Rom 1:5 ), namely, I have fruit. In the animation and fulness of his thought Paul has inserted twice the of comparison, inasmuch as there was present to his mind the twofold conception: (1) “among you also, [376] as among;” and (2) “among you, as also among.” So frequently in Greek authors. See Baeumlein, Partikell . p. 153; Stallbaum, a [377] Plat. Gorg. p. 457 E; Winer, p. 409 [E. T. 547]. There is therefore no grammatical reason for commencing the new sentence with (Mehring), nor is it in accordance with the repetition of the .
[372] . . . .
[373] . . . .
[376] That the “you” must mean the Roman Christians , and not the still unconverted Romans (Th. Schott), is clearly shown by all the passages, from ver. 8 onwards, in which the occurs; and especially by the in ver. 15. As regards their nationality , they belong to the category of Gentiles . Comp. Rom 11:13 , Rom 16:4 ; Gal 2:12 ; Gal 2:14 ; Eph 3:1 . But if Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles , the Gentiles already converted also belong to his apostolic sphere of labour, as, e.g. , the Colossians and Laodiceans, and (vv. 5, 6) the Romans. Schott is compelled to resort to very forced suggestions regarding and , especially here and in ver. 15; as also Mangold, who can only find therein a geographical designation (comp. Hofmann: “he addresses them as a constituent portion of the people of Rome ”). Comp. on ver. 15.
[377] d refers to the note of the commentator or editor named on the particular passage.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. (14) I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. (15) So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. (16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith.
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. (14) I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. (15) So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. (16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith.
I would pass over in the review of those verses all that Paul speaks of himself, (very interesting as it is to behold this great champion of his Master’s cause,) with only one short observation, namely, the ground upon which the Apostle rests, when declaring he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. I beg the Reader particularly to notice this. Paul was not ashamed of it, because he knew it in its saving power. And let my Reader not be offended when I say, that this personal knowledge can be the only security and preservative against shame. Any man, and every man, will want confidence to profess the Gospel of Christ, whether preacher or hearer, in all its purity, fulness, and glory, unless he himself hath in his own heart known it to be what Paul saith it is, the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth. There is indeed what is called the Gospel, and which brings no shame among men, either in those that preach it, or those who hear it, and which is in such a spirit of accommodation to the world, that it is even become fashionable in the present day to attend it: I mean, Where the great leading truths of the Gospel are thrown into the back ground, and a system of ethics supply the place. But, Reader! depend upon it, the shame Paul here speaks of, that he shrunk not from, is as much known now where Christ is fully and faithfully preached as it was in Paul’s days. The offence of the cross is not ceased. The Lord forbid it ever should! It is the true standard of a real believer. And where the grand truths of the Gospel are held forth, and insisted upon as the whole counsel of God, the man who preacheth, or he that heareth these glorious doctrines, and rejoiceth in their infinite importance, must have received the same convictions as Paul had, or neither of them can adopt his language. Oh! the blessedness of knowing, by the saving work of God the Holy Ghost upon the heart, that it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth!
I cannot but beg the Reader’s notice to what the Apostle saith concerning the righteousness of God; that it is revealed from faith to faith. That the righteousness here spoken of, is the righteousness of God our Savior, is too plain to need further proof, than from what follows when it is added, the just shall live by faith, Jer 23:6 ; Dan 9:24 . See Rom 3:21-22 . And there can be no righteousness a man can live upon by faith, but this righteousness. Moreover, the just here named can mean no other than the justified soul in Christ, Rom 3:24 . But the revelation of this righteousness of God, from faith to faith, is not so easy to be understood, and hath been not a little perplexing to many. Some have supposed, that it means a revelation from the Old Testament faith to the New. Others have conceived, that the righteousness of God, being revealed, begets faith. And a third class, differing from both the former, and with more appearance of probability, have concluded, that it means from the first revelation of God’s method of justifying a sinner, to all the after acts of faith in the enjoyment of it. But if I may venture to give my views of the passage, I should say, that it appears to me to be simply no other than to state, that this righteousness of God, revealed from faith to faith, is revealed to faith by way of shewing that it is not obtained by faith. The whole and sole cause of justification is Christ. Faith is no more than the hand to receive it by. And faith doth not give the least title to it. Nay, so far from that, faith is produced by the com-pleat work of Christ’s righteousness. So that as faith hath no hand in the work, neither hath faith any merit in the performance. It is not revealed from works to faith: but from faith to faith. And as Christ is the great object of faith, so all the life and actings of faith are solely upon his person, blood, and righteousness.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
Ver. 13. But was let hitherto ] Either by Satan,1Th 2:181Th 2:18 ; or by the Holy Spirit otherwise disposing of him, as Act 19:6-7 ; or by some intervenient but important occasion, as Rom 15:20-21 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
13. . . ] A Pauline formula: see reff.
. . is best as a parenthesis, as it is impossible that can depend on . So Demosth. p. 488. 7, , ., ( ) .
The reason of the hindrance is given in ch. Rom 15:20-22 ; it was, his to preach the gospel where it had not been preached before, rather than on the foundation of others .
] Not, ‘wages,’ or ‘result of my apostolic labour,’ for such is not the ordinary meaning of the word in the N. T., but fruit borne by you who have been planted to bring forth fruit to God. This fruit I should then gather and present to God; cf. the figure in ch. Rom 15:16 ; see also Php 1:22 and note.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rom 1:13 . : a phrase of constant recurrence in Paul, and always with ( 1Th 4:13 , 1Co 10:1 ; 1Co 12:1 , 2Co 1:8 ). Some emphasis is laid by it on the idea that his desire or purpose to visit them was no passing whim. It was grounded in his vocation as Apostle of the Gentiles, and though it had been often frustrated he had never given it up. : probably the main obstacle was evangelistic work which had to be done elsewhere. Cf. chap. Rom 15:22 f. The purpose of his visit is expressed in : that I may obtain some fruit among you also. denotes the result of labour: it might either mean new converts or the furtherance of the Christians in their new life. : nothing could indicate more clearly that the Church at Rome, as a whole, was Gentile.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
would, &c. First of six occurances: Rom 11:25. 1Co 10:1; 1Co 12:1. 2Co 1:8. 1Th 4:13. See the positive form, 1Co 11:3. Col 2:1.
would. Greek. thelo. App-102.
have you, &c. = that you should be ignorant. Greek. agnoeo. Compare Mar 9:32. Luk 9:45.
purposed. Greek. protithemi; only here, Rom 3:25. Eph 1:9.
let = hindered. (Anglo-Saxon lettan, to delay.) Greek. kdluo; Occurs twenty-three times (seventeen times “forbid”).
other. Greek. loipos. App-124. Paul frequently uses the significant term, “the rest”, to designate the unsaved. See Rom 11:7. Eph 2:3; Eph 4:17. 1Th 4:13; 1Th 5:6. See also Rev 20:5.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
13. . .] A Pauline formula: see reff.
. . is best as a parenthesis, as it is impossible that can depend on . So Demosth. p. 488. 7, , ., ( ) .
The reason of the hindrance is given in ch. Rom 15:20-22; it was, his to preach the gospel where it had not been preached before, rather than on the foundation of others.
] Not, wages, or result of my apostolic labour, for such is not the ordinary meaning of the word in the N. T., but fruit borne by you who have been planted to bring forth fruit to God. This fruit I should then gather and present to God; cf. the figure in ch. Rom 15:16; see also Php 1:22 and note.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Rom 1:13. -, not-to be ignorant) A form of expression usual with Paul, which shows the candour of his mind.-, brethren) An address, frequent, holy, adapted to all, simple, agreeable, magnificent. It is profitable, in this place, to consider the titles, which the apostles use in their addresses. They rather seldom introduce proper names, such as Corinthians, Timothy, etc. Paul most frequently calls them brethren; sometimes, when he is exhorting them, beloved, or my beloved brethren. James says, brethren, my brethren, my beloved brethren; Peter and Jude always use the word beloved; John often, beloved; once, brethren; more than once, little, or my little children, as Paul, my son Timothy.- , I might have fruit) Have, a word elegantly placed midway between receive and give. What is profitable to others is a delight to Paul himself. He esteems that as the fruit [of his labour] (Php 1:22). In every place, he wishes to have something [a gift] put out at interest. He somewhat modifies [qualifies] this desire of gain [spiritual gain], when he speaks of himself in the following verse as a debtor. He both demands and owes, Rom 1:12; Rom 1:11. By the cords of these two forces, the 15th verse is steadied and strengthened.-, even as) Good extends itself among as many as possible.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Rom 1:13
Rom 1:13
And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.-He assures them that he had long and often desired to come to them that he might have some fruit among them as among other Gentiles. Inasmuch as Paul was the especial apostle to the Gentiles, he had a laudable desire to teach and instruct them and to have some fruit of his labors in converts made and training given at Rome. The apostolic and spiritual gifts were given to instruct and guide the Christians until the will of God should be given and collected for their guidance. It is hardly possible that any apostle had been to Rome at this time. Their instruction must have been by the teachers gifted with the less degree of spiritual power than the apostles had. Paul naturally desired to give them the full benefit of his knowledge and to bestow all helpful spiritual gifts, but had hitherto been hindered in carryin out his carrying out his purposes.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the only Power of Salvation
Rom 1:13-23
We owe everything to our Lord, but since we can make Him no direct return, He has made men His residuary legatees. We are to think of others as having a claim upon us for His dear sake. In helping them, we repay Him. But note the Apostles humility-as much as in me is, Rom 1:15. Paul was not indifferent to the claims of intellectual culture. He had been thoroughly trained in Hebrew and Greek literature. The high culture of the Roman world was appreciated by the student of Gamaliel for what it was worth; but he was not ashamed to preach the gospel in its capital because it carried with it the divine dynamic. It was power unto salvation. The Stoic, for instance, had a high ethical code, but it was ineffective for want of the driving power of Pentecost. The one condition is faith-to everyone that believeth, Rom 1:16.
Every man born into the world has an opportunity of knowing right and wrong from the inner witness of conscience, and of learning something of God from His works. Men will be judged by their attitude toward these two luminaries. Notice, however, that sad, strong word! Too many hold down the truth, Rom 1:18, r.v. They deliberately endeavor to throttle it.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
None, Rom 11:25, 1Co 10:1, 1Co 12:1, 2Co 1:8, 1Th 4:13
that oftentimes: Rom 15:23-28, Act 19:21, 2Co 1:15, 2Co 1:16
but: Rom 15:22, Act 16:6, Act 16:7, 1Th 1:8, 1Th 2:18, 2Th 2:7
that I: Isa 27:6, Joh 4:36, Joh 12:24, Joh 15:16, Col 1:6, Phi 4:17
among: or, in
even: Rom 15:18-20, Act 14:27, Act 15:12, Act 21:19, 1Co 9:2, 2Co 2:14, 2Co 10:13-16, 1Th 1:9, 1Th 1:10, 1Th 2:13, 1Th 2:14, 2Ti 4:17
Reciprocal: Job 17:11 – purposes Act 9:15 – to bear Gal 1:16 – that Phi 1:17 – that 1Th 2:17 – endeavoured
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
:13
Rom 1:13. Let is an old word that means to hinder. For some reason which he does not state, he had been hindered from coming to Rome. Other Gentiles shows that the church in Rome had Gentiles in it as well as Jews.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rom 1:13. But I would not have you ignorant (comp). chap. Rom 11:25). The phrase lays stress on what is said. The progress of thought is natural. Paul had expressed his prayerful longing to see them (Rom 1:9-12), he now tells them that this longing had not been inactive; it had frequently led to a definite purpose to visit them.
Brethren. This affectionate address agrees well with the fraternal tone of Rom 1:12.
Often I purposed. In his frequent visits to Greece such a purpose would readily be formed (comp. chap. Rom 15:23).
And was hindered hitherto.This is a parenthetical explanation, introduced by and, not but The word let is an instance of entire reversal of meaning in English usage. It meant hinder at the time when the E. V. was made. The hindrances are not specified; but we infer from chap. Rom 15:20-24, that he felt it to be his first duty to preach where the gospel had not been yet proclaimed. At the same time, his necessary journeys to Jerusalem, and the task of organizing the Gentile churches, of correcting their errors (comp. Galatians), of allaying dissensions (comp. Corinthians), filled up his time. It is nowhere hinted that he was forbidden to preach there.
That I might have some fruit. The main thought is here resumed. The figure is quite common. The fruit is the harvest to be gathered and presented to God. Hence it is not Pauls reward, or the result of his labor merely, but the good works produced among the Roman Christians, as fruit unto God (comp. Rom 15:11). The conversion of others is not alluded to.
Among you also. Lit., in you also. The literal sense would emphasize the internal character of the fruit-bearing; but among, which is a frequent sense of the preposition, is, on the whole, to be preferred.
Among the rest of the Gentiles. In Rom 1:5, the word is rendered nations, but here the reference to Gentiles is more marked, since there is a marked hint of his special mission as Apostle to the Gentiles, carried out in the next verse.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here observe, How the apostle obviates an objection, and prevents a reflection upon himself: Some at Rome might be ready to say, If Paul had such a longing desire to see us as he expresses, why did he not come all this time and preach here, as he has done at Corinth and Ephesus, and elsewhere? He truly tells them, therefore, that it was not for want of inclination and will, but for want of opportunity; he had often intended it, and attempted it also, but was providentially hindered.
From whence I gather, That the ministers of God cannot always dispose of themselves and of their labours according to their own inclinations and desires, but both their persons and ministry are directed and disposed of by the providence, and according to the pleasure of Almighty God.
Observe, 2. The great modesty and condescending humility of our apostle, in telling the Romans, that though he desired and intended to take this long journey to Rome, to preach the gospel to them, yet this was rather a debt than a gift: He doth not intimate to them, that his coming amongst them was an arbitrary favour, for which they should be indebted to him, but a bounden duty which he owed to them; I am a debtor both to Jew and Greek, and ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Here note, That the debt spoken of is the preaching of the gospel: St. Paul contracted this debt, and laid himself under an obligation to pay it then, (as every minister doth now) at his first entering upon the office of the ministry; by virtue of his mission, it was his duty to preach the gospel to all, both to the learned Greeks and unlearned Barbarians.
From whence, learn, That to preach the gospel of Christ, both far and near, with a laborious diligence, when regularly called thereunto, is a ministerial debt and duty. We are first indebted to God that sends us forth, we are also indebted to the people we are sent unto.
But, oh! how many people are there that would willingly forgive their ministers this debt! but we must tender payment at the time and place appointed, or we can never be discharged, whether the debt be accepted or not.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Rom 1:13-15. Now, brethren Lest ye should be surprised that I, who am the apostle of the Gentiles, and who have expressed such a desire to see you, have never yet preached in Rome; I would not have you ignorant I wish to inform you; that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you See the margin. But was let (prevented) hitherto Either by the greater necessities of others, as Rom 15:22, or by the Spirit, Act 16:7, or by Satan raising opposition and persecution, or otherwise hindering, 1Th 2:2; 1Th 2:18. That I might have some fruit Of my ministerial labours; by the conversion of some, and the confirmation and edification of others; even as I have already had from the many churches I have planted and watered, among other Gentiles, Rom 15:18-19. I am debtor both to the Greeks, &c. Being the apostle of the Gentiles, I am bound to preach both to the Greeks, however intelligent, and to the barbarians, however ignorant. Under the name Greeks, the Romans are comprehended, because they were now become a learned and polished people. For the meaning of the name barbarian, see the note on Act 28:2, and 1Co 14:11; both to the wise and the unwise For there were unwise even among the Greeks, and wise even among the barbarians; and Paul considered himself as a debtor to them all; that is, under an indispensable obligation, by his divine mission, to preach the gospel to them; bound in duty and gratitude to do his utmost to promote the conversion and salvation of men of every nation and rank, of every genius and character. So, as much as in me is According to the ability which God gives me, and the opportunities with which he is pleased to favour me; I am ready, and desirous, to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also Though it be the capital of the world, a place of so much politeness and grandeur, and a place likewise where it might seem peculiarly dangerous to oppose those popular superstitions to which the empire is supposed to owe its greatness and felicity: yet still, at all events, I am willing to come and publish this divine message among you; though it should be at the expense of my reputation, my liberty, or life.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Vv. 13, 14. Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (but was hindered hitherto), that I might gather some fruit among you also, even as among the other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the ignorant.
His readers might ask with some reason how it happened that Paul, having been an apostle for more than twenty years, had not yet found time to come and preach the good news in the Capital of the world. The phrase: I would not have you ignorant, has something slightly mysterious about it, which will be explained presently. The , now, expresses a gradation, but not one from the simple desire (Rom 1:11) to the fixed purpose (Rom 1:13). The right connection in this sense would have been: for indeed, and not now. Paul rather passes here from the spiritual good, which he has always desired to do among the believers of Rome, to the extension of their church, to which he hopes he may contribute. Let his work at Corinth and Ephesus be remembered; why should he not accomplish a similar work at Rome? He means, therefore: I shall confess to you my whole mind; my ambition aims at making some new conquests even in your city (at Rome). This is what he calls gathering some fruit. The phrase is as modest as possible. At Corinth and Ephesus he gathered full harvests; at Rome, where the church already exists, he will merely add some handfuls of ears to the sheaves already reaped by others. , literally, to have fruit, does not here signify: to bear fruit, as if Paul were comparing himself to a tree. The N. T. has other and more common terms for this idea: , , . The meaning is rather to secure fruit, like a husbandman who garners a harvest. The two , also, of the Greek text, also among you, as also among the other Gentiles, signify respectively: among you quite as much as among them; and among them quite as much as among you. St. Paul remembers what he has succeeded in doing elsewhere. No reader free from prepossession will fail to see here the evident proof of the Gentile origin of the great majority of the Christians of Rome. To understand by , nations in general, including the Jews as well, is not only contrary to the uniform sense of the word (see Rom 1:5), but also to the subdivision into Greeks and Barbarians given in the following verse: for the Jews, according to Paul’s judgment, evidently did not belong to either of these two classes. If he had thought of the Jews in this place, he must have used the classification of Rom 1:16 : to the Jews and Greeks.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles. [He had desired to visit Rome that he might glorify Christ by making many converts in Rome (Joh 15:8; Joh 15:16), just as he had in other Gentile cities. “That,” says Meyer, “by which Paul had been hitherto hindered, may be seen at Rom 15:22; consequently it was neither the devil (1Th 2:18), nor the Holy Spirit (Act 16:6). Grotius aptly observes: “The great needs of the localities in which Christ was unknown constrained him.” But the word at Rom 15:22; and also at 1Th 2:18; is egkoptoo, and the word here, and at Act 16:6; is kooluoo, which, primarily, means to forbid, and implies the exercise of a superior will. The whole context here indicates that the divine will restrained Paul from going to Rome, and this in no way conflicts with the statement that the needs of the mission fields hindered him. God’s will forbade, and the needs co-operated to restrain; just as in the instance in Acts, the Holy Spirit forbade to go any way save toward Europe, and the visionary cry from Europe drew onward. Two causes may conspire to produce one effect. Paul’s entire will was subject to the will of Christ. As a free man he formed his plans and purposes, but he always altered them to suit the divine pleasure.]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
13. I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, I purposed to come unto you, (but was hindered hitherto,) in order that I may have some fruit among you, as indeed among other Gentiles. A half-dozen years had elapsed since Paul first planted the gospel in Greece, which was separated from Italy only by a narrow sea, yet it is the Adriatic, in all ages notorious as a storm-center and a tempest breeder. In that age, when the art of navigation was in its infancy, the mariners compass and the steam engine not yet dreamed of, the enterprise of crossing that stormy sea from Greece to Italy was no insignificant affair. You must remember that when Paul made this voyage it occupied about five months, and involved an awful shipwreck after a storm of two solid weeks without letting up. We must not forget that our apostle was entirely without financial resources, so essential to this long, perilous and expensive voyage. Hence, in the providence of God appealing to Caesar, he forced his enemies to defray the expenses of this tour, all the way from Jerusalem to Rome. During these twenty eight years his work had resulted in the establishing of hundreds of churches (i. e., mostly little Holiness bands) throughout Syria, Phrygia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Cilicia, Lydia, Mysia, Macedonia, Achaia and many other countries. Hence God, in His providence, had thus long postponed his cherished enterprise of preaching the gospel in the worlds metropolis.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 13
Let; prevented.