Romans 15

building up
The term οἰκοδομή (oikodomē) can be translated either as “edification” or “building up.” The ideas are similar, of course, but in contexts that stress a building metaphor, or which contrast this term with the idea of tearing down (like in Rom 14:19–20), the term is rendered as “building up” in order to shed more light on Paul’s rhetoric. Because of the proximity to Romans 14:19–20, the term has been translated as “building up,” and Paul is saying that we are to seek one another’s happiness in the enjoyment of God’s gifts in a life of faith.

the perseverance
While many translations render this verb without the article (i.e. “perseverance”), the Greek includes the article, leading to the translation “the perseverance.” This highlights the grammatical parallel between “the perseverance” and “the encouragement” that Paul is arranging in this verse. These ideas are then said to find their source in God Himself (v. 5), which, in context, teaches readers that our pursuit of love and mutual edification among the body (vv. 1–2) is modeled by Christ (v. 3), informed by the Scriptures (v. 4a) and sustained by God from beginning to end (v. 4b–5). Therefore, we can have hope that what God has begun in us in Christ, He will bring to completion (cf. Phil 1:6).

the God of perseverance and encouragement
While this may be translated functionally as “the God who gives,” a more formal translation that keeps closer to the Greek will simply read “God of perseverance and encouragement.” Paul’s statements “of perseverance” and (lit.) “of encouragement” both appear as genitive modifiers of the head noun “God.” They can be understood as characteristics sourced in God, but such nuance is best brought out in exposition rather than translation. Paul’s main point is to demonstrate that God is the sovereign source of the perseverance and encouragement that we need in living a godly life.

with one accord
One of the goals of this version is to provide a consistent English translation whenever possible when the same word or phrase is used in Greek. Such is the case here, where the Greek word ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothymadon) is translated consistently as “one accord” in all eleven of its occurrences (Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; 18:12; 19:29; here). In Acts, this word most often demonstrates the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit among believers, though sometimes also the unity of those joining forces together to oppose God’s people. Here, it describes the unity with which believers should offer praise to God.

REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE
The Old Testament passage cited here reads, “Cause His people to rejoice, O nations.” In that context, the topic is how the Gentiles will come to faith and drive Israel to jealousy (similar to Rom 9–11). If this is true, then the Gentiles are rejoicing with His people Israel too. They go hand in hand, with the Old Testament emphasizing the rejoicing of Israel and the New Testament emphasizing the rejoicing of the Gentiles.

THERE SHALL COME…
It may at times be tempting for translators to slightly alter the wording of an Old Testament quotation in the New Testament to better match the wording of the source passage. However, the task of translation is to faithfully portray what the text at hand says, and that is what properly portrays the theology the New Testament author is drawing out. Thus, faithfully translating this verse as it stands grants the reader a better and more accurate theological understanding than simply conforming these words more closely to something specific in the Old Testament passage. Here, Paul alludes to Isaiah 11:1–11. Isaiah 11:1 says “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,” and then the following verses describe this Messiah’s rule and the Gentiles believing in Him and praising Him together with Israel. Thus, Paul is not strictly “quoting” a single verse from Isaiah 11 here, but rather summarizing and pulling together the theology of the entire passage and including the idea of Isaiah 11:11 itself. This brings the truth of the whole passage to bear on the minds of Paul’s readers, granting those Gentiles in his audience great hope, joy, and peace (cf. Rom 15:13) as they recall God’s good plan and promise for the faith of the Gentiles from of old.

But I myself am also convinced about you, my brothers
This word order of the Greek is rather difficult to put into sensible English, but the rendering of this translation captures the flow and emphasis of the Greek much like other translations. Paul’s emphatic use of pronouns in this verse and his fronting of the verb “convinced” demonstrates his deep conviction that they are believers who are filled with all goodness from God (cf. v. 13) and able to do what God calls them to.

having been filled
“Having been filled” captures the perfect tense of the Greek participle used here. Since the perfect tense highlights the resultant state of a past action, Paul is not simply drawing attention to their present state, but he is doing so while bringing God’s act of filling into the picture (cf. v. 13). Simply put, God has equipped them with what they need to live and informed and loving life in the body.

being able
Since Paul wrote this as a present tense participle, the English gloss “being able” is preferred because it brings out more of the present tense in contrast to the perfect tense participle (“having been filled”) that appears in the previous clause. Putting the two participles together, then, readers can see that God has filled these believers at some time in the past, and today they are not only filled with what they need to know, but they are also actively able to do what God is calling them to do. They are in every way equipped for the joy of obedience.

by God
“By God” is the literal translation of the Greek phrase ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ (hupo tou theou). This has in the past been translated as “from God” in light of later manuscript tradition that reads ἀπό (apo, for “from”), but early manuscript tradition has the similar-looking preposition ὑπὸ (hupo), which frequently occurs alongside passive verbs, as it does here (cf. v. 24; Rom 12:21; 13:1). With a genitive noun, it is consistently translated as “by” rather than “from” (see passages listed above in Romans). Such a distinction in preposition appears to lend more rhetorical emphasis to the agency of God in general as opposed to the fact that this gift is sourced in God. Both emphases are true, but the rhetorical emphasis appears to fall on the former.

for me to be
Translations vary on whether to translate the first person pronoun με (me) or leave the idea to be understood from the context (since “me” appears in the end of v. 15). This translation has undertaken to clarify the verse while also including the pronoun as Paul does. First, the comma at the end of v. 15 has been removed so that vv. 15 and 16 are read as one continuous thought. second, the phrase “for me to be” translates the Greek phrase εἰς τὸ εἶναί με (eis to einai me). With the final rendering, readers can see that, on the one hand, God has given grace to Paul (v. 15), and on the other, that grace is for him to be a minister of Christ (v. 16). Verse 16 therefore explains the nature of the grace given to Paul in v. 16.

ministering as a priest
The phrase “ministering as a priest” translates the Greek participle ἱερουργοῦντα (ierourgounta), which is a combination of the words for “sacred” or “holy” (ἱερός; hieros) and “work” (ἔργον; ergon). Thus, this participle describes someone who does sacred work in a temple, namely, a priest. This is a clear text demonstrating the priesthood of all believers under the New Covenant, as Paul sees himself as one who ministers as a priest. He even adds more priestly/temple terminology in this verse, including “minister” (λειτουργός; leitourgos), “offering” (προσφορά; prosphora), “acceptable” (εὐπρόσδεκτος; euprosdektos), and “sanctified” (ἁγιάζω; hagiazō). Each of these terms is used in Greek translations of the Old Testament within priestly or sacrificial contexts.

having been sanctified
“Having been sanctified” captures the perfect passive participle of ἁγιάζω (hagiazō). Many translations simply say “sanctified,” but with the rendering here, readers can better understand that Paul is emphasizing the active state of his offering in light of a past work of the Holy Spirit. In this way, Paul hangs the acceptability of his work clearly on the active involvement of the Holy Spirit.

bold
“Bold” here is the verbal form (τολμήσω; tolmēsō) of the word translated “more boldly” (τολμηρότερον; tolmēroteron) that appears in verse 15. Paul’s very bold writing relates to his boldness to only speak of and boast in Christ. They go hand in hand. This letter of Romans relates to the entire God-given endeavor of Paul.

brought about
“Brought about” is a more consistent translation of the Greek term κατεργάζομαι (katergazomai) in Romans (cf. 4:15; 5:3; sometimes “worked out” 2:9; 7:8; etc.). The use of the term in the book is rather fascinating, as Paul says the Law brings out death (4:15), and sin brought about enhanced forms of sins (7:8), but here Paul says he will only speak about what Christ has brought about through him, identifying himself as an instrument now in the hands of Christ.

all around
While some translations have “round about,” the English gloss “all around” is a more straightforward and consistent translation of the Greek term κύκλῳ (kuklō), which, in this context, indicates the portrayal of a circuit (see BDAG on κύκλῳ). Paul is demonstrating that he has preached the gospel from the starting point of Jerusalem then around the region to Illyricum at the other end.

in this way
While some translations have “thus” or “so,” the English phrase “in this way” gives a clear and consistent rendering of the Greek term οὕτως (houtōs). Because this is an adverb, Paul is not using it to give a conclusion to his train of thought (something that could be inferred by the term “so”). Instead, he is highlighting how the way in which he has preached already from Jerusalem to Illyricum (vv. 18–19) is the way in which he goes forth to preach in new places where Christ has not yet been named.

make it my ambition
Some translations have “aspire” or “desire,” but the verb φιλοτιμέομαι (philotimeomai) refers to a love and pursuit of something honorable (cf. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament on φιλοτιμέομαι), an idea which is elsewhere translated with the term “ambition” (2 Cor 5:9; 1 Thess 4:11). Paul is describing what he is after on his preaching circuit, namely, the honorable work of proclaiming Christ in places He had not been named.

to proclaim the gospel
Several translations have “preach the gospel,” but since the typical term for “preach” is κηρύσσω (kērussō; cf. Rom 10:15), and this term is εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō), the translation is better rendered as “proclaim the gospel.” Paul is talking about his ambition to accomplish the verbal proclamation of the gospel in a place where people had not yet heard and called upon the name of the Lord to be saved (cf. v. 21).

DECLARATION
“Declaration” translates the Greek term ἀναγγέλλω (anangellō), from which English speakers get the term “angel” or one who announces news. The term is mainly translated either as “declare” (cf. John 4:25; Acts 20:20; etc.) or “disclose” (cf. John 5:15; Acts 19:18; etc.), but in both instances the core idea is the same. In the context of Paul’s thought in Romans, he is saying that his ambition to proclaim of the gospel (see εὐαγγελίζω, euangelizō in v. 21) finds its basis in this prophecy of Isaiah, which promises that those who are ignorant of Christ shall have the truth declared (ἀναγγέλλω; anangellō) to them. Paul sees himself as having a part to play in the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

passing through
Several translations say “in passing,” which may give the readers a sense that this is an adverb. However, while the term modifies the verb, it is itself a participle form of διαπορεύομαι (diaporeuomai), which carries its own verbal idea, namely, of “passing through.” It is the same term used elsewhere when Jesus is “passing through” a region (cf. Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1; 13:22; etc.), and such a translation has been retained here since the participle modifies Paul’s main verbal idea of seeing the church of Rome and being helped by them on his way to Spain. Lord willing, he will spend time with his readers, but his primary intent will remain to pass through them on his way to where Christ has not been named.

to serve
“To serve” translates the Greek participle διακονῶν (diakonōn). In this verse, the participle is taken as describing the purpose for Paul’s going. Since Paul is writing of something he intends to do in the future, this is the best contextual understanding of the word. Though a participle in the New Testament would normally be translated with English participle (e.g., “serving”), here it is rendered with an English infinitive (“to serve”) because this is the normal way in English to communicate the purpose for which one is doing something. Thus, Paul states here that his purpose in going to Jerusalem was to serve the saints there.

were pleased
“Were pleased” captures the aorist tense of the Greek verb εὐδοκέω (eudokeō), which appears with exactly the same translation in verse 27. In context, Paul is saying that he is “now…going to Jerusalem” (v. 25) because at some point in the past, “Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to share with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.”

to share
“To share” translates κοινωνίαν (koinōnian) which has the idea of “communion,” “fellowship,” or “partnership.” Paul’s logic here and in verse 27 (note the similar term κοινωνέω, koinōneō) is that since Gentiles have shared in spiritual things, they are now to give material things.

have shared
Refer to the note on verse 26 above.

completed
“Completed” gives a consistent translation of the Greek term ἐπιτελέω (epiteleō) when it appears in Paul’s discussions on giving (cf. 2 Cor 8:6, 11). Along the lines of the fruit metaphor that Paul pairs with this term here, readers can see that he is treating this material gift as the tangible fruit that has been grown in the “soil” of shared spiritual blessing (cf. v. 27). As the work of that blessing matures in believing communities, it eventually becomes “complete” when other saints partake of it through material provision in the time of need.

may
Though some translations opt not to use the word “may” in this verse, it’s inclusion helps to accurately capture the sense of the verse as it is understood to function as a benediction, wishing blessing upon the readers (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Thess 3:16).