Romans 15:32
in Romans 15so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
that I may come unto you in joy through the will of God, and together with you find rest.
KJV
That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
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This verse in Romans 15
Commentary
13 notes on this verseThat 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 Act 20:23; Act 21:11; Act 20:
This site's exposition
by the love of the Spirit
on Romans 15:30-33
Paul asks the Roman church to join his struggle in prayer, and the verb for that joining is synagonizomai, a wrestling fought alongside another man. Two requests follow, deliverance from the unbelievers in Judea and a welcome for the Jerusalem gift. Both name dangers he already sees.
This site's exposition
I may come to you with joy
Chrysostom links the phrase by God's will to 1:10, where Paul first prayed for a way to Rome by the same will. Theophylact notes the humble aim. Paul hopes to be refreshed with them and to come with joy.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
Because Paul's mind is dedicated to delivering the gifts, he wants their mind to respond to him by the judgment of God so that, having understood his love for them, they might with one accord give thanks to God on his behalf. For he was …
A commentator
Theodoret of CyrusINTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS · Written before 458.
proposed
Paul has no desire to do the right thing apart from God's will.
"That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God." As he had said at the beginning, "If by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you" (Rom. i. 10); so here again he takes refuge in the same Will, and says that this is why I press on and wish to be delivered from them, that I may see you shortly, and that with pleasure, without bringing any load of heaviness from thence. "And may with you be refreshed." See how he again shows unassumingness. For he does not say, I may teach you, and give you a lesson, but that, "I may with you be refreshed." And yet he was the very man engaged in the striving and conflict. In what sense then does he say "that I may be refreshed with you (sunanapauswmai)?" It is to gratify them on this point too, and to make them the more cheerful by making them sharers of his crown, and to show that they too struggle and labor. Then, as was always his custom to do, he adds prayer after the exhortation...
A commentator
Origen of AlexandriaCOMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS · Written before 253.
proposed
I beseech you therefore, brethren, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you help me in your prayers to God, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers who are in Judaea, and that this my ministry may be made acceptable to the saints in Jerusalem, so that coming to you in joy by the will of God, I may find rest together with you.
The Medieval Church1 voice
I, he says, therefore pray for deliverance from there, so that I may see you sooner and moreover with pleasure, not having brought upon myself any grief there. He did not say: to teach you, to instruct you in the faith, but "to be comforted," …
5 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
The third pertains to those to whom he was writing: hence he adds: so that I may come to you with joy, and this by God's will, against which he wanted to do nothing: making request, if by any means now at length I may …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
That I may come unto you with joy,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
THE Apostle of the Gentiles held a very useful and glorious office, but he had by no means a smooth path in life. When we read the account of his sufferings, persecutions and labors, we wonder how a single individual could have gone through them all. He was a true hero. Though a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he stands in the very front of the whole Gentile Church as its founder and teacher under God. And we owe to him what we can never fully estimate.
THE Apostle of the Gentiles held a very useful and glorious office, but he had by no means a smooth path in life. When we read the account of his sufferings, persecutions and labors, we wonder how a single individual could have gone through them all. He was a true hero. Though a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he stands in the very front of the whole Gentile Church as its founder and teacher under God. And we owe to him what we can never fully estimate. When we consider the struggles of his life, we do not wonder that the Apostle was, sometimes, in great sorrow of heart and heavily burdened in spirit. He was so at the time when he wrote this Epistle to the Christian friends at Rome. It was a great delight to him to have to go to Jerusalem—it was a place which was much reverenced and loved by him. It was a greater privilege for him to go and exchange salutations with his brother Apostles and it was the most joyous privilege of all to be the bearer of a contribution from the Gentiles to relieve the necessities of the saints at Jerusalem. He rejoiced much more in that gift to Jewish Believers than if it had been anything for himself. But he was well aware that there were those in Judea who hated him with deadly hatred and would seek his life. He had been the rising hope of the Jewish party and he had become a Christian—therefore the bigoted Jews regarded him as an apostate from the faith of their fathers. They had, moreover, a special venom against him, since he was more bold than any other Christian teacher in going among the Gentiles and shaking off, altogether, the bonds of the Ceremonial Law. He also came out more clearly than any other man upon the Doctrines of Grace and salvation by the Cross of Christ— and this provoked the fiercest hostility. Paul had also the apprehension that he would not be well received even by the Brethren at Jerusalem.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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 Jas 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.
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἵνα | ina | so that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| χαρᾷ | chara | joy | G5479 → | 58 times |
| ἐλθὼν | elthon | having come | G2064 → | 628 times |
| πρὸς | pros | to | G4314 → | 700 times |
| ὑμᾶς | humas | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| διὰ | dia | through | G1223 → | 664 times |
| θελήματος | thelematos | [the] will | G2307 → | 62 times |
| θεοῦ | theou | of God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| συναναπαύσωμαι | sunanapausomai | I may be refreshed with | G4875 → | |
| ὑμῖν. | humin | you. | G4771 → | 2973 times |
ἵναso that
inaG2443 →668 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
χαρᾷjoy
charaG5479 →58 times
ἐλθὼνhaving come
elthonG2064 →628 times
πρὸςto
prosG4314 →700 times
ὑμᾶςyou
humasG4771 →2973 times
διὰthrough
diaG1223 →664 times
θελήματος[the] will
thelematosG2307 →62 times
θεοῦof God
theouG2316 →1312 times
συναναπαύσωμαιI may be refreshed with
sunanapausomaiG4875 →
ὑμῖν.you.
huminG4771 →2973 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Philemon 1:7I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 7:13
On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Corinthians 7:4
Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.
- 1 Thessalonians 3:9
How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence?
- 2 Corinthians 7:13
Through
1 Corinthians 16:18For they refreshed my spirit and yours as well. Show your appreciation, therefore, to such men.
it leads to
- Philemon 1:7
I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Philemon 1:7
Through
Acts 18:21But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
it leads to
- James 4:15
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
- 1 Corinthians 4:19
But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
- Acts 20:16
Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
- James 4:15
Through
2 Corinthians 7:13On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 7:6
But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
- 2 Corinthians 7:6
Where this verse is studied
About Romans
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1887: “Pleading For Prayer” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); John Chrysostom, Homily on Romans 30; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS; Robert Haldane, Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans; Theodoret of Cyrus, INTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Romans; Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Romans and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.