(Verse 9.) And that the Gentiles might honour God for his mercy. For since there was no promise to these, they were taken up to salvation as unworthy, through mercy alone; so that they should honour God by confession, since unbelievers dishonour Him. As it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. He proves it by a prophetic example; for it is written in the seventeenth Psalm that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the grace of God to receive salvation (Psalm 18:49). For it is the voice of Christ, by which He said it would come to pass that His preaching among the Gentiles would have the fruit of the confession of the mystery of God; therefore the Son gives thanks for this to the Father, for the obedience of the Gentiles. Hence He says in the Gospel: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; for so it seemed good in thy sight (Matthew 11:25). This confession, then, is of the one God in the Trinity, and from it gladness arises; so that, after confessing the truth, a man may joyfully sing of the mercy and the gift of God.

(Verses 10–11.) And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people — this is in the song of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 32:43). And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and magnify him, all ye people. This is in the hundred and sixteenth Psalm, and he shows that God decreed long ago, His mercy intervening, to make the Jews and the Gentiles of one accord; so that the Gentiles, having obtained grace, should become partners of the Jews, who themselves too were once named His people by the gift of God. But the Jews were already noble; and these, being ignoble, have been ennobled through mercy; so that all together may rejoice in the knowledge of the truth, and, while the Gentiles praise, all the peoples — the twelve tribes — may magnify the one God, who has increased the number of His people by adding the Gentiles. Thus, when the Jews were disputing against the apostle Peter over Cornelius, once the reason had been given them they were satisfied, magnifying the Lord and saying: Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life (Acts 11:18).

(Verse 12.) And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust (Isaiah 11:10). To give the Gentiles greater confidence and an undoubting hope, he confirms by many testimonies that this was God’s decree: that all the nations should be blessed in Christ; lest the insolence of the unbelieving Jews should grieve the souls of the believing Gentiles and make them doubtful, as though they promised themselves hope in vain, since the faith of the Jews is held to spring from what Abraham received from God; and so that they might grow through that very joy and security. Yet why is Christ from the root of Jesse, and not from the root of Boaz, a just man, or from the root of Obed? Because He was to be called the son of David on account of the kingdom; so that, as He was born of God to be king, so He should also take His origin according to the flesh from David the king. Therefore the root of Jesse is the tree of David, which bore fruit through a branch, which is the Virgin Mary, who bore Christ.

(Verses 13–14.) Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of love, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. These are words of exhortation; for by praise he spurs them on to a better understanding and a better life. For he who sees himself praised takes pains that what is said of him may be true. Therefore he did not say that they should teach one another, but admonish one another; for a man is usually admonished about what he knows, but which sometimes slips from his mind. The rest is not obscure, so as to need explanation.

(Verses 15–16.) Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, sanctifying the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. He signifies that he has not written rashly, saying that authority has been given him through the grace of God to dare to write to all the Gentiles, admonishing them and confirming their purpose in Christ; so as to show his anxious care in the ministry of the Gospel, as the teacher of the Gentiles, and that their sacrifice may be made acceptable by reason of its sanctification in the Holy Spirit. For whatever is offered with unimpaired faith and a sober mind is purified by the Holy Spirit.

(Verses 17–19.) I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed, through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Ghost. He says that he has glory with God through Christ Jesus; for, believing and serving Christ Jesus with a pure conscience, he has gained merit with God the Father, to such a degree that he says nothing was lacking which Christ did not work through him for the exhortation of the Gentiles, giving signs and wonders by his hands, so that power should commend his preaching. This is why he shows that he has glory in Christ towards God: for, serving Christ, he has glory towards God, so much so that there is nothing of the divine power he lacks which has not been granted him by God; but he declares that, because he was found a fit steward, he has obtained everything that might serve the conversion of the Gentiles through the power of signs. The purpose of this is to prove that he was no less able than the other apostles, who had been with the Lord, and that God worked no fewer mighty works among the Gentiles; so that by this very thing they might grow, seeing that they had obtained the same grace that the Jews had obtained, who claim for themselves the prerogative of the fathers.

(Verses 19–20.) So that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Yea, so have I preached the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation. Not without reason does he say that he strove to preach where Christ had not been named. For he knew that the false apostles handed on Christ otherwise than they ought — for they went about for this purpose, to enslave the people to other doctrines under the name of Christ, which afterwards was a very great labour to correct — and therefore he wished to forestall them, so as to hand on to his hearers the words of an unviolated preaching, and so that the building, laid out true to the line, might have the strength of an unharmed foundation. And since he was given as a teacher to the Gentiles, he had to take careful heed of this: to teach where Christ had not been proclaimed; both to establish his authority and to have the full fruit of his labours from what he had planted. This is why he took possession of all the places of the Church first; for the heresies afterwards, malicious in their subtlety, tried under the name of Christ to corrupt the meaning of the Law and of the faith. This he admonished by the testimony of the Law, saying:

(Verse 21.) But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand. This is in Isaiah (Isaiah 52:15). So that this understanding of the true Son of God might be true and inviolable, he says that he always made haste to imbue the Gentiles with the truth of the Gospel.

(Verses 22–24.) For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you. But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you; whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. This he mentions at the head of the epistle, saying: That oftentimes, he says, I purposed to come unto you, but was let hitherto (Romans 1:13). Now he explains it, showing for what cause he was hindered: that, though wishing to come, he had to do something else which pressed upon him, namely to shut out the depraved inventions of the false apostles. And finally, after he has preached to all round about, he says that he is now free to come to Rome, as he had long wished. The Romans, then, since they had been led into the Law, he corrects meanwhile by letter; but those who had not yet heard the preaching it was more profitable to teach by his presence, so that, grounded in the right faith, they would hardly receive anything else. Yet he promised to come at the time when he was to go to Spain: since Christ had not been preached there, so that he might take possession of their minds first; and since the way to them was difficult for the false apostles, it did no harm if he went later.

(Verses 25–26.) But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. He says, however, that he will first go to minister to the saints of Jerusalem: by which he wishes the Romans to know that works of this kind are to be pursued; for those who live by mercy, and have been justified before God, ought to devote themselves to this.

(Verse 27.) For they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. For he calls them debtors of the believing Jews: so that, as they have been made partakers of theirs in spiritual things, so they should share in their bodily necessities; that the believers from the Jews, rejoicing, might join in praising the providence of God for their salvation, through these men’s ministry. For they, giving themselves wholly to divine service, caring for nothing worldly, set an example of good living to believers. In short, the Apostle wishes us to be so kindly towards mercy that he even calls us debtors in giving alms, and in practising good works with eagerness of heart; for he who hopes for mercy from God ought to be merciful, to prove that he rightly hopes for it; for if man shows mercy, how much more God! For this is the recompense or reward: that those who receive mercy should show mercy. Hence the Lord says: Blessed are the merciful (Matthew 5:7); for God will have mercy on them.

(Verses 28–29.) When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ. Sure, then, of the disposition and grace of God, he promised that he would come in the abundance of the blessing of Christ which he preaches. And this blessing is the power of signs, through which they were confirmed.

(Verses 30–31.) Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye help me in your prayers to the Lord for me; that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea. Then he asks to be helped in prayers, that he might escape the hands of the unbelieving Jews: not because he himself is less deserving, but he follows the right order, that prayer be made by the Church for its ruler. For many very small men, when they gather of one mind, become great; and it is impossible that the prayers of many should not obtain their request. If, then, they too long to see the Apostle, let them pray the more earnestly, so that they may receive him, delivered from that place, in the joy of glory.

(Verses 31–32.) 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. He says that this too is to be prayed for: that the ministering of his gifts may be accepted by the saints in Jerusalem; and he shows that he does all things with the will of God. For since his own mind is devoted to bringing the gifts, he wishes their mind too to answer to him by the judgment of God; so that, having understood his love towards them, they may give thanks to God together with him with one mind. For it is a great gain to him by whose ministry men are made glad and follow God with praises.

(Verse 33.) Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. The God of peace is Christ, who says: My peace I give unto you, peace I leave with you (John 14:27). Him he wishes to be with them, knowing that the Lord said: Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). He desires them, then, to be such that the Lord Christ Jesus may be with them, who, cutting away all the discord of human error, gave and showed what is true; so that they may remain peaceable in the truth itself.