Romans 15:13

Context

Romans is a letter Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, a church he had not yet visited. Romans 14:1–15:13 urges the "strong" and the "weak," who were divided over questions of food and the observance of days, to receive one another. In 15:7–12 Paul states that Christ has received both Jews and Gentiles, and he cites a series of Old Testament passages to show that the Gentiles, too, will come to praise God. The last of these quotations, from Isaiah 11:10, ends with the promise that the nations will place their hope in him (Romans 15:12). Verse 13 takes up this word "hope" and closes the entire section with a prayer-wish, that is, an expression of desire offered as a prayer.

Interpretation

• As a prayer-wish: The verb in the original text is in a form that expresses a wish. For this reason most commentaries regard the verse not as a command or a promise but as a brief prayer Paul offers on behalf of his readers. Some also group it with "the God of peace" in 15:33 as one of the prayer-wishes in the latter part of the letter.
• In its community context: Read together with the preceding section, joy and peace are understood as the fruit enjoyed by a community whose members, once judging one another, now praise God together. The verse is also linked with "righteousness, and peace, and joy" in Romans 14:17.
• With emphasis on faith and the Spirit: Reformed and evangelical commentaries place weight on "in believing": joy and peace are grace given through the act of believing. Pentecostal and charismatic preaching often focuses on "through the power of the Holy Ghost," interpreting hope as a dynamic experience produced by the Holy Spirit. The two readings are not mutually exclusive.

Questions of Application

The verse has been the subject of almost no doctrinal controversy. However, because its original context concerns harmony between Jews and Gentiles and between the strong and the weak, some point out that using it merely as a blessing formula for personal emotional comfort obscures that context. It is also commonly explained that the hope spoken of here is not an optimistic mood but should be understood as expectation directed toward God's promises and their eschatological fulfillment.

Korean translations also differ slightly. The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render "peace" as pyeonggang, while some translations, such as the Revised New Korean Standard Version, use the word pyeonghwa.

In the Korean Church

The verse is frequently used as a closing prayer at the end of worship services, as a parting word at pastoral visits or gatherings, and on Scripture verse cards. The formal benediction generally uses 2 Corinthians 13:13 (13:14 in the KJV) or Numbers 6:24–26; this verse is more often cited as a word of exhortation and blessing.

Related Passages

• Romans 15:12
• Romans 14:17
• Romans 15:33
• Romans 8:24–25
• Romans 5:1–5