Romans 16:20

Context

This verse appears in the final chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, which Paul wrote to the church in Rome. Romans is generally understood to have been written near Corinth shortly before Paul departed for Jerusalem. Chapter 16 opens with a commendation of Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae (16:1-2), and continues with greetings to many believers. In verses 17-19, Paul then warns his readers to "mark them which cause divisions and offences" and to avoid them. Verse 20 is the promise and brief benediction that conclude this warning. From verse 21 onward, the greetings resume, this time from the coworkers who were with Paul.

"The God of peace" is a title Paul often uses at the close of his letters; it also appears in Romans 15:33. Invoking the God of peace immediately after warning against those who cause divisions ties this verse closely to the preceding ones.

Interpretation

• As an echo of Genesis 3:15: Many commentators hold that the phrase "bruise Satan under your feet" recalls Genesis 3:15. That verse contains the promise that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, and Protestants commonly call it the protoevangelium (the first promise of the gospel in Scripture). On this reading, that promise is fulfilled in Christ through the church.
• In light of the immediate context: This reading connects the defeat of Satan with the overthrow of the divisive forces and false teaching described in verses 17-19. It understands the verse as promising a concrete victory that the Roman church would soon experience.
• Eschatological reading: This reading takes "shortly" as expressing the expectation of the final defeat of evil at the Second Coming of Christ, and it reads the entire verse as a promise belonging to eschatology (the doctrine of the last things).

These three readings are not mutually exclusive and are often presented together in commentaries and sermons. Some interpreters also note that although it is God who bruises Satan, this takes place "under your feet." They take this to mean that believers participate in the victory God accomplishes.

Debates and Issues

The verse is not the subject of any significant doctrinal dispute between denominations. Several points, however, are discussed.

• Textual issues: The benediction in the second half of verse 20 ("The grace of our Lord Jesus...") is absent from some manuscripts, and in others it reappears in a similar form at verse 24. Consequently, some translations include a benediction at verse 24. Many modern translations omit verse 24 from the text or relegate it to a footnote. The position of the doxology at the end of chapter 16 (16:25-27) also varies among manuscripts, and scholars have debated whether chapter 16 was originally part of Romans.
• Translation: The Korean Revised Version spells the name "Sadan," while the New Korean Revised Version uses "Satan." The original expression translated "shortly" can be read either as "soon" (nearness in time) or as "swiftly" (rapid accomplishment), and interpretations differ accordingly.
• Quotation out of context: At meetings and in prayers that emphasize spiritual warfare, the verse is sometimes cited as a declaration of victory over personal problems. Critics point out that its original context is a warning about division in the church and that God is the one who brings the promise to pass; using it as a formula guaranteeing personal victory therefore departs from the meaning of the text. Others, however, hold that applying this promise to believers today is itself legitimate.

Related Passages

• Genesis 3:15
• 1 John 3:8
• Hebrews 2:14-17
• Revelation 12:9
• 1 Corinthians 15:22-26