19. For your obedience, &LC. ch. i. 8. Your mild, obedient disposition to learn, and to obey the precepts of the 2 E
wise * unto that which is good, and * simple concerning evil.
20 And the " God of peace shall ^ bruise ** Satan under your
teachers of religion. 1 / am glad, &c. I rejoice that you evince such a disposition. But he immediately adds, that this was just the temper to be imposed upon, and cautions them against that danger. 1 Wise unto that ivhich is good. Evince understanding of that which is adapted to promote good and worthy ends. ^ Simple coiicerning evil. Greek, harmless. Not disposed to do wrong; having no plan, and yielding to none of the allurements of evil. You have shown your wisdom in obeying the gospel. I would have you still evince wisdom towards every good design; but to be unacquainted with any plan of evil. Do not yield to those plans, or follow those who would lead you into them.
20. And the God of peace. The God who promotes peace, ch. xv. 33. t Will bndse. The language here refers to the prediction in Gen. iii. 15. It here means to subdue, to gain the victory over. It denotes Paul's confidence that they -woidd gain the victory, and would be able to overcome all the arts of those who were endeavouring to sow discord and contention among them. T[ Satan. The word Satan is Hebrew, meaning originally a7i accuser, a calumniator, and then an enemy. It is given to the prince of evil spirits from his enmity to God and men. He is here regarded as the author of all attempts to promote discord in the church, by whomsoever those attempts were made. Hence they who attempt to produce divisions are called " his ministers." 2 Cor. xi. 15. God would disappoint their mahgnant purposes, and promote the prevalence of peace. 1 The grace. The favour; the mercy, ifec. The Lord Jesus is the Prince of peace (Isa. ix. 6. Comp. Luke ii. 14. John xiv. 27); and this expression is a prayer to him,
21 Timotheus my work-fellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.
22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salflle you in the Lord.
or an earnest wish expressed, that the design of his coming might be accomplished in promoting the prevalence of order and peace. Comp. 1 Cor. xvi. 23. Kev. xxii. 21.
22. / Tertius. Of Tertius nothing more is known than is mentioned here. K Mho ivvote this. It is evident that Paul employed an amanuensis to write this epistle, and perhaps he commonly did it. Tertius, who thus wrote it, joins with the apostle in atVectionate salutations to the brethren at Rome. To the epistle, Paul signed his own name, and added a salutation in his own handwriting. Col. iv. 18, "The salutation by the hand of me Paul;" and in 2 Thess. iii. 17, he says that this was done in every epistle. 1 Cor. xvi. 21, ^ In the Lord. As (Christian brethren.
23. Gains mine host. Whn has received me into his hou.te, and shown me hospitality. The word host means one who entertains another at his own house without reward. ^ And of the •whole church. Who has opened his house to entertain all (Jhristians; or In show hospitality to them nil. He was baptized by Paul himself at Corinib (1 Cor. i. U); and wa» so ^liglily os-
the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus ** the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus, a brother.
24 'J'he ' grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
25 Now f to him that is of power to establish you accord-
teemed hy the church that John wrote an epistle to him. 3 John 1. He wa? probably a wealthy citizen of Corinth, who freely opened his house to entertain Christians, and for the purpose of religious worship. ■; Erastus. Erastus is mentioned (Acts xix. 22) as having been sent by Paul with Timothy into Macedonia. He is also mentioned (2 'J'im. iv. 20) as having resided at Corinth. ^ J'he chamberlain. A chamberlain is properly an officer who has charge of a chamber, or of chambers. In England, the lord chamberlain is the sixth officer of the crown, and has charge of the king's lodgings, and wardrobe, «Scc. He has also an important lank on days of public solemnities, as the coronation day, &c. The word used here is commonly in the New Testament translated steward. It properly means one who has charge of domestic affiiirs, to i)rovide for a family, to pay the servants, &c. In this place it means one who presided over the pecuniary allairs of the city, and should have been translated the treasurer; the city treasurer; an oflice of trust and of some importance, showing that all who were converted at (yorinlh were not of the lowest rank. This is implied in 1 Cor. i. 26, " Not many wise men, not many mighty, not 7iiany noble, are called," implying that there were some such. 1 Quartus, a brother. A follow-Christian.
2.5. A'ow to him. This and the two following verses are found in many manuscripts at the close of the xivlh chapter. Its proper place, however, is horc; and thu;:pobtlo thuti concludes
ing to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (according to the revelation " of the mystery, whicli was kept secret since the world began,
the whole epistle with an ascription of praise, f To him, &c. To God; be glory, ver. 20. ^ Is of power. Greek, Is able; who has power. Eph. iii. 20. Jude 24, " Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling," &c. God only can keep Christians in the path of salvation; and it was well to bring that truth prominently into view at the close of the epistle. ^ To establish you. To strengthen and confirm you. % According to my gospel. According to the gospel which I preach; the doctrines which I have been defending in this epistle. It is called his gospel, not because he was the author of it, or because others did not preach it also, but because he had been partictilarly defending it in this epistle. The doctrines which he had advanced were just those which were fitted to strengthen and confirm them, — the doctrine of justification, of election, of perseverance, and of the protection and favour of God to both Jews and Gentiles. These were the doctrines which he had defended; and it might easily be shown that these are the doctrines that give stability to the Christian faith, hope, and love. *[ And the preacldng of Jesiis Christ Not his personal preaching; but according to that preaching of which Christ is the author and the subject; and particularly, as the following clause shows, to the doctrines by which the partition between the Jews and the Gentiles was broken down, and by which they were admitted to the same privileges and hopes. H According to the revelation. According to the communication of that which has been so long concealed, but which is now made manifest. The word revelation refers to the publication of the plan by the gospel. ^ Of the mystery. The word wiystery means properly that which is hidden or con-
26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all * na-
cealed, and is thus applied to any doctrine which was not before known. It does not mean necessarily that which is u?ii7itelligible; but that which had not been before revealed. See Note to Matt. xiii. 11. The word here seems to refer to the principal doctrines of the gospel; its main truths, which had been concealed, especially from the entire gentile world, but which were now made known. H Which -was kept secret. Which were kept in silence (Greek, ass-z^x^ivcy), were not divulged or proclaimed, f Since the world began. In all past times. This refers particularly to the Gentiles. The Jews had some obscure intimations of these truths, but they were now made known to all the world. The phrase " since the world began" is, in Greek, " in eternal times;" that is, in «// past times; or, as we should say, they have been always concealed.
26. JRut now is made manifest. Is revealed, or made known; that which was so long concealed is now divulged, i. e. God's plan of saving men is now made known to all nations. | And by the Scriptures, &c. By the writings of the prophets. The prophetic writings contained the doctrines, obscurely indeed, but so as to be an important means of disseminating and confirming the truth that the Gentiles should be made acquainted with the gospel. To those writings the apostle had repeatedly appealed in his defence of the proposition that the gospel was to be preached to the gentile world, ch, X. xi. XV. The prophetic writings, moreover, were extensively scattered among the gentile nations, and thus were readily appealed to in defence of this position. Their writings being thus translated, and read, were an important means of propagating the truths of the Christian religion. ^ Ac
tions for the obedience of faith;) 27 To God " only wise, be glory, through Jesus Christ, for ever. Amen.
cording to the commandment, &c. By his command through Jesus Christ; made known in the gospel of his Son. ^ The evtrlusdng God. God who is eternal, and therefore unchanged. He who has indeed concealed this truth, but who has always intended that it should be revealed. ^ To all nations. Ma«. xxviii. 19. Comp. Col. i. 23. t For the obedience of faith. To produce obedience to the requirements of the gospel. See Note, ch. i. 5,
27. 7'o God only wise. The apostle here resumes the doxology which had been interrupted by the parenthesis. The attribute of -iuisdom is here brought into view, because it had been particularly displayed in this plan which was now revealed. It evinced, in an eminent degree, the wisdom of God. That wisdom was evinced in devising the plan; in adapting it to the renewing of the heart; the justification of the sinner; his preservation, guidance, and sanctification; and in the manner in which the divine attributes had all been seen to harmonize. All this the apostle had
Written to the Romans from Corinth us, and se)it by Phebe, servant of the church at Cenchrea.
illustrated in the previous parts of the epistle; and now, full of the convictions of this wisdom, he desires that all the praise and honour should be to God. The tendency of the plan is to promote his glory. The obligation on all who are benefited by it is to give him praise. \ Be glory. Praise; honour. 1 Through Jesus Christ. By means of the work which Jesus Christ has performed; through him now as mediator and intercessor in the heavens.
The subscription, " written to the Romans," &c. is evidently added by some other hand, but by whom is unknown. Paul assuredly would not write this to inform the Romans that it was sent by Phebe, whom he had just commended to their kindness. It has been shown, moreover, that no reliance is to be placed on any of the subscriptions to the epistles. Some of them are known to be false. By whom they were added is unknown. In this case, however, the fact which it states is correct, that it was written from Corinth, and sent by Phebe.