Isaiah 51:5

51:5 I am ready to vindicate, ¹ 

I am ready to deliver, ² 

I will establish justice among the nations. ³ 

The coastlands ⁴  wait patiently for me;

they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power. ⁵ 

Isaiah 55:5

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ⁶  you did not previously know;

nations ⁷  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁸ 

for he bestows honor on you.

Romans 15:20-21

15:20 And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person’s foundation, 15:21 but as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” ⁹ 

Romans 16:25-26

16:25 ¹⁰ Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages, 16:26 but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith –

Ephesians 3:5-9

3:5 Now this secret ¹¹  was not disclosed to people ¹²  in former ¹³  generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by ¹⁴  the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel ¹⁵  the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members ¹⁶  of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel ¹⁷  according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ¹⁸  the exercise of his power. ¹⁹  3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ²⁰  – this grace was given, ²¹  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten ²²  everyone about God’s secret plan ²³  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ²⁴  in God ²⁵  who has created all things.

¹ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”] is near.”

² tn Heb “my deliverance goes forth.”

³ tn Heb “and my arms will judge [on behalf of] nations.”

⁴ tn Or “islands” (NIV); TEV “Distant lands.”

⁵ tn Heb “for my arm” (so NIV, NRSV).

⁶ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).

⁷ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.

⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 52:15.

¹⁰ tc There is a considerable degree of difference among the mss regarding the presence and position of the doxology of 16:25-27. Five situations present themselves from the ms tradition. The doxology is found in the ancient witnesses in three separate locations: (1) here after 16:23 (Ì⁶¹ א B C D 81 365 630 1739 2464 al co), (2) after 14:23 (Ψ 0209^vid Ï), or (3) after 15:33 (Ì⁴⁶). The situation is further complicated in that some of the mss have these verses in two places: (4) after 14:23 and after 16:23 (A P 33 104 2805 pc); or (5) after 14:23 and after 15:33 (1506). The uncertain position of the doxology might suggest that it was added by later scribes. But since the mss containing the doxology are so early and widespread, it almost certainly belongs in Romans; it is only a question of where. Further, the witnesses that omit the doxology are few: F G 629 Hier^mss. (And of these, G has a blank space of several lines large enough for the doxology to belong there.) Only two positions (after chapter 14 only and at the end of the letter only) deserve particular notice because the situation of the mss showing the doxology in two places dates back to the 5th century. Later copyists, faced with the doxology in two different places in the mss they knew, may have decided to copy the doxology in both places, since they were unwilling to consciously omit any text. Because the textual disruption of the doxology is so early, TCGNT 472 suggests two possibilities: either (1) that Paul may have sent two different copies of Romans – a copy lacking chapter 16 and a copy with the full text of the epistle as we now have it, or (2) Marcion or some of his followers circulated a shortened form of the epistle that lacked chapters 15 and 16. Those mss that lacked chapters 15-16 would naturally conclude with some kind of doxology after chapter 14. On the other hand, H. Gamble (The Textual History of the Letter to the Romans [SD], 123-32) argues for the position of the doxology at 14:23, since to put the doxology at 16:25 would violate Paul’s normal pattern of a grace-benediction at the close of the letter. Gamble further argues for the inclusion of 16:24, since the mss that put the doxology after chapter 14 almost always present 16:24 as the letter’s closing, whereas most of the mss that put the doxology at its traditional position drop 16:24, perhaps because it would be redundant before 16:25-27. A decision is difficult, but the weight of external evidence, since it is both early and geographically widespread, suggests that the doxology belongs here after 16:23. For a full discussion, see TCGNT 470-73.

¹¹ tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.

¹² tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).

¹³ tn Grk “other.”

¹⁴ tn Or “in.”

¹⁵ sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.

¹⁶ tn Grk “and fellow members.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “according to.”

¹⁹ sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.

²⁰ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

²¹ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

²² tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

²³ tn Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.

²⁴ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

²⁵ tn Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.