Romans 1:8

Paul’s Desire to Visit Rome

1:8 First of all, ¹  I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

Romans 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ²  a slave ³  of Christ Jesus, ⁴  called to be an apostle, ⁵  set apart for the gospel of God. ⁶ 

Romans 1:12-16

1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ⁷  both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ⁸  brothers and sisters, ⁹  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁰  1:14 I am a debtor ¹¹  both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 1:15 Thus I am eager ¹²  also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. ¹³ 

The Power of the Gospel

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁴ 

Ezra 7:27

7:27 ¹⁵ Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem!

Matthew 11:25-26

Jesus’ Invitation

11:25 At that time Jesus said, ¹⁶  “I praise ¹⁷  you, Father, Lord ¹⁸  of heaven and earth, because ¹⁹  you have hidden these things from the wise ²⁰  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ²¹ 

Acts 11:18

11:18 When they heard this, ²²  they ceased their objections ²³  and praised ²⁴  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ²⁵  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ²⁶ 

Acts 28:15

28:15 The brothers from there, ²⁷  when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius ²⁸  and Three Taverns ²⁹  to meet us. When he saw them, ³⁰  Paul thanked God and took courage.

Acts 28:1

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ³¹  we learned that the island was called Malta. ³² 

Colossians 1:4

1:4 since ³³  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Ephesians 1:16

1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you ³⁴  in my prayers.

Philippians 1:3-5

Prayer for the Church

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. ³⁵  1:4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you 1:5 because of your participation ³⁶  in the gospel from the first day until now. ³⁷ 

Colossians 1:3-4

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ³⁸  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ³⁹  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Colossians 1:1-3

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴⁰  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁴¹  brothers and sisters ⁴²  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁴³  from God our Father! ⁴⁴ 

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁴⁵  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Colossians 3:9

3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

Colossians 3:2

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Colossians 1:3

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁴⁶  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Colossians 1:2-5

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁴⁷  brothers and sisters ⁴⁸  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁴⁹  from God our Father! ⁵⁰ 

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁵¹  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ⁵²  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ⁵³  from the hope laid up ⁵⁴  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ⁵⁵ 

Philemon 1:4

Thanks for Philemon’s Love and Faith

1:4 I always thank my God ⁵⁶  as I remember you in my prayers, ⁵⁷ 

Philemon 1:2

1:2 to Apphia ⁵⁸  our sister, ⁵⁹  to Archippus our ⁶⁰  fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house.

Philemon 1:4

Thanks for Philemon’s Love and Faith

1:4 I always thank my God ⁶¹  as I remember you in my prayers, ⁶² 

Philemon 1:3

1:3 Grace and peace to you ⁶³  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philemon 1:3

1:3 Grace and peace to you ⁶⁴  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

[1:8]  ¹ tn Grk “First.” Paul never mentions a second point, so J. B. Phillips translated “I must begin by telling you….”

[1:1]  ² tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ³ tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁴ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ⁶ tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:13]  ⁸ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[1:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “obligated.”

[1:15]  ¹² tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”

[1:15]  ¹³ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:16]  ¹⁴ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.

[7:27]  ¹⁵ sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.

[11:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “thank.”

[11:25]  ¹⁸ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[11:25]  ¹⁹ tn Or “that.”

[11:25]  ²⁰ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[11:26]  ²¹ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well-pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.b.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[11:18]  ²² tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ²³ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ²⁴ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ²⁵ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ²⁶ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[28:15]  ²⁷ sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.

[28:15]  ²⁸ sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).

[28:15]  ²⁹ sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.

[28:15]  ³⁰ tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[28:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.

[28:1]  ³² sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.

[1:4]  ³³ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “making mention [of you].”

[1:3]  ³⁵ tn This could also be translated “for your every remembrance of me.” See discussion below.

[1:5]  ³⁶ sn Your participation (Grk “fellowship”) could refer to Paul rejoicing because of the Philippian converts’ “fellowship” in the gospel along with him, but it is more likely that this refers to their active “participation” with him in the gospel by means of the financial support they sent to Paul on more than one occasion, discussed later in this letter (4:10-19, esp. 4:15-16).

[1:5]  ³⁷ tn Several alternatives for translating vv. 3-5 are possible: (1) “I thank my God every time I remember you, yes, always in my every prayer for all of you. I pray with joy because of your participation…” (see NAB; also M. Silva, Philippians [BECNT], 43-44; G. D. Fee, Philippians [NICNT], 76-80); (2) “I thank my God because of your every remembrance of me. Always in my every prayer for all of you I pray with joy. [I am grateful] for your participation…” (see Moffatt; also P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 58-61). Option (1) is quite similar to the translation above, but sees v. 4a as more or less parenthetical. Option (2) is significantly different in that Paul thanks God because the Philippians remember him rather than when he remembers them.

[1:3]  ³⁸ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:4]  ³⁹ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁴² tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:3]  ⁴⁵ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:3]  ⁴⁶ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁰ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:3]  ⁵¹ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:4]  ⁵² tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:5]  ⁵³ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁵⁵ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[1:4]  ⁵⁶ sn I always thank my God. An offer of thanksgiving (εὐχαριστῶ, eucaristw) to God is a customary formula for Paul in many of his epistles (cf. Rom 1:8, 1 Cor 1:4, Eph 1:16, Col 1:3, 1 Thess 1:2, 2 Thess 1:3). The content of the thanksgiving typically points to the work of God in the salvation of the believers to whom he [Paul] writes.

[1:4]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “making remembrance (or “mention”) of you in my prayers.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁸ sn Apphia is thought to be the wife of Philemon.

[1:2]  ⁵⁹ tc Most witnesses (D² Ψ Ï) here read τῇ ἀγαπητῇ (th agaphth, “beloved, dear”), a reading that appears to have been motivated by the masculine form of the same adjective in v. 1. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, along with a few others (א A D* F G I P 048 0278 33 81 104 1739 1881 pc), have ἀδελφῇ (adelfh, “sister”). Thus on internal and external grounds, ἀδελφῇ is the strongly preferred reading.

[1:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Though the term “our” does not appear in the Greek text it is inserted to bring out the sense of the passage.

[1:4]  ⁶¹ sn I always thank my God. An offer of thanksgiving (εὐχαριστῶ, eucaristw) to God is a customary formula for Paul in many of his epistles (cf. Rom 1:8, 1 Cor 1:4, Eph 1:16, Col 1:3, 1 Thess 1:2, 2 Thess 1:3). The content of the thanksgiving typically points to the work of God in the salvation of the believers to whom he [Paul] writes.

[1:4]  ⁶² tn Grk “making remembrance (or “mention”) of you in my prayers.”

[1:3]  ⁶³ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:3]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”