Romans 15:8-10

Vv. 8, 9a. “ Now I say that Christ was made a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, but that the Gentiles glorify God for His mercy; ”

The gracious acceptance which Jesus Christ has given to men has taken place in two principal ways. In His relation to the Jews, God has above all displayed His truth, His fidelity to His ancient promises; in His relation to the Gentiles, He has more particularly manifested His mercy; for, without having promised them anything directly, He has given everything to them as well as to the Jews. And hence it is, that with the voice which rises from the people of Israel to celebrate God's faithfulness, there should henceforth be joined that of the Gentile world magnifying His grace. Such is the meaning of this admirable passage, which extends to Romans 15:13.

The reading γάρ, for, would introduce the demonstration of the προσελάβετο, He received us. But what follows is rather an explanation than a proof; the latter would have been superfluous. We must therefore read λέγω δέ : “ Now, here is my whole thought regarding this receiving on the part of Christ, and the duty of union arising from it.”

What attracts the Jew to Christ is not exactly the same as that which gains for Him the heart of the Gentile. The Jew is struck with the fulfilment of the prophecies in His person (comp. the Gospel of St. Matthew); the heart of the Gentile is taken by the view of His mercy (comp. the Gospel of Luke).

Bauer has thought that the expression: minister of the circumcision, could not be ascribed to the apostle, and that it betrayed a writer disposed to carry concessions to Judaism much further than St. Paul could have done. But what is there in this expression which goes beyond the contents of Galatians 4:4-5: “Born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem them that are under the law”? All the Gospels prove that Jesus submitted to the strictest observance of the law, and that from His circumcision to His death He enveloped Himself as it were in the national form of Israelitish life. It is a gratuitous error of commentators to think that he ever violated the Sabbath, even in His works of healing. He simply freed it from the Pharisaical prescriptions which had greatly exaggerated Sabbatical strictness. And when Paul says, Philippians 2:8: “He became obedient, even to the death of the cross,” he exactly expresses the idea contained in the term with which Baur finds fault. Hilgenfeld himself acknowledges the error of the master of his school on this point: “This passage,” says he, “contains nothing more than was already contained in chap. 11 of our Epistle.”

Several MSS. substitute the aorist γένεσθαι for the perfect γεγενῆσθαι; erroneously, without doubt, for the fact in question is one which remains forever in its results, as is proved in the sequel.

To establish a promise is to confirm by fulfilling it. Comp. 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, a passage which is, as it were, the exegesis of ours.

Romans 15:9 a The Gentiles, indeed, occupied a place in the prophecies committed to Israel; but God had never promised them anything directly. This circumstance gave to the salvation which was granted to them as well as to the Jews a more marked character of freeness.

The verb δοξάσαι, to glorify, is not an optative, as Hofmann thinks; the change of construction would be too abrupt. It is the aorist infinitive; and this infinitive is not to be regarded as parallel to βεβαιῶσαι, to establish, and consequently as dependent on εἰς, in order to: “in order to confirm the promises..., and in order that the Gentiles might glorify”..., as Meyer thinks. For the work of God for the Gentiles would thus be made dependent on the act by which Jesus became a minister of the law in behalf of the Jews, which, in this passage at least, would have no meaning. The simple construction is to make this infinitive, as well as the preceding γεγενῆσθαι, the object of λέγω, I say: “Now, I say that Jesus became a minister...for the truth of God...; and that the Gentiles glorify [have in Him a cause for glorifying] God for His mercy.” Thus is formed the sublime duet in which there is uttered henceforth the thanksgiving of the entire race.

In support of this idea Paul now quotes a series of O. T. passages which announced the future participation of the Gentiles in the eternal hallelujah.

Vv. 9b, 10. “ According as it is written, For this cause I will praise Thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto Thy name. And again He saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people. ”

The first passage quoted is Psalms 18:49: David, victorious over all his enemies, declares that he will make his hymn of thanksgiving resound even in the heathen countries subject to his seeptre, in order to associate these nations in celebrating the work of Jehovah. In the application, Paul starts from the idea that what was accomplished in David's person must be more magnificently realized in that of his antitype the Messiah.

The second passage (Romans 15:10) is found in Deuteronomy 32:43. Moses, in his final hymn, describes Israel's future deliverance and the judgment of their adversaries; then he invites the Gentiles who have escaped punishment to join their song of rejoicing with that of Israel glorified. The apostle follows the version of the LXX. The latter translates from a form of the text which is not that of our Masoretic text, but which has been proved by Kennicott as a variant. According to this reading, the preposition eth (with) stands before ammo (His people), which leads to the meaning of the LXX. and of the apostle: “Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people.” If this eth be rejected, as in the ordinary text, we may translate: “Rejoice, ye nations, His people,” either, with De Wette, applying the term nations (gojim) to the twelve tribes of Israel, or holding, with Aquilas, Theodotion, Ostervald, Hofmann, that it is the Gentiles themselves who are here designated as the people of God. In the sense of De Wette, the application Paul makes of this saying would have no connection with the thought which is really expressed. But this meaning is not admissible, for Moses could not designate the people of Israel as gojim, Gentiles, especially in a song which turns throughout on the antagonism between Israel and the heathen. The second explanation would be possible; it would be in harmony with the object of the apostolic quotation. Only it must be confessed that the idea of the transformation of the Gentiles into God's people has not been so much as hinted by the rest of the song.

Again, it may be translated, as by the Vulgate and Segond: “Nations, praise His people,” or, “Sing the praises of His people.” But is it natural to direct praise to Israel rather than to Jehovah? Besides, Meyer rightly observes that the Hiphil hirenin, to sing, either has no regimen (Psa 32:11), or it is construed with the dative (Psa 81:1).

Lange and others hold yet a different translation: “Gentiles, make His people sing with joy (by turning to the Lord).” Hirenin has really this causative sense, Psalms 65:8. But there is no question here of making Israel rejoice, but of celebrating the glory of Jehovah. If the meaning defended by Hofmann (see above) is inadmissible, it only remains to follow the reading adopted by the LXX., and which has passed into the text of the apostle. The idea of these two quotations, as well as of the two following, is the announcement of the great fact: that a day will come when the Gentiles shall celebrate Jehovah in concert with Israel.