Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.
Parallel Translations
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Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.
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It hath pleased them verely and their detters are they. For yf the getils be made partetakers of their spirituall thinges their dutie is to minister vnto the in carnall thinges.
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For it hath pleased them, and their detters are they: for if the Gentiles be made partakers of their spirituall things, their duetie is also to minister vnto them in carnall things.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Romans 15:27 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Corinthians 9:11 If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things?
- Galatians 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
- Philemon 1:19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).
- Romans 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 27. And their debtors they are, etc. Every one…
27. And their debtors they are, etc. Every one perceives, that what is said here of obligation, is said not so much for the sake of the Corinthians as for the Romans themselves; for the Corinthians or the Macedonians were not more indebted to the Jews than the Romans. And he adds the ground of this obligation, — that they had received the gospel from them: and he takes his argument from the comparison of the less with the greater. He employs also the same in another place, that is, that it ought not to have appeared to them an unjust or a grievous compensation to exchange carnal things, which are immensely of less value, for things spiritual. (2 Corinthians 9:11.) And it shows the value of the gospel, when he declares, that they were indebted not only to its ministers, but also to the whole nation, from whom they had come forth.
And mark the verb λειτουργὢσαι, to minister; which means to discharge one’s office in the commonwealth, and to undergo the burden of one’s calling: it is also sometimes applied to sacred things. Nor do I doubt but that Paul meant that it is a kind of sacrifice, when the faithful gave of their own to relieve the wants of their brethren; for they thus perform that duty of love which they owe, and offer to God a sacrifice of an acceptable odor. But in this place what he had peculiarly in view was the mutual right of compensation.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain To serve the turns.
To serve the turns.
Alms are voluntary, but yet such as we owe by the law of charity.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors…
27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
Ver. 27. Their debtors they are] And so are we to pity and pray for them. See my "True Treasure," sect. 2. chapt. 7.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain It hath pleased them verily; he makes this repetition,…
It hath pleased them verily; he makes this repetition, as to commend the Grecians, so also to admonish the Romans to the like benevolence.
And their debtors they are; i.e. the Gentiles are debtors to the Jews; though what they sent them was a gift, yet it was also a debt, it was due by the law of charity, Rom 13:8, and by the law of gratitude and equity; they had received from them, and they were obliged in some sort to make returns to them.
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For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things: by the spiritual things of the Jews, of which the Gentiles were made partakers, you may understand all those things of which mention is made, Rom 9:4,5; more particularly, the gospel, with the ministry and ordinances thereof: the gospel was first preached to the Jews, and from Jerusalem it was spread abroad among the Gentiles: see Luk 24:47; Act 1:4,8. By the carnal things of the Gentiles, you may understand their gold and silver, with all things needful for the sustentation of the body: you have a parallel place in 1Co 9:7.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain It hath pleased them verily,.... This is repeated from…
It hath pleased them verily,.... This is repeated from the former verse, and is designed to point out the spring of this contribution, and the manner in which it was performed: it arose from themselves; it was the pure effect of their good will and pleasure; the first motion was from among themselves; it was their own thought, mind, and will; they were willing of themselves unto it, and begun it of themselves, unasked, and not moved unto it by any other: it was not done by constraint or necessity, but was entirely free; they did not make it for ostentation sake, or to gain the applause of men, but from a principle of love to the poor saints; and which showed itself to be sincere, hearty, and genuine, by deeds, and not bare words: they performed this service with great alacrity and cheerfulness; they gave not sparingly, but largely; it was not a matter of covetousness, but of bounty; and they did it not grudgingly, but cheerfully; they took delight and pleasure in it; their hearts and souls were in it, and yet notwithstanding did but what they ought to do.
And their debtors they are; for being debtors to God for their temporal and spiritual mercies; and to Christ for what he has done for them in redemption, and for what he is to them; and to the Spirit for the influences and operations of his grace upon them, they are debtors to the saints; they are bound to love them; they owe the debt of love to them, as they are in the spiritual relation of the children of God, members of Christ, and brethren one of another; and their paying of this debt to them is, in some sense, reckoned a paying it to the divine persons. Moreover, it was not merely a debt of love which these Gentiles owed, and in this way paid to the believing Jews; but it was a debt of justice and equity; they had received what was of valuable consideration from them, and by their means: Christ himself was of the Jews; hence salvation is said to be of them, Joh 4:22. The writings of the Old Testament were committed to them, and faithfully preserved by them; and from them transmitted to the Gentiles; the apostles were all Jews, under whose ministry they were enlightened, converted, and brought to the knowledge of Christ, and salvation by him; the Gospel of the grace of God came out from among them; it was first preached in Judea, and at Jerusalem; and from thence was carried and spread in the Gentile world; yea, it looks very likely, and is not at all unreasonable to suppose, that the charge of carrying and spreading the Gospel among the Gentiles was at first defrayed by the believing Jews, and out of that common stock and fund which was at Jerusalem; for it was not proper that the apostles, at their first setting out, should take anything of the Gentiles, lest they should be thought to be mercenary persons, who only sought their own worldly advantage: hence the apostle argues from the greater to the lesser,
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for if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things: the Gospel, and the doctrines of it, which are spiritual things; contain and make known spiritual blessings; impart spiritual gifts; in which the Spirit of God is greatly concerned, he is the author of them; he leads men into them; qualifies them to preach them unto others; blesses and succeeds them to the conversion; comfort, and edification of souls; and by means of which he himself is received as a Spirit of illumination, sanctification, and faith: and which doctrines also relate to the spiritual and eternal welfare of the souls and spirits of men; hereby they are enlightened, quickened, comforted, and nourished up unto eternal life: wherefore, since this is the case, and these the favours the Gentiles enjoyed through the Jews,
their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things; in outward and temporal things; in things pertaining to the flesh; or outward man, for the clothing and nourishment of the body. This he said to stir up the Romans, who were Gentiles also, and under the same obligations to make a contribution for them likewise.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain It hath pleased them; and they are their debtors…
It hath pleased them; and they are their debtors - That is, they are bound to it, in justice as well as mercy. Spiritual things - By the preaching of the gospel. Carnal things - Things needful for the body.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 27. For if the Gentiles have been made…
Verse 27. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers, c.] It was through and by means of the Jews that the Gentiles were brought to the knowledge of God and the Gospel of Christ. These were the spiritual things which they had received and the pecuniary contribution was the carnal things which the Gentiles were now returning.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Their debtors - The reason he immediately states; compare…
Their debtors - The reason he immediately states; compare Rom 1:14.
Of their spiritual things - Have received the gospel by the instrumentality of those who had been Jews; and were admitted now to the same privileges with them.
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Carnal things - Things pertaining to the flesh; that is, to this life. On this ground the apostle puts the obligation to support the ministers of the gospel; 1Co 9:11. It becomes a matter of “debt” where the hearer of the gospel “receives,” in spiritual blessings, far more than he confers by supporting the ministry. Every man who contributes his due proportion to support the gospel may receive far more, in return, in his own peace, edification, and in the order and happiness of his family, than his money could purchase in any other way. The “gain” is on his side, and the money is not lost. The minister is not a beggar; and what is necessary to his support is not almsgiving. He has an equitable claim - as much as a physician, or a lawyer, or a teacher of youth has - on the necessaries and comforts of life.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of…
For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also--"they owe it also"
to minister unto them in carnal things--(Compare Co1 9:11; Gal 6:6; and see Luk 7:4; Act 10:2).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 27. Spiritual… carnal—or secular. The apostle gave his services…
27. Spiritual… carnal—or secular. The apostle gave his services to the Church, but he fully believed that the minister was as truly entitled to his compensation as the attorney or the carpenter. It may be his duty to God to go; but man has no right to claim his services for nothing. It is doubtless a great injustice that pays the merchant and the politician a fortune, but pays to the teacher and preacher a pittance on which he painfully economizes in mid-life with a prospect of penury in age.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 27. It hath pleased them verily] Lit. For they…
27. It hath pleased them verily] Lit. For they were pleased; an exact repetition of the first words of Rom_15:26; a note of kindly irony. St Paul was far from thinking with real coldness of these gifts of Christian love: see 2 Corinthians 8, 9.
and their debtors they are] “Debtors” is emphatic. The two reasons stand side by side; the givers’ goodwill, and their duty.
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For if the Gentiles, &c.] Lit. For if (or as) the Gentiles shared in their spiritual things, they are bound even in fleshly things to serve them.—“Even in fleshly things:”—i.e., as well as in spiritual things. Such should be their gratitude as to think no service, however earthly its guise, beneath them.—“To serve them:”—the verb is cognate with the Gr. of “minister,” Rom_15:16; where see note. It is significant here: the Gentiles should look on their charitable gifts as a solemn and sacred service, as at an altar.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (27) It hath pleased them.—It pleased the Macedonians and…
(27) It hath pleased them.—It pleased the Macedonians and Achaians to make their contribution. And, indeed, they owed a debt to the church at Jerusalem which it was their duty, so well as they could, to discharge.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 27. Their debtors they are. It pleased these Gentile…
27. Their debtors they are. It pleased these Gentile Christians to help those at Jerusalem, and, besides, they were under obligation to them, for the church at Jerusalem was the center from which the gospel had been spread abroad.
Why the need of this contribution for the church at Jerusalem? This is often asked. (1) Because it was mainly composed in the start of the poor. (2) Because it had undergone persecution, and this always impoverishes, not only because members are spoiled of their goods, but because they are driven from their employments. Hence, this church, at the center of conflict, and with a great number of poor, had need of the aid of the saints elsewhere, where they were more favored with the worldly blessings.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain Yea, it hath been their good pleasure [The apostle…
Yea, it hath been their good pleasure [The apostle twice notes the free-will or "good pleasure" nature of this offering. It dropped as the ripe fruit of the orchard; it was not squeezed as cider in the mill]; and their debtors they are. [The Gentiles are indebted to the Jews, and hence their offering is but a proper expression of gratitude.] For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to minister unto them in carnal things . [Salvation is from the Jews ( Joh_4:22 ). If, therefore, the Gentiles received eternal and heavenly treasure from the Jews, how small a matter was it that they make return of temporal and earthly treasure to such benefactors. The Gentile still owes this debt to the Jewish race, for of it came the Christ and the Scriptures. The law here announced might well be remembered by many rich congregations in dealing with their ministers in questions of salary, vacations, etc. (Comp. Luk_16:9 ) By mentioning this offering, Paul sowed good seed in the heart of the Roman Church--seed promising a harvest of liberality.]
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 15:27 they owe a real debt: Gentile Christians owe…
15:27 they owe a real debt: Gentile Christians owe their spiritual existence to God’s work among the Israelites (see 11:17-24).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.