Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
Parallel translations
- WEB that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest.
- KJV That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
- BSB so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
- NKJV that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.
- NASB so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and relax in your company.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul prays that, God willing, he may come to them with joy and find refreshment in their company. He looks forward to mutual rest and gladness in fellowship.
Overview
Paul's hope is that, by God's will, his Jerusalem mission will end well and he will reach Rome joyfully, to be refreshed among the believers. The phrase 'through the will of God' shows his submission to divine providence over his plans. The longing for shared rest underscores the warmth of Christian fellowship as a source of mutual encouragement and renewal.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- 1 Cor 16:18For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge those who are like that.
- Phlm 1:20Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
- Phlm 1:7For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
- Acts 18:21but taking his leave of them, and saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
- 2 Cor 7:13Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
- 2 Tim 1:16May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain,
- Acts 27:41–43But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.
- 1 Cor 4:19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
- Rom 15:23–24but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you,
- Jas 4:15For you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.”
- Prov 25:13As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.
- Acts 27:1When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.
- Acts 28:15–16From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God, and took courage.
- Acts 28:30–31Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who were coming to him,
- Phil 1:12–14Now I desire to have you know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have turned out rather to the progress of the Good News;
- Rom 1:10–13requesting, if by any means now at last I may be prospered by the will of God to come to you.
- 1 Th 3:6–10But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you;
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 15:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.