Romans 15:13 · Bible study
Romans 15:13 Commentary: God of Hope Fills with Joy and Peace by the Spirit
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul prays that the God of hope would fill believers with joy and peace through faith, so they overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit's power.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A prayer for God to fill believers with joy and peace through faith so that they overflow with hope by the Holy Spirit’s power.
- Key words: hope (elpis), joy (chara), peace (eirēnē), believing (pisteuō), power (dunamis), Holy Spirit (pneuma hagion).
- Main debate: Whether “God of hope” means God as the author of hope or the object of hope (Calvin notes both options).
- Theological theme: The Holy Spirit produces Christian hope through the means of faith, manifesting as joy and peace.
- Best use: As a benediction, personal prayer, or model for interceding for others’ spiritual growth.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.
KJV King James Version 1769
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and the God of the hope shall fill you with all joy and peace in the believing, for your abounding in the hope in power of the Holy Spirit.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that ye should abound in hope by [the] power of [the] Holy Spirit.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing: that you may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Ghost.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y el Dios de esperanza os llene de todo gozo y paz creyendo, para que abundéis en esperanza por la virtud del Espíritu Santo.
O Deus da esperança vos encha de toda alegria e paz na fé, para que abundeis em esperança no poder do Espírito Santo.
Que le Dieu de l’ espérance vous remplisse de toute joie et de toute paix dans la foi, pour que vous abondiez en espérance, par la puissance du Saint-Esprit!
Der Gott aber der Hoffnung erfülle euch mit aller Freude und Frieden im Glauben, daß ihr völlige Hoffnung habet durch die Kraft des heiligen Geistes.
De God nu der hoop vervulle ulieden met alle blijdschap en vrede in het geloven, opdat gij overvloedig moogt zijn in de hoop, door de kracht des Heiligen Geestes.
Or l’Iddio della speranza vi riempia d’ogni allegrezza e d’ogni pace nel vostro credere, onde abbondiate nella speranza, mediante la potenza dello Spirito Santo.
A Bóg nadziei niech was napełni wszelką radością i pokojem w wierze, abyście obfitowali w nadziei przez moc Ducha Świętego.
Бог же надежды да исполнит вас всякой радости и мира в вере, дабы вы, силою Духа Святаго, обогатились надеждою.
但願 使人有盼望的 神，因 信 將諸般的 喜樂、 平安 充滿 你們的心，使 你們 藉著 聖 靈 的能力 大有 盼望！
Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Romans 15:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Romans 15:13 is a concluding prayer, taking up the theme of hope from the preceding quotation of Isaiah 11:10. Barnes notes that the God of hope is the God who produces Christian hope. Gill calls him the author and object of this grace, while Calvin gives both options: the giver of hope or the one in whom hope is placed. The request is that believers would be filled, Matthew Henry stresses the word, with joy and peace through believing. This joy and peace arise from faith, as the epistle has argued (Romans 5:1; 14:17). The goal is that they may overflow in hope, and this abundance comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Clarke says the Spirit seals the fulfillment of promises on the heart. Cambridge Bible points out that “in believing” sums up the whole argument of the epistle. All agree that the verse depends entirely on God’s grace: Paul prays for what he commands, as Calvin observes.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Paul prays that the God of hope would fill believers with joy and peace through faith, resulting in an overflow of hope that is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| God of hope | Christians agree that God is the source of all true hope. | Some understand the phrase to mean God as the giver or author of hope (Barnes, Gill, Calvin), while others emphasize God as the object in whom hope is placed (Calvin also offers this, citing 1 Timothy 6:17). Both readings are grammatically possible and complement each other. |
| In believing (en tō pisteuein) | Faith is the means through which joy and peace are received. | Some see this as the instrument by which believers are justified (consistent with the epistle’s earlier argument), while others read it as the ongoing sphere of trust in which joy and peace thrive (Cambridge Bible, Matthew Henry). The preposition en allows both nuances. |
| Joy and peace | Both are gifts from God that come through faith in Christ. | Some interpreters stress peace as primarily inner tranquility with God (Romans 5:1), while others emphasize relational peace among believers, given the context of unity between Jews and Gentiles in Romans 15 (Calvin, Matthew Henry). |
| Abound in hope | Hope is a confident expectation of eternal salvation, given by God. | Poole speaks of a plērophoria, or full assurance. Others see it as a call for ongoing growth in hope rather than a fixed state. The verb perisseuein suggests abundance, but whether that abundance is quantitative (more hope) or qualitative (deeper confidence) is debated. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Romans 15:13 stands near the end of Paul's letter to a church in Rome that included both Jewish and Gentile believers. In the verses just before (vv.9-12), Paul chains together Old Testament quotations showing that the Gentiles join Israel in hoping in the Messiah, the root of Jesse. That hope triggers this prayer.
Paul now shifts to a doxological style. The opening phrase “God of hope” translates ho theos tēs elpidos, with the definite article: the God of the hope. This echoes Jeremiah 14:8, where God is called “you hope of Israel,” and Joel 3:16, where he is a refuge. Wesley adds a striking cultural note: the pagan temple of Hope (Spes) in Rome had been built, then burned by lightning, a sign that the true God alone is the source of hope. The prayer itself models how to pray for spiritual blessings, as Matthew Henry observes: we should address God by attributes that match our request.
The phrase “in believing” (en tō pisteuein) is a present infinitive, continuous, active trust. This is not a one-time act but an ongoing stance. Paul’s prayer is that this faith would produce joy and peace. And the final purpose, “that you may abound in hope,” echoes Romans 5:1-5, where suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope that does not disappoint, because the Holy Spirit has poured out God’s love. Here the Spirit’s power is the agent that causes hope to overflow.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries and critical editions note no significant textual variants for Romans 15:13. The Greek text is stable across manuscript traditions.
Reception History
This verse has been treasured in the church as a prayer for spiritual blessing. Wesley draws attention to the Roman temple of Hope (Spes) that was burned by lightning, contrasting it with the living God who truly gives hope. Matthew Henry uses the verse as a model for approaching God in prayer, focusing on his attributes. It has been sung in hymns of consecration and often used as a benediction in both Protestant and Catholic liturgies, reflecting the Trinitarian shape of the prayer: the God of hope, faith, and the Holy Spirit’s power. The verse continues to comfort believers who struggle with discouragement, directing them to the Spirit’s work as the source of abiding hope.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The God of Hope. Paul prays to God as the source and object of Christian hope. He is the one who gives hope and the one in whom hope rests (Gill, Calvin). This means our hope is not a feeling we manufacture; it flows from who God is.
- Filled with Joy and Peace through Believing. Faith is the channel for joy and peace. Joy is not happiness based on circumstances; peace is not the absence of trouble. They come from trusting God’s promises in Christ (Matthew Henry, Barnes).
- Abounding in Hope by the Spirit’s Power. The goal is not a little hope but an overflowing abundance. This is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit, who seals God’s promises on our hearts (Clarke, Poole).
Five-point outline
- The Address: “Now may the God of hope.” God’s character grounds our expectation.
- The Request: “Fill you with all joy and peace.” The verb plērōsai (aorist optative) is a prayer for a completed filling.
- The Means: “In believing.” Faith is the atmosphere where joy and peace live.
- The Goal: “That you may abound in hope.” The word perisseuein means to overflow, have more than enough.
- The Agent: “In the power of the Holy Spirit.” All this happens by his enablement, not our effort.
Illustration hooks
- A cup held under a tap: faith is the open hand that receives. When the tap of God’s grace flows, joy and peace fill the cup until it overflows with hope.
- A ship’s anchor in a storm: hope holds the believer steady. The anchor is not the ship itself but something outside it. The Holy Spirit’s power is the chain that connects the anchor to the ship (Hebrews 6:19).
- A fire fanned by bellows: the Spirit fans the embers of faith, joy and peace into a flame of confident hope.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I feel joy and peace when my life is falling apart?
- What does it mean to “abound” in hope? Isn’t even a small hope enough?
- Why is the Holy Spirit’s power necessary for hope? Can’t I just try harder?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a prayer that Paul prays for the Roman believers. It connects three great gifts, joy, peace, and hope, with faith and the Holy Spirit. As you discuss, notice that Paul does not command the believers to have these things; he asks God to give them. This sets the tone for how we depend on God for spiritual growth.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about how Paul addresses God here? Why does he call him “the God of hope”?
- Paul prays that believers would be “filled with all joy and peace.” What does it mean to be filled? How is that different from having some joy or peace?
- The phrase “in believing” (Greek: en tō pisteuein) is a present tense infinitive, ongoing faith. Why does Paul link joy and peace specifically to faith?
- What is the relationship between joy, peace, and hope? Which comes first? Can you have hope without joy?
- How does the Holy Spirit’s power produce hope? Look at Romans 5:5 as a cross-reference. What does the Spirit do?
- In what areas of your life right now do you most need God to fill you with joy and peace through trusting him?
- How could you pray this verse for someone else this week? Try rewriting it as a prayer using your own words.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 55:12 | For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. |
| Jeremiah 14:8 | You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside to stay for a night? |
| Joel 3:16 | Yahweh will roar from Zion, and thunder from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth will shake; but Yahweh will be a refuge to his people, and a stronghold to the children of Israel. |
| John 14:1 | “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. |
| John 14:27 | Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. |
| Romans 5:4 | and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; |
| Romans 5:5 | and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. |
| Romans 12:12 | rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke links the God of hope to the specific promises God made to both Jews and Gentiles, which he punctually fulfilled. The prayer is for believers to receive joy and peace through faith, and then to enlarge their hopes for salvation, with the Holy Spirit both enabling that hope and sealing the fulfillment on their hearts.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies God as the origin and sustainer of the Christian hope, a hope that produces joy and peace. For him, being filled with this hope naturally prevents quarrels and disagreements. He emphasizes that only the Holy Spirit's power makes this hope grow strong.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God's commands are not suited to our natural strength; he gives them precisely to drive us to pray for his grace. He also notes that the "God of hope" may be either the author or object of hope, and that joy is mentioned before peace because it is more visible, like a stream.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
For this commentator, Paul's phrase "the God of hope" specifically points to the Christian's hope of glory, and the words "in believing" sum up the entire epistle's argument. With this verse, Paul turns from explicit doctrinal and practical instruction into a personal epilogue, leaving controversy behind for a joyful, heavenward expression.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that joy and peace in believing are the pathway to an overflowing hope. This hope does not come from human striving but is produced by the Holy Spirit's power, and God himself is the source who fills believers to abundance.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that God is both the giver and the object of Christian hope, which does not arise naturally but must be given and sustained by grace. The prayer for joy and peace is directed to this God of hope and comes through faith, with the Holy Spirit's power enabling believers to abound in hope itself.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees this verse as a closing prayer that gathers the whole letter's message into one petition. The God who gives hope fills believers with joy and peace directly through the act of believing, so that they may overflow with hope. This is accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that Paul addresses God as the God of hope because He is both the foundation and the worker of hope in believers. The prayer asks for joy and peace in believing, which are filling joys that satisfy the soul, unlike carnal joy which only puffs up but cannot truly fill it.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights the title "God of hope" as one the pagan world could never have conceived, since their own goddess Hope was an empty idol whose temple in Rome was struck by lightning and burned not once but twice. The true God alone is the source of real hope.