Romans 15:11

Study note

Setting — Paul addresses the Roman church by quoting Scripture to demonstrate the inclusion of Gentiles in God's plan. He places this citation between Romans 15:10 and Romans 15:12 to frame a sequence of Old Testament proofs for Gentile participation.

The words — The Greek αἰνεῖτε (aineite) carries the literal sense "do praise," and ἔθνη (ethnē) translates to "Gentiles" or "nations." These terms form the direct imperative and subject of the quoted command.

The thread — The text explicitly cites Psalms 117:1, which commands all nations and peoples to extol the Lord. This quotation continues the immediate context of Romans 15:10 and Romans 15:12, which also pull from the Old Testament to validate Gentile inclusion.

Why it lands — The verse states a direct command for Gentiles to praise and extol the Lord. It requires the reader to accept that corporate worship extends to all peoples without ethnic exclusion.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.