Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Romans 15:21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse grounds that frontier aim in Isaiah's vision of the uninformed seeing and understanding.
Read It With
- Romans 15:14–21
Read Romans 15:21 with 15:14–21. This verse grounds that frontier aim in Isaiah's vision of the uninformed seeing and understanding. The complete unit establishes: Paul describes his Gentile mission as grace-given, Spirit-empowered, priestly service while honoring the Romans and refusing credit for work Christ did not accomplish through him.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The personal explanation connects the letter's theology to Paul's actual mission and travel plans. Within that movement, this verse grounds that frontier aim in Isaiah's vision of the uninformed seeing and understanding.
What Remains True
This verse grounds that frontier aim in Isaiah's vision of the uninformed seeing and understanding. This supports the unit's enduring claim: Paul describes his Gentile mission as grace-given, Spirit-empowered, priestly service while honoring the Romans and refusing credit for work Christ did not accomplish through him.
How It Can Shape Life
- Use Romans 15:21 by attending to its actual contribution: it grounds that frontier aim in Isaiah's vision of the uninformed seeing and understanding. In the complete unit, this leads to the following response: Honor local maturity, report only verifiable work, and reject celebrity ownership of communities.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Romans 15:14–21 — Paul Frames His Gentile Mission as Priestly Gospel ServiceSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Romans 15:14–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 15:14–21
Open the Romans Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - Romans with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 15:14–21, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open NET Romans 15 notes