Charles Ellicott Commentary Romans 16:20

"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." — Romans 16:20 (ASV)

The God of peace.—We can well understand how the Apostle, in the midst of “fightings without and fears within,” should look forward with joyous confidence to the time when, for both him and his readers, all this turmoil and conflict would give way to “peace.” The reference seems to be to his near expectation of the Messiah’s return, and with it the final victory of the faith.

The Romans have not yet begun to feel the bitterness of divisions; he foresees a time when they will. But beyond that, he foresees a further time when all will be hushed and quelled, and the Great Adversary himself forever overthrown.

Bruise.—With reference to Genesis 3:15.

The grace. . . .—The more correct reading of the benediction is simply: The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you, the other words being omitted. The four principal Graeco-Latin Codices omit the benediction here altogether and insert it in Romans 16:24, where it also appears in the Received text, though lacking in manuscripts of the best type.