For this reason is perhaps best taken to refer back to Paul’s words at the beginning of verse 20, my ambition has always been to proclaim the Good News in places where Christ has not been heard of. However, for this reason seems to present an anomaly. Why should Paul’s desire to preach the Gospel where Christ had not been known prevent him, on many occasions, from visiting the Romans? It may mean that Paul was so busy going elsewhere to preach Christ that it was not possible for him to go to Rome, where obviously some persons had already heard about Jesus Christ.

I have been prevented may be perhaps more satisfactorily rendered in some languages as simply “I have been unable.” If this is to be rendered as an active expression, it may be valid to translate “circumstances have many times prevented me.” There is no reason for suggesting that God or the devil had prevented Paul from visiting Rome.

Many times is a different expression from the one used in 1.13; the word used here is stronger than the earlier expression. However, it is quite likely that both expressions should be translated in the same way.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .