Although the Greek reads simply “Macedonia and Greece,” Paul evidently means by this the churches in Macedonia and Greece. Macedonia was a province immediately north of Greece, the Roman province of Achaia.

The verb rendered have freely decided (Revised Standard Version “have been pleased”; New American Bible “kindly decided”) is merely rendered “have decided” by some (Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt; New English Bible “resolved”; An American Translation* “determined”). The verb does mean “to decide,” but it always implies that a decision has been made because the people were happy to make it. This combination of ideas may be expressed in some languages as “were glad to decide” or “decided with happy hearts.”

The word translated offering (Revised Standard Version, An American Translation*, Moffatt, New American Bible “contribution”; New English Bible “a common fund”; Jerusalem Bible “a generous contribution”) is a word which in other contexts may mean “fellowship” or “sharing.” Here it has the specific meaning the translations give it. In some languages to give an offering may be “to give money to” or “to give money as a gift to.”

The poor among God’s people is literally “the poor of the saints” (see verse 25 and 1.7). The poor among God’s people in Jerusalem may be translated in a number of ways: “those who are God’s people in Jerusalem and who are poor,” “those who belong to God’s people in Jerusalem and who are poor,” or “the poor who are counted with God’s people in Jerusalem.”

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 .