Romans 16

I want to introduce you to our sister Phoebe. She serves the church at Cenchrea.

1I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

Note"I commend unto you" is the formal language of a letter of introduction. In a world with no other way to verify a stranger, a traveler carried a letter from someone the host community trusted; Phoebe was almost certainly the person carrying this letter to Rome. The word behind "servant" is diakonos, which can mean a helper in a general sense or can be a title for a recognized position in a congregation, the office later called deacon. The Greek does not settle which is meant. Cenchrea was the eastern harbor town of Corinth, about seven miles from the city itself.

2Welcome her as a follower of the Lord, in the way God's people should. Help her with anything she needs from you. She has been a great help to many people, and to me too.

2That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.

Note"Saints" in the King James does not mean unusually holy individuals singled out from the rest. It translates a word meaning "holy ones," that is, people set apart, and Paul uses it of every member of the congregation. "Business" in 1611 English means any matter or affair whatever, not commerce in particular. "Succourer" translates prostatis, a patron: a person of standing and money who supported others with funds, housing, and legal backing. Patronage was a recognized social role in Roman life, and the word implies Phoebe had means of her own.

3Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who work alongside me in serving Christ Jesus.

3Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

Note"Helpers" translates a word meaning fellow workers, colleagues doing the same job, not assistants of lower rank. This couple appear elsewhere as tentmakers who had been forced out of Rome when the emperor Claudius expelled Jews from the city, and who had since returned. Paul calls the wife Priscilla here, a pet form of the name Prisca used elsewhere.

4They risked their own lives to save mine. I am thankful for them, and so are all the churches made up of people who are not Jewish.

4Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

Note"Laid down their own necks" is an idiom, not a description of something that happened. The picture is of stretching out your neck for the executioner's blade. It means they put themselves at risk of death on his behalf.

5Also greet the church that meets in their house. Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus. He was the first person in Achaia to belong to Christ.

5Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

NoteThere were no church buildings in this period. A congregation met in the house of whichever member had a room large enough, so a single city might hold several such groups. "Firstfruits" is a farming term: the first portion of a harvest to come in, brought as an offering ahead of the rest. Applied to a person, it means the first convert in a region, with more expected to follow. On the region itself the manuscripts differ: the copies the King James translators used read Achaia, southern Greece, while the oldest surviving copies read Asia, the Roman province on the western coast of what is now Turkey.

6Greet Mary, who worked very hard for us.

6Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.

7Greet Andronicus and Junia. They are my relatives, and they were in prison with me. They stand out among the apostles, and they belonged to Christ before I did.

7Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

NoteThree things here are open. "Kinsmen" can mean blood relatives or simply fellow Jews, and Paul uses the same word of several people in this chapter. "Of note among the apostles" can mean either that they were outstanding members of the group called apostles or that the apostles thought highly of them; the Greek phrasing permits both. And Junia is a common Roman woman's name, though some later copyists and translators took it as a shortened man's name, Junias, which is not otherwise found anywhere.

8Greet Amplias, whom I love as a fellow follower of the Lord.

8Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.

9Greet Urbanus, who works with us in serving Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

9Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

10Greet Apelles, who has proved himself as a follower of Christ. Greet the people in the household of Aristobulus.

10Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household.

NoteA Roman "household" meant the slaves, former slaves, and dependents attached to an estate, not the owner's family. Greeting the household of Aristobulus says nothing about Aristobulus himself, who may well have been dead or not a believer. The same applies to Narcissus in the next verse.

11Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet the people in the household of Narcissus who belong to the Lord.

11Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.

12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who work hard in the Lord's service. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord's service.

12Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.

NoteTryphena and Tryphosa are two forms of the same root, which means something like "delicate" or "dainty." Paired names built this way commonly belonged to sisters, and sometimes to twins.

13Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and greet his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

13Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

Note"Chosen in the Lord" translates a word meaning picked out or select, the sense in which one speaks of choice fruit. Here it functions as a compliment to Rufus, in the same way the other names in this list carry a phrase of praise.

14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the believers who are with them.

14Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.

NoteThese names, and those in the next verse, are of the kind borne by slaves and freed slaves in Rome. The phrases "the brethren which are with them" and "all the saints which are with them" suggest two further groups meeting somewhere other than the house mentioned in verse 5.

15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God's people who are with them.

15Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.

16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches that belong to Christ send you their greetings.

16Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

NoteA kiss on the cheek was the ordinary greeting between family members and close associates around the Mediterranean, roughly where a handshake or hug would stand today. Calling it "holy" marks it as the greeting used within the congregation, not as a different physical gesture.

17Now I am asking you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who split you into groups and put obstacles in your way, things that go against what you were taught. Stay away from them.

17Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Note"Mark them" in 1611 English means keep your eye on them, watch them closely. It does not mean label them or single them out publicly. "Offences" translates skandala, the trigger of a trap or something laid in a path to trip a person, so the sense is obstacles rather than insults.

18People like that are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ. They are serving their own appetites. With smooth words and flattery they fool people who trust too easily.

18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

Note"Their own belly" translates a word for the stomach or gut, used as a figure for physical appetite generally. "Fair speeches" means flattering talk, speech designed to please. "Simple" here carries its older sense of unsuspecting or easily taken in, not unintelligent.

19Everyone has heard how you obey God, so I am glad about you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, and to have nothing to do with what is evil.

19For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

Note"Is come abroad" means has spread widely and become common knowledge; it has nothing to do with foreign travel. "Simple concerning evil" uses a different word from the one in verse 18: it means unmixed or unadulterated, hence untouched by, with no experience of.

20The God who gives peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the undeserved kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

20And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Note"Bruise" was a much stronger word in 1611 than now, meaning to crush or pound to pieces. The image of crushing underfoot echoes the words spoken to the serpent in Genesis 3:15. "Satan" is a Hebrew word meaning the adversary or accuser.

21Timothy, who works with me, sends you his greetings. So do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.

21Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.

NoteTimotheus is simply the full Greek form of the name usually given in English as Timothy. "Workfellow" means fellow worker.

22I am Tertius, the one writing this letter down, and I greet you as a fellow follower of the Lord.

22I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

NoteLetters were normally dictated to a trained scribe who wrote them down, often in shorthand first and then in a fair copy. Tertius is that scribe, and here he breaks into the letter to add his own greeting in his own voice before handing the pen back.

23Gaius sends you his greetings. He is my host, and he opens his home to the whole church here. Erastus, who handles the city's money, sends greetings, and so does our brother Quartus.

23Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.

Note"Mine host" means the man in whose house Paul was lodging, not an innkeeper. "Chamberlain of the city" translates oikonomos, the official who managed public funds, a civic post of real standing; the equivalent title today would be city treasurer.

24May the undeserved kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

24The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

ManuscriptsMost modern translations leave this verse out. It is in the Greek text the King James translators worked from, but not in the older manuscripts found since, so scholars generally take it as a copyist’s addition rather than part of the original.

NoteThis verse is missing from the oldest surviving manuscripts, which is why many modern Bibles jump from verse 23 to verse 25, or print verse 24 only in a footnote. It repeats the blessing already given in verse 20.

25Now think of the One who is able to make you strong. He does it through the good news I preach and the message about Jesus Christ. That message uncovers a plan that was kept secret for long ages,

25Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Note"Stablish" is the older form of establish, meaning to make firm or set on a solid footing. "Mystery" translates mysterion, which in this period did not mean a puzzle to be solved but a matter that had been kept back and has now been disclosed. "Since the world began" renders a phrase meaning through long ages or in times long past.

26but has now been brought out into the open. Through the writings of the prophets, and by the command of the God who lives forever, it has been made known to all nations, so that they may trust God and obey him.

26But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Note"Made manifest" means brought into the open, made visible. "The obedience of faith" is genuinely ambiguous in the Greek: it can mean the obedience that consists of trusting, or the obedience that results from trusting, or obedience to the faith understood as a body of teaching.

27To God, the only one who is truly wise, be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

27To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Note"To God only wise" follows the word order of the Greek, where "only" attaches to God rather than to wise. The sense is "to the only wise God," not "to God, who is merely wise."