Personal Greetings
16 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[Or servant ][The word deacon refers here to a Christian designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8,12.] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
3 Greet Priscilla[Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla] and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.
Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] [ Some manuscripts include here May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.]
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[Or that is] faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
NOTES:
16:1–23 Some authorities regard these verses as a later
addition to the letter, but in general the evidence favors the view that they
were included in the original. Paul endeavors through the long list of
greetings (Rom 16:3–16, 21–23) to establish strong personal contact with
congregations that he has not personally encountered before. The combination of
Jewish and Gentile names dramatically attests the unity in the gospel that
transcends previous barriers of nationality, religious ceremony, or racial
status.
16:1 Minister: in Greek, diakonos; see note on Phil 1:1.
16:3 Prisca and Aquila: presumably the couple mentioned at
Acts 18:2; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tm 4:19.
16:5 The church at their house: i.e., that meets there. Such
local assemblies (cf. 1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; Phlm 2) might consist of only one
or two dozen Christians each. It is understandable, therefore, that such
smaller groups might experience difficulty in relating to one another on
certain issues. Firstfruits: cf. Rom 8:23; 11:16; 1 Cor 16:15.
16:7 The name Junia is a woman’s name. One ancient Greek
manuscript and a number of ancient versions read the name “Julia.” Most editors
have interpreted it as a man’s name, Junias.
16:13 This Rufus cannot be identified to any degree of
certainty with the Rufus of Mk 15:21.
16:17–18 Paul displays genuine concern for the congregations
in Rome by warning them against self-seeking teachers. It would be a great
loss, he intimates, if their obedience, which is known to all (cf. Rom 1:8),
would be diluted.
16:20 This verse contains the only mention of Satan in
Romans.
16:23 This Erastus is not necessarily to be identified with
the Erastus of Acts 19:22 or of 2 Tm 4:20.
16:24 Some manuscripts add, similarly to Rom 16:20, “The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
16:25–27 This doxology is assigned variously to the end of Rom
14; 15; 16 in the manuscript tradition. Some manuscripts omit it entirely.
Whether written by Paul or not, it forms an admirable conclusion to the letter
at this point.
16:25 Paul’s gospel reveals the mystery kept secret for long
ages: justification and salvation through faith, with all the implications for
Jews and Gentiles that Paul has developed in the letter.
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