Romans 16

Verse-by-verse explanation

1. Romans 16:1Phebe was probably the one who carried this letter from Paul to Rome, a task of trust that included being able to explain its contents if anyone had questions. Cenchrea was the port of the city of Corinth, from where Paul was writing.
2. Romans 16:2He continues the recommendation of Phebe begun in the previous verse: Paul asks the community to welcome her well and help her with whatever she needs, noting how she herself had already helped many people, including Paul.
3. Romans 16:3This couple, Priscilla and Aquila, appears in several places in the New Testament working alongside Paul. It stands out that here, as in other passages, the wife's name comes before the husband's, an unusual order by the standards of the time, which suggests she held a prominent role.
4. Romans 16:4About Priscilla and Aquila, mentioned in the previous verse: Paul reveals that this couple risked their own lives for him at some unspecified point, and for that they are remembered with gratitude even by the churches formed of Gentiles.
5. Romans 16:5Besides the couple, Paul also greets the church that met in their house, a common practice at the time since there were no church buildings, along with Epenetus, the first convert from the region of Asia.
6. Romans 16:6He greets Mary, identified only by the hard work she did for the community, one of several examples of active women in the Roman church mentioned in this chapter.
7. Romans 16:7“Junia” is a woman's name, and this reference has generated much discussion throughout history. Some manuscripts and translations tried to make the name masculine, but the original text points to a woman recognized among the apostles of that group.
8. Romans 16:8He continues the list of personal greetings, mentioning Amplias, called “beloved in the Lord,” a common name among slaves and freedmen in the Roman empire.
9. Romans 16:9He greets Urbane, a fellow worker in Christian labor, and Stachys, another name typical of servile origin in Roman society at the time.
10. Romans 16:10He greets Apelles, described as “approved in Christ,” possibly someone who had already passed through some test of faithfulness, and the household of Aristobulus, without necessarily including Aristobulus himself as a Christian.
11. Romans 16:11He greets Herodion, called a kinsman of Paul (probably a fellow Jew, not a blood relative), and those of the household of Narcissus who are Christians, distinguishing them from the rest of the family.
12. Romans 16:12He greets three women by name, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis, all described with the same praise given to Mary earlier: the hard work they did for the community.
13. Romans 16:13He greets Rufus, possibly the same Rufus mentioned in the Gospel of Mark as the son of Simon of Cyrene, and his mother, whom Paul treats with affection as though she were also his own mother.
14. Romans 16:14He greets a group of five men at once, names common among Roman freedmen and slaves of the time, which suggests a group of Christians of humbler social background.
15. Romans 16:15He greets another group, including Julia and the sister of Nereus, closing out this long list that shows how large and diverse the Roman church already was, even though Paul had never visited the city.
16. Romans 16:16The kiss was a common greeting between relatives and close friends in the ancient world, and it also became a greeting practice among the earliest Christians as a sign of brotherhood. The word “holy” marks that it was not a romantic gesture, but a ritual of welcome.
17. Romans 16:17He suddenly changes tone: after so many friendly greetings, Paul inserts a serious warning about people who cause divisions and teach things contrary to what the church had already learned.
18. Romans 16:18He explains the reason for this concern: those who cause division are not really serving Christ, but their own interests, deceiving naive people with fine-sounding speech.
19. Romans 16:19Paul softens the warning by praising the Romans' already well-known obedience, but still recommends a balance: wisdom to recognize what is good, and innocence, in the sense of not getting involved with evil.
20. Romans 16:20He ends this warning with a promise of victory: the same God of peace mentioned at the end of chapter 15 will also quickly crush the opposition represented by Satan.
21. Romans 16:21Paul adds greetings from people who are with him at the time of writing, including Timotheus, his best-known coworker from other letters.
22. Romans 16:22Ancient letters were normally dictated aloud for a scribe to write down by hand, since writing was a technical skill separate from composing the text. Tertius was that scribe, and here he takes the chance to add his own greeting, giving a brief glimpse of how the letter was actually produced.
23. Romans 16:23He continues the greetings from those with Paul: Gaius, who hosted both him and the local church's meetings, and Erastus, a public official serving as the city's treasurer, showing that there were Christians also among government officials.
24. Romans 16:24In some ancient manuscripts, this closing blessing appears repeated, possibly because of how the letter was read aloud and copied over time.
25. Romans 16:25He begins the letter's final doxology, a kind of prayer of praise: God has power to establish the readers according to the gospel Paul preached, a plan that was kept secret for a long time before being revealed.
26. Romans 16:26He continues the doxology explaining how this hidden plan was revealed: through the prophetic writings of the Old Testament themselves, now understood in the light of Christ, with the goal of bringing all nations to faith.
27. Romans 16:27He closes the entire letter with one final ascription of glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever.