The Grace Commentary – Your free verse-by-verse Bible commentary Romans 16

If you would like a printed version of this commentary, check out Die Gnadenbibel series.

Romans 16:1

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;

(a) Our sister Phoebe. Paul closes his letter by naming and praising more than two dozen people. At the top of his list is Phoebe, who probably delivered Paul’s letter and read it to the Roman believers. Phoebe was Paul’s chosen mouthpiece and the first preacher of his greatest work.

(b) A servant. Many translations follow the lead of the King James Version in calling Phoebe a servant. She was more than that. She was a deacon (diakonos) or minister in the church at Cenchrea (see next verse).

Further reading: The Silent Queen: Why the Church Needs Women to Find their Voice

(c) Church. The original noun ekklēsia is made up of two words that mean “out of” (ek) and “calling” (kaleō) and means “an assembly of called out people.” The word is translated as “church” about 100 times in the New Testament, and occasionally as “congregation” (Acts 7:38, Heb. 2:12) or “assembly” (Acts 19:32, 39, 41, Heb. 12:23).

(d) Cenchrea. The port city of Cenchrea was located about five miles southeast of Corinth. On an earlier missionary trip, Paul boarded a boat to Syria from Cenchrea (Acts 18:18).

Romans 16:2

that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.

(a) Receive her in the Lord. “Don’t treat her like a stranger, but welcome her as a sister in the Lord and a minister in the church.”

(b) Saints. Christians; see Eintrag for Rom. 1:7.

(c) A helper of many. This phrase might give the impression that Phoebe was merely a woman who made herself useful. However, the original word for helper (prostatis) makes it clear that Phoebe was a woman of means and influence. She was a champion, a guardian, a benefactor, and a patroness. It’s possible she was traveling to Rome for her own reason, and it is significant that Paul entrusted her to be the bearer of his letter.

Romans 16:3-4

Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;

(a) Prisca and Aquila were such dear friends that Paul called Prisca by the diminutive version of her name, Priscilla (Acts 18:2).

Prisca and Aquila were Jewish business people from Rome. Like other Jews, they had been expelled from the city by the emperor Claudius around AD 49/50. They relocated to Corinth, where they first met Paul (Acts 18:1–2). When Paul traveled to Ephesus, Prisca and Aquila accompanied him to support his ministry (Acts 18:18–19). After Paul left Ephesus, they remained behind to continue the work of the gospel and train leaders such as Apollos (Acts 18:26). Before long, they were leading a church that met in their home (1 Cor. 16:19). After Claudius’ death, Prisca and Aquila returned to Rome where they started another house church (verse 5). Their impact was so significant that Paul said the Gentile churches owed them a debt of gratitude.

(b) Fellow workers. Prisca and Aquila were leaders who opened their homes and hearts to those seeking grace and fellowship. They are two of a handful of people identified by Paul as fellow ministers. The others are Apollos, Clement, Urbanus, Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, Philemon, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Demas, and Luke (Rom. 16:9, 21, 1 Cor. 3:6–9, 2 Cor. 8:23, Php. 2:25, 4:3, Col. 4:10–11, Phm. 1:1).

(d) Risked their own necks. Prisca and Aquila had risked their lives for Paul, possibly during the riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:30, cf. 1 Cor. 15:32).

(e) Gentiles. Non-Jews; see Eintrag for Rom. 1:5.

Romans 16:5

also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.

(a) Church; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 16:1.

(b) House. The New Testament Christians met in houses, and in Rome, there were several house churches. One group met in the home of Prisca and Aquila. Others met in the homes of Aristobulus (verse 10), Narcissus (verse 11), Asyncritus (verse 14), and Philologus (verse 15).

(c) Epaenetus is mentioned nowhere else in scripture, but he was special to Paul. He was possibly the first person in Asia that Paul led to the Lord.

(d) My beloved. Although Paul referred to entire churches as “my beloved” (e.g., 1 Cor. 15:58), four individuals were called beloved friends. They were Epaenetus (Rom. 16:5), Ampliatus (Rom. 16:8), Stachys (Rom. 16:9), and Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17, 2 Tim. 1:2). Since Paul considered Timothy his spiritual son, his “true child in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2), it may be that these other three men were also converts of Paul’s. He had a special relationship with them because he had led them to the Lord.

(e) Asia was the name of the Roman province in western Asia Minor. Paul visited Ephesus, one of the province’s principle cities, several times.

Note that some Bible translations, such as the King James Version, say Epaenetus was from Achaia (Greece). The discrepancy comes from the underlying Greek manuscripts. Older, more reliable manuscripts have “Asia.”

Romans 16:6

Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.

(a) Mary of Rome worked hard and was praised by Paul. Nothing more about her is known. She is one of six women named Mary in the New Testament; see Eintrag for Matt. 1:18.

(b) Worked hard; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 16:12.

Romans 16:7

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

(a) Andronicus and his wife Junia were notable apostles who had been Christians longer than Paul.

(b) Junia. Some older Bibles turn Junia into a man by giving her the masculine name “Junias.” (Junia appears as Junias in the 1995 version of the NASB, but the error is corrected in the 2020 version of the NASB.)

(c) Kinsmen. The original adjective syngenēs can mean “relative” or “countryman.” Since Paul identifies no less than six kinsmen in this chapter, three in Rome and three in Corinth (Rom. 16:7, 11, 21), the latter meaning is more likely. Andronicus and Junia were fellow Jews.

(d) Fellow prisoners. Like Paul, who was frequently imprisoned (2 Cor. 11:23), Andronicus and Junia had been arrested on account of the gospel.

(e) The apostles. Like Peter, James, and Paul, Junia had been commissioned to preach the gospel, and she had paid a price for doing so—she had been arrested. This would never have happened to a Jewish woman or a Greek one. But the Christian women of the New Testament were different. Because of Jesus, women like Junia had found their voice. She was a holy troublemaker who spoke truth to power, and Paul thought she was outstanding.

Weiterlesen: „Women pastors in the Bible”

(f) In Christ before me. Andronicus and Junia were “in Christ” before Paul which means they were among the earliest disciples. They had been Christians since at least the time of Stephen. They may been numbered among those who had seen the Risen Lord (see 1 Cor. 15:5–6).

Some say that humanity was included in Christ’s death and resurrection and that all are in Christ. Paul would not have agreed. Paul said things like “If Christ is in you” (Rom. 8:10) and “If anyone is in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17). We are put into Christ when we believe the gospel. “You were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth and believed the gospel of your salvation” (see Eph. 1:13). This is why Paul could say Andronicus and Junia were in Christ before him.

Weiterlesen: „The myth of exclusionism”

Romans 16:8–9

Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

(a) Ampliatus and Stachys were two of four people Paul calls “my beloved.” They may have been men that Paul personally had led to the Lord; see Eintrag for Rom. 16:5.

(b) Fellow worker. Urbanus is one of several people identified by Paul as a fellow minister of grace; see Eintrag for Rom. 16:3.

Romans 16:10–11

Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.

(a) Apelles was a mature believer who had faced trials and had come through with flying colors. The original adjective for “approved” (dokimos) can be translated as “tested” and “proven genuine.”

(b) Household. The words are italicized to show they are not in the original text but are implied. Paul does not greet Aristobulus and Narcissus, but the believers who lived in their households, namely their servants and slaves.

(c) Aristobulus. Scholars have long wondered if this Aristobulus was the grandson of Herod the Great who was educated in Rome and was a friend of the emperor Claudius.

(d) Herodion was one of three kinsmen Paul had in Rome (see Eintrag for Rom. 16:7). His name suggests a connection with the family of Herod.

(e) Narcissus. Scholars have also wondered if this was the freed man who was influential under Claudius but later ordered to commit suicide by Nero. Much more than that we cannot say.

(f) In the Lord. All believers are “in the Lord.”

Romans 16:12

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.

(a) Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis. In addition to Phoebe (Rom. 16:1), Prisca (Rom 16:3), and Junia (Rom. 16:7), Paul greets four other hard-working women in his letter to the Romans. They were Mary (Rom. 16:6), Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis. These women were all fellow ministers of the gospel.

The New Testament writers did not forbid women from preaching and teaching. Instead, they commended those who taught well and received them as messengers of the gospel. Paul, in particular, recognized the labor of his female co-workers. He encouraged women to preach and teach and publicly praised those who did.

Weiterlesen: „Women preachers? Where’s that in the Bible?”

(b) Persis the beloved may have been an older woman who was dearly loved by all in the church.

(c) Worked hard. The original language suggests that these three women and Mary (verse 6) worked hard to the point of exhaustion. What work did they do to earn praise from Paul? They did the same work that he did: they preached and taught the gospel.

Romans 16:13

Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.

(a) Rufus may have been the son of Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21). If so, was he there when his father carried the Lord’s cross? Did he walk beside Christ to the hill of Calvary? Was he one of the men from Cyrene who later went to Antioch to plant the church that commissioned Paul (Acts 11:20)? If he was, we begin to understand why Paul calls him “a choice man in the Lord.”

(b) His mother. Paul does not name Rufus’s mother, but she is dear to him.

Romans 16:14–15

Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brethren with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

Paul greets two sets of five people and gives nods to others who are with them. Each group was probably a house church in Rome.

Romans 16:16

Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

(a) A holy kiss. Like the Jews before them (Gen. 27:26, Luke 7:45), the early Christians greeted one another with a kiss of friendship (Acts 20:37). Paul called this greeting a holy kiss (1 Cor. 16:20, 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Thess. 5:26). Peter called it a kiss of love (1 Pet. 5:14). The early Church Fathers called it a kiss of peace.

(b) Churches of Christ. Since the original word for churches (ekklēsia) can be interpreted as a public assembly (e.g., Acts 19:32, 39, 41, Heb. 12:23), Paul clarifies that he is referring to Christian assemblies (see also Gal. 1:22, 1 Th. 2:14). Most of the time when referring to the church, Paul does not feel the need to add this qualifier.

Romans 16:17

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

(a) Brethren. “My dear brothers and sisters in Rome.”

(b) Those who cause dissensions. “Beware divisive types who try to lead you away from the grace of God. Their anti-Christ message is dangerous.”

(c) Hindrances. The original noun skandalon is sometimes translated as “stumbling block” (Rom. 11:9, 14:13). Hindrances distract you from the gospel of Christ and weaken your faith. Paul doesn’t provide further details but he may be thinking of those who tried to push circumcision and dietary laws onto the church.

(d) Teaching. The gospel; see Eintrag for Rom. 6:17.

(e) The teaching which you learned is the gospel of Christ (Rom. 15:19).

Romans 16:18

For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

(a) Slaves… of their own appetites. Divisive people and false teachers are unspiritual and remain captive to the flesh. These enemies of the cross are out to line their pockets and make a name for themselves (Php. 3:18–19, 2 Pet. 2:14).

(b) Appetites. The original noun koilia can also be translated as “bellies” or “stomachs.” It’s the same word Paul uses when he says, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food” (1 Cor. 6:13). He could be thinking of those drunken and licentious types who were making pigs of themselves at Corinthian love feasts (1 Cor. 11:21).

(c) Smooth and flattering speech. False teachers quote scripture, make persuasive arguments, and charm those they are trying to seduce.

(d) The unsuspecting and the guileless. Just as Eve was innocent until she was deceived (2 Cor. 11:3), immature believers can be led astray by those preaching law or license. The best defense against deception is to hold fast to “the teaching which you learned”—that is, the gospel (verse 17).

Romans 16:19

For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

(a) The report of your obedience. “Everyone knows how you believed the gospel.” Paul says something similar to the Colossians (“We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus… (Col 1:4)) and the Ephesians (“Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus… (see Eph. 1:15)).

(b) Obedience. The Roman believers hadn’t just heard the gospel; they heeded it. They turned to God and put their faith in it; see Eintrag for Rom. 5:19.

(c) I am rejoicing over you. Few things made Paul happier than seeing people heeding the gospel and entering the kingdom.

(d) Wise; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 1:22.

(e) Wise in what is good. “Have such a deep understanding of God’s grace that you will not be distracted by counterfeit gospels or led astray by false teachers.”

(f) Innocent in what is evil. Having nothing to do with those who pervert the gospel to promote their own wicked agendas.

Romans 16:20

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

(a) The God of peace; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 15:33.

(b) Soon. The original noun tachos means “quickly,” “swiftly,” or “speedily” (e.g., Luke 18:8). Paul is referring to the day when Christ returns in glory (Rom. 2:5). “The day is near” (Rom. 13:12).

(c) Crush Satan under your feet. Paul says elsewhere that Jesus is waiting for his enemies to be placed under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25), but here he says that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet. Under whose feet is the enemy going? The Lord’s. Ours. All of the above.

(d) Satan. The original noun satanas means “adversary” or “accuser.” In the New Testament, it is used as a proper name for the devil, the adversary and accuser of God’s people (Rev. 12:9–10).

(e) The grace of our Lord Jesus refers to the grace of God that comes to us through his Son (John 1:16–17).

(f) Grace. Paul closes his letter by proclaiming grace. Grace is what makes the good news good news. May the grace of God be upon you as you read these words.

(g) Lord; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 1:4.

Romans 16:21

Timothy my fellow worker greets you, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

(a) Timothy. Having greeted more than two dozen people by name in Rome, Paul sends greetings from eight companions who are with him in Corinth. Timothy, Paul’s spiritual son and partner in the gospel, is listed first (1 Tim. 1:2, 18).

(b) Fellow worker; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 16:3.

(c) Lucius may have been one of the prophets and teachers in Antioch who recognized the call of God on Paul and commissioned him to be an apostle (Acts 13:1–2).

(d) Jason. This Jason may have been the Jason who sheltered Paul and Silas in Thessalonica and was subsequently dragged before the courts (Acts 17:5–9).

(e) Sosipater may have been the Sopater from Berea who accompanied Paul on his journey through Macedonia to Asia (Acts 20:4).

(f) My kinsmen. Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater were fellow Jews.

Romans 16:22

I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Tertius means “third,” which suggests Tertius was a slave. If so, he was an educated one, for he was Paul’s amanuensis or letter writer. Paul allowed him to add a personal greeting to the end of his letter.

Romans 16:23

Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother.

(a) Gaius was a common name shared by other men in the New Testament (Acts 19:29, 20:4, 3 John 1:1), but this was probably the same Gaius who was baptized by Paul in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:14).

(b) Host to me. Gaius hosted Paul and the church that met in his house. We might imagine Gaius and some of the other Corinthian believers listening to Paul as he dictated his letter to the Romans.

(d) Erastus, a civic official, was probably not the Erastus who traveled with Paul (Acts 19:22, 2 Tim. 4:20). A city treasurer is unlikely to go on long journeys abroad.

(e) Quartus, which means fourth, might have been the brother of Tertius (previous verse). According to traditions observed in the Eastern Orthodox Church, this was Quartus of Beirut, and one of the seventy disciples sent out by Jesus.

Romans 16:24

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

(a) The grace of our Lord Jesus; Paul repeats his benediction of Rom. 16:20. The verse is italicized because scholars are divided over whether Paul wrote it. (It is missing from some manuscripts.) In some Bibles, verse 24 is omitted entirely.

(b) Amen or “so be it.” See Eintrag for Rom. 1:25.

Romans 16:25

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,

(a) Establish. To set firmly in place; see Eintrag for Rom. 1:11.

(b) My gospel. “The gospel that I preach”; see Eintrag for Rom. 2:16.

(c) Preaching. The original noun kērygma means “a proclamation.” This is one of three words commonly translated as “preaching” in the New Testament. See Eintrag for Rom. 1:15.

(d) The mystery which had been kept secret and which was now revealed through the gospel is that God is with us, for us, and desires to be in spiritual union in us (see Col. 1:27). Religion portrays God as distant and aloof. But Jesus Christ reveals a God who loves us like a Father and wants to share his life with all of us (Eph. 3:4–6).

Sehen Eintrag for Mysteries of God.

Romans 16:26

but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

(a) Now is manifested. God’s eternal purposes, which were hidden in the Old Testament, are revealed in the New Testament (Eph. 3:5, Col. 1:26).

(b) Scriptures. The Hebrew Scriptures, a.k.a. the Old Testament, which contain the Law of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets.

(c) The commandment of the eternal God. It was God’s will to reveal his salvation plan at this time and make it known to all nations.

(d) Nations. All people, all tongues, all tribes.

(e) Obedience of faith; sehen Eintrag for Rom. 1:5.

Romans 16:27

to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

(a) Wise God. The only wise God is the Creator who made us, understands us, and knows how to rescue us from the power of sin. God alone is the source of all wisdom and understanding (Pro. 2:6, Rom. 11:33, Jas. 1:5).

(b) Through Jesus Christ the unfathomable wisdom of God has been revealed to all creation.

(d) Amen or “so be it.” See Eintrag for Rom. 1:25.

Der Grace-Kommentar ist in Arbeit und es werden regelmäßig neue Inhalte hinzugefügt. Melden Sie sich unten für gelegentliche Updates an. Haben Sie einen Vorschlag? Bitte nutzen Sie dieFeedbackSeite. Um Tippfehler oder defekte Links auf dieser Seite zu melden, verwenden Sie bitte das Kommentarformular unten.

„Der Gnadenkommentar ist voll von Gottes Liebesbriefen an uns.“ Wir erstellen den weltweit ersten auf Gnade basierenden Bibelkommentar. Tritt dem Team bei und Ihre Unterstützung wird uns helfen, den Gnadenkommentar zu vervollständigen und Versionen in mehreren Formaten und Sprachen anzubieten.

Romans 16