THE GRACE OF JESUS BE WITH YOU, Dr. Samuel Lee
PAUL GREETS HIS ROMAN COWORKERS
Passage: Romans 16:1~16  
Key verse: 16
Personal Greetings
16 I commend(A) to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae.(B) 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord(C) in a way worthy of his people(D) 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[c] and Aquila,(E) my co-workers(F) in Christ Jesus.(G) 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.(H)
Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert(I) to Christ in the province of Asia.(J)
6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews(K) who have been in prison with me.(L) They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were in Christ(M) before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,(N) and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.(O)
Greet those who belong to the household(P) of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.(Q)
Greet those in the household(R) 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,(S) chosen(T) 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(U) who are with them.(V)
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.(W)
All the churches of Christ send greetings.
Footnotes
- Romans 16:1 Or servant
- Romans 16:1 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.
- Romans 16:3 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
- Romans 16:7 Or are esteemed by
Cross references
- Romans 16:1 : S 2Co 3:1
- Romans 16:1 : Ac 18:18
- Romans 16:2 : Php 2:29
- Romans 16:2 : S Ac 9:13
- Romans 16:3 : S Ac 18:2
- Romans 16:3 : S Php 2:25
- Romans 16:3 : ver 7, 9, 10; Ro 8:1, 39; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:17; Gal 1:22; 5:6; Eph 1:13
- Romans 16:5 : 1Co 16:19; Col 4:15; Phm 2
- Romans 16:5 : 1Co 16:15
- Romans 16:5 : S Ac 2:9
- Romans 16:7 : ver 11, 21
- Romans 16:7 : Col 4:10; Phm 23
- Romans 16:7 : S ver 3
- Romans 16:9 : S ver 3
- Romans 16:10 : S ver 3
- Romans 16:10 : S Ac 11:14
- Romans 16:11 : ver 7, 21
- Romans 16:11 : S Ac 11:14
- Romans 16:13 : Mk 15:21
- Romans 16:13 : S 2Jn 1
- Romans 16:15 : ver 2; S Ac 9:13
- Romans 16:15 : ver 14
- Romans 16:16 : 1Co 16:20; 2Co 13:12; 1Th 5:26; 1Pe 5:14
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Priscilla, Aquila and others (1-5)
The last part of Paul's letter to the Roman Christians contained greetings to many coworkers in Rome. Many of these had helped him in his ministry. Phoebe may have been the person who carried Paul's letter to Rome. She must have been a great servant of the church in Cenchrea, for Paul commends her as a saint and asks the Romans to give her any help she needed. Paul met Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth and they travelled with Paul on some of his journeys. They became invaluable coworkers to him, for they risked their very lives for him. He and the church owed them a great debt of honor.
2. Many other coworkers (6-16)
The list here is long. Even a great man like Paul needed many coworkers to help him in his ministry. Some were relatives, like Andronicus and Junia. Others were dear friends, like Epenetus. Some of them were faithful women, like Tryphena and Tryphosa. We don't know much about any of them. But they are greatly honored by Paul. We should learn that we need many friends and coworkers as we do God's work. We should honor each of them.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for those who are my coworkers. Help me to honor and encourage them always.
One Word: Greet one another with affection