New Testament · Letter

Romans 16

Greetings and Warnings

Paul names over two dozen co-workers — men and women, Jews and Gentiles — revealing a movement built on real relationships and shared sacrifice.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

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1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

2Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.

3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

4who have risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

5Greet also the church that meets at their house.

6Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.

10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.

11Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.

12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who have worked hard in the Lord.

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

14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them.

15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.

16Greet one another with a holy kiss.

17Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

21Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen.

22I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church, sends you greetings.

25Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past

26but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith —

27to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Understand This

Romans 16, explained

What Romans 16 is saying

Paul commends Phoebe, a deacon (diakonon) and patron (prostatis) of the Cenchreaean church, as the letter's carrier, then greets twenty-six individuals by name—a remarkable network for a church he has never visited. Among them are Prisca and Aquila, the apostle Junia (Iounian), and numerous coworkers. He warns against those who cause divisions, offers greetings from his companions including Tertius (the scribe), and closes with a doxology praising God who establishes believers through the mystery now revealed.

The background behind it

The greeting list provides invaluable sociological data: a mix of Jewish and Gentile names, enslaved and free, male and female. Phoebe's designation as prostatis (patron/benefactor) indicates significant social standing and financial resources. The identification of Junia as 'outstanding among the apostles' (episēmoi en tois apostolois) was universally accepted as feminine until the Middle Ages; modern scholarship has largely restored this reading.

Themes running underneath

The chapter reveals the collaborative, networked nature of Pauline mission—far from a solo enterprise. Women occupy prominent roles: Phoebe carries the letter, Prisca is named before Aquila, Junia is an apostle, and Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis are commended as hard workers. The doxology's reference to the 'mystery kept secret for long ages but now disclosed' (16:25–26) provides a fitting conclusion to the letter's grand theological argument.

Why it still matters

Romans 16 humanizes the theological treatise of chapters 1–15 by revealing the real relationships that constituted the early church. The prominent role of women challenges any reading of Paul as uniformly restrictive of women's ministry. The closing doxology reminds readers that all theology is ultimately doxology—all knowledge of God should culminate in worship.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.