1 I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess at the Cenchreae church. 2 Please welcome her in the Lord, as believers should, and help her in whatever way she needs, because she has been a great help to many people, myself included. 3 Pass on my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their lives for me. It's not just me who is very thankful for them, but all the churches of the foreigners too. 5 Please also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Pass on my best wishes to my good friend Epaenetus, the first person to follow Christ in the province of Asia. 6 Give my greetings to Mary, who worked hard for you, 7 and also Andronicus and Junia, from my own country and fellow-prisoners. They are well-known among the apostles, and became followers of Christ before me. 8 Give my best to Ampliatus, my good friend in the Lord; 9 to Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ; and to my dear friend Stachys. 10 My greetings to Apelles, a trustworthy man in Christ. Greetings to Aristobulus's family, 11 to my countryman Herodion, and to those from Narcissus' family who belong to the Lord. 12 My best wishes to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, hard workers for the Lord, and to my friend Persis, who has done so much in the Lord. 13 Give my greetings to Rufus, an exceptional worker, and his mother—who I count as my mother too. 14 Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the fellow-believers who are with them. 15 Best wishes to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and to all the believers with them. 16 Greet one another affectionately. All the churches of Christ send their greetings to you. 17 Now I'm pleading with you my fellow-believers: watch out for those who cause arguments and confuse people about the teachings you learned. Stay away from them! 18 These people are not serving Christ our Lord but their own appetites, and by their smooth-talking and pleasant words they deceive the minds of unsuspecting people. 19 Everyone knows how faithful you are. This makes me really happy. However, I want you to be wise about what's good, and innocent of anything bad. 20 The God of peace will soon break the power of Satan and make him subject to you. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 21 Timothy my co-worker sends his greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow-countrymen. 22 Tertius—who wrote down this letter—also sends you greetings in the Lord. 23 My host Gaius, and the whole church here, send you greetings. Erastus the city treasurer, sends his best wishes, as does our fellow-believer Quartus. 24 Not in this translation 25 Now to him who can make you strong Through the good news I share and the message of Jesus Christ, According to the mystery of truth that has been revealed, The mystery of truth, hidden for eternity, 26 now made visible; Through the prophets' writings, and Following the command of the eternal God, The mystery of truth is made known to everyone everywhere so they can trust and obey him; 27 To the one and only wise God, Through Jesus Christ— To him be glory for ever. Amen.
Romans 16 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Ampliatus
Paul's beloved friend in the Lord, greeted in Rome.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:8
Andronicus
Paul's kinsman and fellow prisoner, well known among the apostles and in Christ before Paul.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:7
Apelles
Aquila
A Jew from Pontus, a tentmaker expelled from Rome under Claudius, who worked with Paul at Corinth and later taught Apollos with his wife Priscilla.
Cited in the guide: Acts 18:2; Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3
Asyncritus
Erastus
Named as the city treasurer who sends greetings in Romans, as a helper Paul sent into Macedonia with Timothy, and as one who stayed at Corinth; these are probably the same man.
Cited in the guide: Acts 19:22; Romans 16:23; 2 Timothy 4:20
Gaius
Paul's host at Corinth, whose hospitality extended to the whole church; Paul baptized him.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14
Hermas
Hermes
Herodion
Julia
Junia
Paul's kinswoman and fellow prisoner, well known among the apostles; she became a believer before Paul. Some manuscripts and translations read the masculine Junias.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:7
Lucius
One of Paul's kinsmen who sent greetings to Rome from Corinth; he may be the Lucius of Cyrene named at Antioch.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:21
Mary
A woman in Rome whom Paul greets as having worked very hard for the church.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:6
Narcissus
Paul greets those in the Lord from the household of Narcissus.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:11
Nereus
Olympas
Patrobas
Persis
A beloved woman who, Paul says, has worked very hard in the Lord.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:12
Philologus
Greeted by Paul together with Julia, Nereus and his sister, Olympas, and all the saints with them.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:15
Phlegon
Phoebe
A servant of the church at Cenchreae and patron of many, including Paul, commended by him to the Romans.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:1
Priscilla
Aquila's wife, also called Prisca, who with him hosted a church in her house and risked her neck for Paul's life.
Cited in the guide: Acts 18:2; Acts 18:26; Romans 16:3
Quartus
A brother who sends greetings to Rome in Paul's letter.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:23
Rufus
Greeted by Paul as chosen in the Lord, together with his mother, whom Paul also calls his own.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:13
Sosipater
One of Paul's kinsmen who sent greetings to Rome; he is perhaps the same as Sopater of Berea.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:21
Stachys
Tertius
The man who wrote down Paul's letter to the Romans and added his own greeting in the Lord.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:22
Tryphosa
A woman greeted by Paul as one who works hard in the Lord, mentioned together with Tryphena.
Cited in the guide: Romans 16:12
Urbanus
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 18:18; 1 Peter 1:22–23; 1 Timothy 5:9–10; James 2:15; Matthew 12:50
- 2 Philippians 2:29; Philippians 1:27; Matthew 10:40–42; Acts 9:41; Colossians 4:10
- 3 Acts 18:26; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19; Romans 16:9; 1 Corinthians 16:16
- 4 1 John 3:16; Philippians 2:30; Joshua 10:24; 1 Corinthians 7:17; Micah 2:3
- 5 Colossians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Philemon 2; 1 Corinthians 16:15; Matthew 18:20
- 6 Romans 16:12; 1 Timothy 5:10; Matthew 27:55
- 7 Romans 16:21; Romans 16:11; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 23; Galatians 1:22
- 8 1 John 3:14; Philippians 4:1; Romans 16:5
- 9 Romans 16:21; Romans 16:2–3
- 10 Romans 14:18; 1 Peter 1:7; Deuteronomy 8:2; 2 Corinthians 8:22; 1 Timothy 3:10
- 11 Romans 16:21; Romans 16:7
- 12 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 Corinthians 16:16; Hebrews 6:10–11; 1 Timothy 4:10
- 13 1 Timothy 5:2; 2 John 1; Mark 15:21; John 15:16; Matthew 12:49–50
- 14 1 Peter 1:22–23; Hebrews 3:1; Colossians 1:2; Romans 8:29
- 15 Romans 16:2; Romans 1:7; Isaiah 60:21; Romans 16:14; Ephesians 1:1
- 16 1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Peter 5:14; Acts 20:37
- 17 Jude 19; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Timothy 6:3–5; 2 Timothy 3:5; Colossians 2:8
- 18 Colossians 2:4; Matthew 7:15; 1 Timothy 6:5; Micah 3:5; Philippians 3:19
- 19 Matthew 10:16; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Philippians 2:15; James 3:13–18; Romans 1:8
- 20 Luke 10:19; 1 John 3:8; Genesis 3:15; Zechariah 10:5; Malachi 4:3
- 21 Acts 20:4; Acts 13:1; Romans 16:7; Romans 16:11; Acts 17:5
- 22 Galatians 6:11; Romans 16:8; 1 Corinthians 16:21; Colossians 3:17
- 23 Acts 19:22; 1 Corinthians 1:14; 3 John 1–6; 2 Timothy 4:20; Acts 19:29
- 25 1 Corinthians 2:7; Colossians 1:26–27; Romans 2:16; Ephesians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:14
- 26 Romans 15:18; Romans 1:5; Galatians 3:8; Isaiah 40:28; 1 Timothy 1:17
- 27 Romans 11:36; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 7:10–12; Revelation 19:1–6; Romans 11:33–34
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
I Think that many even of those who have the appearance of being extremely good men, hasten over this part of the Epistle as superfluous, and having no great weight in it. And I think that the same befalls them in regard to the genealogy that is in the Gospel.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
… for them?" That we might watch, and be ever prepared for conflict, guarding against our disguised as well as against our open enemies: which kind indeed Paul also was intimating, when he said, that "by their good words they deceive the hearts of the simple." Let us not be troubled therefore, when we see many such even now.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)