Bible Study Romans 16
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Romans 16 · WEB

Final Greetings and Doxology

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I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae,
2that you receive her in the Lord, in a way worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self.
3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
4who for my life, laid down their own necks; to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles.
5Greet the assembly that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first fruits of Achaia to Christ.
6Greet Mary, who labored much for us.
7Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are notable among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
8Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord.
9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.
10Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.
11Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet them of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.
12Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved, who labored much in the Lord.
13Greet Rufus, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.
15Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.
16Greet one another with a holy kiss. The assemblies of Christ greet you.
17Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.
18For those who are such don't serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the innocent.
19For your obedience has become known to all. I rejoice therefore over you. But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil.
20And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives.
22I, Tertius, who write the letter, greet you in the Lord.
23Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother.
25Now to him who is able to establish you according to my Good News and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret through long ages,
26but now is revealed, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known for obedience of faith to all the nations;
27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
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Summary

Paul commends Phoebe, who is carrying the letter to Rome, and then sends greetings to twenty-six named individuals plus several house churches in the Roman believers' community — an extraordinary map of relationships, including women, slaves, and freedmen alongside more prominent figures. He pauses to warn against divisive teachers whose smooth speech serves their own appetites rather than the Lord, and promises that the God of peace will soon crush Satan under their feet. Greetings come back from Paul's circle in Corinth — Timothy, Tertius (the scribe), Gaius the host, Erastus the city treasurer, and others. The letter closes with one of the New Testament's great doxologies: glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, for the gospel that has revealed the mystery hidden for ages and is now made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

Themes

  • The gospel building a vast, named network of friendships
  • Women, slaves, and freedmen as full partners in the gospel
  • Vigilance against divisive teachers
  • The crushing of the serpent, fulfilled in the church
  • Final doxology — the gospel as the revealed mystery

Key verses

  • Romans 16:1-2 — “I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae.”
  • Romans 16:17 — “Look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them.”
  • Romans 16:20 — “The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet.”
  • Romans 16:25-27 — “Now to him who is able to establish you according to my Good News... to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever!”

Context & background

Written c. AD 56-57 from Corinth. Phoebe (v. 1) was a *diakonos* of the church in Cenchreae (Corinth's eastern port), the word translated "servant" or "deacon" — likely an officially recognized role. She is also called a "patron" or "helper" (v. 2, Greek *prostatis*), suggesting personal means; she likely carried the letter to Rome. Prisca (Priscilla) and Aquila (vv. 3-4) had risked their necks for Paul — perhaps in the Ephesus riot (Acts 19) — and hosted a church in their home; they were dear partners through many cities. Junia (v. 7) is a feminine name and the verse calls her "notable among the apostles" — likely meaning either prominent in apostolic circles or, as many scholars now read it, one of the apostles. Andronicus and Junia were "in Christ before" Paul — early Jerusalem believers. Tertius (v. 22) is the only named amanuensis (scribe) in the NT. Erastus (v. 23) was the city treasurer of Corinth; an inscription found in Corinth names an Erastus as *aedile* who paved a city plaza at his own expense — possibly the same man. The doxology (vv. 25-27) speaks of the "mystery" kept secret in ages past but now revealed — a Pauline theme of the gospel as God's long-hidden plan. Verse 24 is absent in earliest manuscripts and so omitted in the WEB.

Cross-references

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  1. Observe

    How does Paul describe Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2, and what is she commended to do?

  2. Observe

    What does Paul say Prisca and Aquila did for him, and what else does he mention about them in verse 3-5?

  3. Interpret

    Paul warns against those who "cause divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned" and says to "turn away from them" (vv. 17-18). What does the phrase "they serve their own belly" reveal about his assessment of these teachers?

  4. Interpret

    The doxology in verses 25-27 describes the gospel as "the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret through long ages, but now is revealed." What does this tell us about how the Old and New Testaments relate to each other?

  5. Apply

    Paul greets twenty-six individuals by name and notes specific things each has done — "labored much," "risked their necks," "first fruits of Achaia." What habit does this model for how Christians should treat fellow believers?

  6. Apply

    Verse 20 promises, "The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet." Given that this follows a warning about divisive teachers (vv. 17-18), how should a church practically apply both halves of that passage?

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