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Romans 16

Paul’s closing greetings show a church bound together through shared service, guarded by sound teaching, and dependent on God’s grace.

Paul commends Phoebe to the Christians in Rome and asks them to give her the help she needs. He greets friends and fellow workers by name, recalling hard work, shared imprisonment, and risks taken for his life. Assemblies meet in homes, and affection crosses household lines. Paul then warns against teachers who cause division through deception. Greetings from his companions include Tertius, who writes the letter, and Gaius, who hosts Paul and the assembly.

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1I 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 risked their own necks for my life, 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 were also 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.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Romans 16:20After warning about deception, Paul places the church’s confidence in the God of peace, who will defeat Satan.
Romans 16:25The supplied text leaves verse 25 blank, so its wording and role cannot be assessed from this excerpt.
Romans 16:17Paul’s warning makes fidelity to received teaching the basis for recognizing divisive influence and turning away from it.
Where this chapter reaches

The promise of Satan’s defeat shares Genesis’s imagery of crushing the serpent, with God securing victory over evil. The greetings share people and practices with 1 Corinthians: Prisca and Aquila, an assembly meeting in their home, and the holy kiss between believers.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Whose work might you have overlooked, and how do Paul’s specific greetings shape your gratitude?

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How does Paul’s warning distinguish deceptive division from disagreement within a church?

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Questions people ask about Romans 16

Who was Phoebe in Romans 16?

Paul identifies Phoebe as a sister and a servant of the assembly at Cenchreae. He asks the Roman believers to welcome her and help with whatever she needs, since she has helped many people, including him. The term translated servant can also refer to a deacon; her precise responsibilities are not described.

Why does Tertius say he wrote Romans?

Tertius identifies himself in verse 22 as the person writing the letter and adds his own greeting. This indicates that he served as Paul’s scribe. Paul remains the letter’s author, while Tertius put it into writing. The verse does not explain the exact process by which they worked together.

What does Romans 16:20 mean by crushing Satan under your feet?

Paul promises that the God of peace will defeat Satan, with the believers sharing in that victory. The statement follows warnings about deception and division, so it assures a threatened church of God’s supremacy. Its crushing imagery recalls Genesis. The verse gives no date or detailed account of how this victory unfolds.

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What the Bible says about gratitude →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).