Romans Chapter 16 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Romans 16:1 & 2
I am introducing to you our sister Phoebe, shammash of the congregation at Cenchrea, so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as God's people should, and give her whatever assistance she may need from you; for she has been a big help to many people - including myself.
Paul introduces us to a woman named Phoebe who was a servant of God in the congregation at Cenchrea and we see that she was a big help to Paul in his ministry. We see that she assisted Paul and others in their ministry but many have added to this passage and elevated Phoebe to a position of leadership within the congregation but that is not what Paul is saying here.
Romans 16:3–5a
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers for the Messiah Yeshua. They risked their necks to save my life; not only I thank them, but also all the Messianic communities among the Gentiles. And give my greetings to the congregation that meets in their house.
This husband and wife team were also servants of God that had blessed Paul during his ministry. They had gone so far as to risk their own lives to save the life of Paul. We see that they also held worship meetings in their house.
Romans 16:5b & 6
Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in the province of Asia to put his trust in the Messiah. Give my greetings to Miryam, who has worked very hard for you.
Paul continues with a list of servants of God who had worked with him at some point in his ministry and we see that Epaenetus was the first person ion Asia to accept Yeshua Messiah.
Romans 16:7–9
Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, relatives of mine who were in prison with me. They are well known among the emissaries; also they came to trust in the Messiah before I did. Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker for the Messiah, and to my dear friend Stachys.
The list continues with friends and relatives of Paul and this is a reminder that we are known by the company that we keep. If you want to see what is important to a person, check out the people that they associate with.
Romans 16:10–12
Greetings to Appeles, whose trust in the Messiah has been tested and proved. Greet those in the household of Aristobulus. Greet my relative, Herodion. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who are working hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has done a lot of hard work for the Lord.
We see the list continue and the list is populated by those that were actively serving the Lord.
Romans 16:13–16
Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers who are with them. Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God's people who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah's congregations send their greetings to you.
We see that Paul tells the Romans to greet all of these servants of Messiah and to do so with a "holy kiss". This was a sign of fellowship and closeness and Paul is urging the Roman believers to treat all of these people with the closeness of being a part of the family.
Romans 16:17 & 18
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained - keep away from them. For men like these are not serving our Lord the Messiah but their own belly; by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the innocent.
Paul continues by reminding the Roman Christians to watch out for those that try to cause divisions in the congregation. This is talking about those that use their own interpretations of the scriptures to cause problems in the congregation. They are working for Satan and trying to get believers to turn away from the sound teaching that they had received.
Romans 16:19 & 20
For everyone has heard about your obedience; therefore I rejoice over you. However, I want you to be wise concerning good, but innocent concerning evil. And God, the source of shalom, will soon crush the Adversary under your feet. The grace of our Lord Yeshua be with you.
We see, here, that it is in fact Satan that is trying to get the believers to stop obeying the word of God. Without obedience to the word of God, it is not possible to serve him but we see that God is going to crush Satan.
Romans 16:21–23
Timothy, my fellow-worker, sends greetings to you; so do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives. I, Tertius, the one writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord. My host Gaius, in whose home the whole congregation meets, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer and brother Quartus greet you.
We see that those that served with Paul also sent their greetings to the Roman congregation. We also see that this letter was actually written down by Tertius as Paul had problems with his eyes and it was difficult for him to read and write.
Romans 16:25–27
Now to God, who can strengthen you, according to my Good News, in harmony with the revelation of the secret truth which is the proclamation of Yeshua the Messiah, kept hidden in silence for ages and ages, but manifested now through prophetic writings, in keeping with the command of God the Eternal, and communicated to all the Gentiles to promote in them trust-grounded obedience - to the only wise God, through Yeshua the Messiah, be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
Some translations have a verse 24 which repeats the end of verse 20 but many translations do not have it. In this passage, we see that trusting in the word of God brings about obedience and that obedience brings about service to the Lord.