What does Hebrews 13:24 mean?

This verse forms part of the final signature of the book of Hebrews. The writer has previously asked for prayer on his behalf (Hebrews 13:18–19), offered a benediction to the readers (Hebrews 13:20–21), and mentioned Timothy, an important figure of the New Testament church (Hebrews 13:23). The writer has also asked for Christian leaders to be given appropriate respect (Hebrews 13:7; 13:17). Here, again, the writer mentions leaders.

The reference to "all the saints" here helps make sense of how the Bible uses this term. This is from the Greek hagious, which is a reference to any saved Christian believer. In Scripture, "saint" is not a term reserved for super-Christians, or some special class of persons. Uses such as this one, in the book of Hebrews, emphasize this point. "All the saints," as stated here, is a blanket reference to all of the believers in those churches.

Scholars differ on their opinion of what the writer means by "those who come from Italy" means. Most likely, this refers to those who were originally from that region—those who are of a particular birthplace. This letter is very often associated with the apostle Paul, who spent considerable time under Roman imprisonment. His efforts there established a flourishing Christian presence (Romans 1:7–8). That would make this an additional, specific greeting from that group to these persecuted Jewish believers.

Alternately, the reference to Italy might mean those who came from Italy to wherever the writer of Hebrews finds himself.