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Romans 16:7
ESV Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.
NIV Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
NASB Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsfolk and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding in the view of the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
CSB Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.
NLT Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
KJV Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
NKJV Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

What does Romans 16:7 mean?

Paul's next greeting is directed to a pair known as Andronicus and Junia/Junias. Though we don't know for sure, most scholars think it likely Junia is a woman's name, making this the second married couple included in Paul's list of greetings.

Andronicus and Junia are described as Paul's "kinsmen," likely meaning that they were Jewish. If so, Andronicus, given his name, was probably a Hellenistic Jew, meaning that he had grown up as a Jewish person assimilated into Greek culture and speaking Greek instead of Hebrew. Paul refers to the pair as fellow prisoners. Paul often spent time in jails and prisons for preaching the gospel. Apparently, Andronicus and Junia shared that experience, though we don't know if they were in prison with Paul at the same time.

Depending on the translation, the couple is said to have been either well known "to" the apostles or "among" them. Given Paul's next statement in the following verse, it seems likely Andronicus and Junia at least knew the original 12 who came to hold the official office of Apostle. Paul writes that they were in Christ before him, meaning that Andronicus and Junia may have been Christians long enough to have been part of the very birth of the church led by Peter and the others in Jerusalem.

Some scholars suggest that Paul referred to the pair as being "among" the apostles themselves, using the term in a general sense as he sometimes did to refer to other messengers of the gospel like Barnabas and Silas (Acts 14:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:6). Andronicus and Junia must have been vocal in proclaiming Jesus if they spent time in prison for it.
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