1 Corinthians 16:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

NIV: The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.

NASB: The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

CSB: The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla send you greetings warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.

NLT: The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings.

KJV: The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

NKJV: The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

Paul turns from commending Stephanas to his fellow Corinthians to sending greetings from others. His greetings from the churches of "Asia" may refer to a region that would have included Ephesus and the surrounding area. It's possible that Paul is emphasizing once more that the church in Corinth is only one among the larger world of Christian churches. He would like them to see themselves as belonging to that larger body and not making up church practices for themselves as they go along.

Paul also sends "hearty greetings" from Aquila and Prisca and their house church. This Christian couple, often better known as Aquila and Priscilla, lived in Corinth for a while, and they have an interesting story. Scholars suggest their Latin names may indicate they were freed slaves. They were forced to leave Rome in AD 49 when the emperor Claudius banned all the Jewish people from that city (Acts 18:1–2). Their career as tent-makers allowed them to settle and set up shop in Corinth, where Paul found them. Also a tentmaker, Paul joined his efforts to theirs and lived with them while establishing the church in Corinth (Acts 18:3).

When Paul left to go to Ephesus, Aquila and Prisca went with him. Their hearty greeting in the Lord to the Corinthians was for people they knew well and likely missed as much as Paul did. Later, the couple moved back to Rome after the ban on Jews had been lifted (Romans 16:3) before moving back to Ephesus again (2 Timothy 4:19).

First Corinthians 16:19–24 concludes Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. These are final greetings from the churches in Asia, from their friends Aquila and Prisca, and from believers elsewhere. Paul writes the last lines with his own hand, taking the pen from his scribe. He curses those who do not love the Lord—meaning false teachers—then prays for Christ's return, and prays for the grace of the Lord to be with them. His final words declare his love for all of them in Christ Jesus.

Having finished the main teaching parts of his letter, Paul wraps up with some matters of business. He tells the Corinthians how to gather funds for a special contribution. He describes his travel plans, including his plan to arrive there before winter. He warns them to treat Timothy well and commends a delegation from Corinth that have come to see him. He concludes with greetings from other believers, along with a curse and a blessing. He curses those who do not love the Lord—here apparently meaning false teachers—and prays the grace of the Lord on everyone else.

First Corinthians 16 concludes Paul's long letter to the church in Corinth with several business matters. He instructs them on how to prepare a special contribution for needy Christians in Jerusalem. He describes his plan to visit them in person after wrapping up his ministry in Ephesus and stopping by churches in Macedonia. He reveals that Timothy is coming to them more quickly and that Apollos is not. Finally, he commends a delegation from Corinth that has come to see him. His final words in the letter are a declaration of love for all of them.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.