Romans 16:7 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

Romans 16:1–16 includes a list of two dozen or so people or groups that Paul wants his readers to greet for him in Rome. He begins by introducing them to Phoebe, the lady who will deliver this letter from him in Corinth. He asks them to greet his good friends and longtime partners in work and ministry Prisca—or Priscilla—and Aquila, who have returned to Rome from their time in Asia. Also on the list are close friends, slaves, royal families, and members of the various house churches that meet in Rome.

The final chapter of Romans contains four sections intended to wrap up the letter. Paul commends the woman who will deliver the letter and then sends greetings to many people he knows in Rome. After last-minute, urgent instruction about false teachers, Paul sends greetings to the Roman Christians from those who are with him in Corinth, including Timothy. Paul closes out the letter with a hymn of praise to the God who has revealed to all the nations of the earth the gospel of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus.

Prior verses detailed Paul's plans to visit Rome and asked for prayer. This text concludes his letter to the Christians in Rome with four quick sections. He sends his greetings to a list of people he knows, or at least knows of, in Rome. Paul offers last-minute instruction about false teachers. He sends greetings from those who are with him in Corinth. And he closes out the letter with a beautiful praise hymn to the God who has revealed the mystery of the gospel of Jesus to all nations so that all might obey faith in Jesus.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.