Romans Chapter 16 Vs. 3

 

Personal Greetings

Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Rom 16:3

Greet Priscilla and... They perhaps had gone back to Rome and had a church in their house (Rom. 16:3-4). They are always mentioned together as man and wife (Acts 18:2, 18:18, 18:26; Rom. 16:3; 1Cor. 16:19; 2Tim. 4:19). We know that these two had befriended Paul before. In fact, Paul lived with them and worked as a tentmaker while he ministered.

Acts 18:2-3 “And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.” “And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”

These two had been fellow workers with Paul on several occasions.

This list of greetings (Rom. 16:3-16) that Paul wanted conveyed to friends in Rome is the longest in any of his epistles. He mentioned 26 people by name, and referred to many others (Rom. 16:5, 16:10-11, 16:13-15). Several women are included in the list: Priscilla (Rom. 16:3), Mary (Rom. 16:6), Tryphena and Tryphosa (Rom. 16:12), Persis (Rom. 16:12), Rufus’ mother (Rom. 16:13), and Nereus’ sister (Rom. 16:15). Two others are possibly women — Junias (Rom. 16:7) and Julia (Rom. 16:15).

Paul first met Priscilla and Aquila when he arrived in Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:2) and worked with them at their trade of tentmaking. They had come to Corinth from Rome because of Claudius’ decree that all Jews must leave Rome. They accompanied Paul when he left Corinth (Acts 18:18), but stayed in Ephesus when the party stopped briefly (Acts 18:19). There they ministered to Apollos (Acts 18:26) and undoubtedly to Paul during his stay in Ephesus on his third journey, because they sent greetings to the Corinthian Christians (1Cor. 16:19). Shortly after that, they must have moved back to Rome and still later returned to Ephesus (2Tim. 4:19).