Greet Rufus, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
Parallel translations
- KJV Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
- BSB Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.
- NKJV Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
- NASB Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
- NLT Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul greets Rufus, called 'chosen in the Lord,' and his mother, whom Paul regards as a mother to himself. It pictures the warm family bonds created within the body of Christ.
Overview
Rufus may well be the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross (Mark 15:21 names Simon's sons Alexander and Rufus for a reason familiar to his readers). Paul calls him 'chosen,' likely meaning a notable or distinguished believer, and speaks of Rufus's mother as having cared for him like her own son. The verse beautifully illustrates how faith in Christ knits believers into a spiritual family that transcends natural kinship.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Jn 1:1The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not I only, but also all those who know the truth;
- Mark 15:21They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross.
- 1 Tim 5:2the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity.
- John 15:16You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
- Mark 3:35For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”
- 2 Th 2:13But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;
- Matt 20:16So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
- Matt 12:49–50He stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers!
- John 19:27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.
- Eph 1:4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 16:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.