Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
Parallel translations
- WEB Greet Rufus, the 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 unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
- Mark 15:21And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
- 1 Tim 5:2The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.
- John 15:16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
- Mark 3:35For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
- 2 Th 2:13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
- Matt 20:16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
- Matt 12:49–50And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
- John 19:27Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
- Eph 1:4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame 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.