I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
Parallel translations
- WEB I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the assembly that is at Cenchreae,
- KJV I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
- NKJV I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea,
- NASB I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea,
- NLT I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.
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 commends Phoebe, a sister and servant of the church at Cenchreae, likely the bearer of this letter. He warmly introduces a trusted fellow worker to the Roman church.
Overview
Phoebe is recommended as a faithful 'servant' (the Greek diakonos) of the church at Cenchreae, near Corinth. Many take her as the courier entrusted to carry Romans to Rome. Whether the term denotes a formal office of deaconess or general service is debated among faithful interpreters, but all agree she was a valued and trustworthy Christian worker. Her commendation models honor for faithful service in the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Acts 18:18Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
- 1 Tim 5:9–10A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,
- 1 Pet 1:22–23Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- 1 Tim 5:2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
- Matt 12:50For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
- Jas 2:15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
- Mark 10:30will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
- Luke 8:3Joanna the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were ministering to them out of their own means.
- 2 Cor 3:1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 16:1 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.