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who have risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
Romans 16:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB who for my life, laid down their own necks; to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles.
  • KJV Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
  • NKJV who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
  • NASB who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
  • NLT In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.

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

They risked their own lives for Paul, earning the thanks of all the Gentile churches. Their courageous love served the whole church.

Overview

Prisca and Aquila 'laid down their own necks' for Paul, risking death on his behalf in some unnamed crisis. Not only Paul but all the Gentile congregations were grateful for them. Their self-sacrificing devotion exemplifies the love that marks true believers, echoing the pattern of Christ who laid down His life. Such costly faithfulness commended them to the whole church.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • 1 Jn 3:16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
  • Phil 2:30because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.
  • 1 Cor 7:17Regardless, each one should lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches.
  • Josh 10:24When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.
  • 1 Th 2:14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews,
  • John 15:13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
  • 2 Sam 22:41You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
  • Acts 16:5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
  • Mic 2:3Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
  • 1 Cor 16:1Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:
  • Acts 15:41And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
  • Rom 5:7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
  • Rev 1:4John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Romans videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Romans 16:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on RomansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 16:4 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.