Romans 16:11

11 Greet well Herodion, my cousin. Greet well them that be of Narcissus' house, that be in the Lord.

Romans 16:11 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 16:11

Salute Herodion my kinsman
According to the flesh, being of the same nation, a Jew; or of the same tribe, the tribe of Benjamin; or of the same family, and nearly allied in blood to him: though the name is of Attic, or Parthic original, and seems to be a derivative of Herod; this man is reckoned among the seventy disciples, and said to be bishop of Tarsus: (See Gill on Luke 10:1).

Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the
Lord;
some have thought, that this Narcissus is the same man that Suetonius F17 and other writers speak of F18, who was secretary to Claudius Caesar; a very great favourite of his, who amassed a great deal of wealth under him, and was raised to great honour and dignity by him: he himself is not saluted, either because he was not at home, which might be the case, if, as Ambrose, or rather Hilary the deacon on the text says, he was a presbyter and abroad, performing his office in foreign parts; or because he was dead, or rather not a believer: if he was the same with Claudius's favourite, he was dead before this time, being miserably put to death by Agrippina F19, the wife of Claudius; and seems to have died a wicked man, and justly punished for his being the cause of the destruction of others, through his calumnies: nor are all of his household saluted, not being all converted persons; it being frequently the method of divine grace to take some of a family, and not all, and bring them to Zion; only those that were "in the Lord", on his heart, and in his hands, secretly represented by him, and united to him, and who were openly in him, being called by his grace, and brought to believe in him, and live upon him.


FOOTNOTES:

F17 In Vita Claud sect. 28.
F18 Tacitus, Dio
F19 Tacit. Hist. l. 13.

Romans 16:11 In-Context

9 Greet well Urbane, our helper in Christ Jesus, and Stachys, my darling [and Stachys, my loved].
10 Greet well Apelles, the noble in Christ [Greet well Apelles, noble in Christ]. Greet well them that be of Aristobulus' house.
11 Greet well Herodion, my cousin. Greet well them that be of Narcissus' house, that be in the Lord.
12 Greet well Tryphena and Tryphosa, which women travail in the Lord. Greet well Persis, most dear-worthy woman, that hath travailed much in the Lord.
13 Greet well Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, and mine.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.