Greetings, Junia, and ἐπίσημοι (16:3–16)

Says Repeated ἀσπάσασθε (aspasasthe, “greet”) names fellow workers, a house church, firstfruits, hard toil, kinspeople, fellow prisoners, households, and a holy kiss (16:3–16). Andronicus and Junia are ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις and were in Christ before Paul (16:7).

Implies Prisca and Aquila match the pair in Acts 18 and 1 Cor 16:19.

Uncertain Printed Ἰουνίαν (SBLGNT, WH, Treg, RP, and TR) is the feminine name Junia; NA28’s Ἰουνιᾶν is masculine Junias (var.Rom.16.7.iounian). Junia as a woman is the natural reading of that printed form; Junias is the alternative. Editorial decision: follow SBLGNT. The BSB also reads “Junia.”

Uncertain The BSB “outstanding among the apostles” takes ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις as inclusive. “Well known to the apostles” takes ἐν as exclusive. Both are grammatically possible: ἐν with a plural can mean “among” that group or “in the view of” it. If the inclusive sense is taken, apostles may mean the Twelve or a wider circle of emissaries (lex.G652). No lean is taken here. The greeting does not settle later office or ordination.

Uncertain SBLGNT reads Ἀσίας; RP and TR read Ἀχαΐας (var.Rom.16.5.asias-achaias). That difference bears on, but does not decide, the hypothesis that some greetings first belonged to another letter, often one to Ephesus. No lean is taken here.

Minor forms at 16:3 (TR Πρίσκιλλαν against SBL and RP Πρίσκαν), 16:6, 16:7 (γέγοναν), 16:8, 16:11, 16:14, and πᾶσαι at 16:16 do not change these points.