3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

companions of Paul while in the city and some of them being residents of Corinth and members of the church
there.
First, those who were traveling companions of Paul and happened to be with him in Corinth. Obviously,
Timothy is the primary one: Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Τιμόθεος ὁ συνεργός μου, Timothy, my co-worker, greets you (v. 21). 173
Timothy had been to Corinth several times beginning with the second missionary journey after he and Silas met
up with Paul there (Acts 18:5). While he was with Paul at Ephesus on the third missionary journey, he had made
a trip to Corinth at Paul’s request (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10). Sometime prior to the end of Paul’s stay in Ephesus he
and Erastus had been sent ahead into Macedonia where Paul would join up with them later (Acts 19:22). As Paul
wrote Second Corinthians from Macedonia, Timothy was included with Paul as the letter sender (2 Cor. 1:1),
perhaps signaling he did the actual writing of the letter. When Paul came through Macedonia, Timothy then accompanied
Paul on to Corinth where he was when Romans was written. Or, perhaps he traveled on ahead with
Titus carrying this letter in advance of Paul’s arrival in the city. Thus this was his third time to be in the city helping
the apostle Paul in ministry.
Timothy Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς, greets you. The verb ἀσπάζομαι (noun, ἀσπασμός, greeting) fundamentally designates
the sending of a hospitable greeting to another person or group of persons. 174 It can include both verbal
Element Romans Other Pauline Letters
Request for prayer 15:30-32 cf. Eph. 6:18–20; Col. 4:3–4; 1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1–2; Phlm. 22
Prayer-Wish for Peace 15:33 2 Cor. 13:11c; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 6:23; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:16
Paul’s Associates 16:1-2 1 Cor. 16:10–12, 15–18; Eph. 6:21–22; Col. 4:7–9; 2 Tim. 4:20
Exhortation to Greet One Another 16:3-15 1 Cor. 16:20b; 2 Cor. 13:12; Phil. 4:21a; (Col. 4:15); 1 Thess. 5:26; 2 Tim. 4:19; Tit. 3:15b
The “Holy Kiss” 16:16a 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12a; 1 Thess. 5:26
Warning / Exhortation 16:17-19 1 Cor. 16:13–14, 22; 2 Cor. 13:11b; Gal. 6:12–15 (?); Eph. 6:10–17 (?); Col. 4:17
Eschatological Wish / Promise 16:20a 1 Cor. 16:22b; 1 Thess. 5:24
Concluding “Grace” 16:20b 1 Cor. 16:23; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 6:18; Eph. 6:24; Phil. 4:23; Col. 4:18c; 1 Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess.
3:18; 1 Tim. 6:21b; 2 Tim. 4:22b; Tit. 3:15b; Phlm. 25
Greetings from Paul’s Associates 16:16b,
21-23
1 Cor. 16:19–20a; 2 Cor. 13:13; Phil. 4:21b–22; Col. 4:10–14; 2 Tim. 4:21b; Tit. 3:15a; Phlm.
23–24
Doxology 16:25-27 Phil. 4:20
[Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 884.]
173 “This coworker was taken by Paul from Lystra on his second missionary journey. According to Acts 16:1–3 he was the son of
a Jewish-Christian woman (named Eunice, according to 2 Tim 1:5) and a Greek (Gentile) father. The Lucan Paul had him circumcised
‘because of the Jews in those places.’ He accompanied Paul on many of his missionary journeys and went to Corinth to try to smooth out
relations between that church and Paul (2 Cor 1:1, 19). He was well known in Ephesus (1 Cor 4:17; 16:10). Now he is in Corinth with
Paul and sends his greetings along to the Christians of Rome. Timothy is listed as the cosender of four of Paul’s letters: 1 Thess 1:1; 2
Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; Phlm 1; cf. 2 Thess 1:1; Col 1:1. In 2 Tim 1:2 he is addressed as the bishop of Ephesus. Cf. Heb 13:23.” [Joseph A.
Fitzmyer, S.J., vol. 33, Romans: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale
University Press, 2008), 748.]
174 “GREET; GREETING [Heb šā˒al lešālôm] (1 S. 10:4; 17:22; 25:5; 2 S. 8:10; 1 Ch. 18:10); AV also SALUTE, ‘enquire of
his welfare’ (1 Ch. 18:10); [bāraḵ] (2 K. 10:15); AV SALUTE; [Aram šelām] (Ezr. 4:17); AV ‘Peace’; [Gk aspázomai] (Mk. 9:15; Lk.
1:40; Acts 18:22; 21:7, 19; etc.); AV also SALUTE, EMBRACE (He. 11:13); NEB also WELCOME (Mk. 9:15), ‘pay respects’ (Acts
18:22), HAIL (He. 11:13), etc.; [aspasmós] (Lk. 1:29, 41, 44; 1 Cor. 16:21; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17); AV SALUTATION; [chaírō] (Acts
15:23; 23:26; Jas. 1:1; 2 Jn. 10f); AV also BID GOD SPEED (2 Jn. 10f); NEB omits in Acts 23:26. (In Isa. 14:9 the RSV supplies ‘greet,’
the NEB ‘meet’; the AV ‘for thee’ is to be preferred; in Ezr. 4:11 the RSV supplies ‘send greeting.’)
“The OT has no word for ‘greet’ or ‘greeting.’ Bāraḵ means ‘bless.’ The expression šā˒al lešālôm, however, was a form of greeting.
Šā˒al means to ‘ask’ and šālôm denotes ‘peace, prosperity, well-being’; thus šā˒al lešālôm means to ‘inquire about one’s welfare.’
Elsewhere the RSV translates this expression literally, e.g., Gen. 43:27; Ex. 18:7; 2 S. 11:7. Other greetings OT are: ‘Is it well with
you, my brother?’ (Heb hašālôm ˒attâ ˒āḥî, 2 S. 20:9), ‘The Lord be with you!’ (YHWH ˓immāḵem, Ruth 2:4), ‘The Lord bless you!’
(yeḇāreḵeḵā YHWH, Ruth 2:4), ‘The blessing of the Lord be upon you!’ (birkaṯ YHWH ˒alêḵem, Ps. 129:8), etc. For the king the greeting
was ‘Long live the king!’ (yeḥî hammeleḵ, 1 S. 10:24, etc.; cf. 1 K. 1:31, ‘May my Lord King David live for ever!’).
“In the NT the usual word for ‘greeting’ is aspasmós (cf. vb aspázomai). A frequent form of greeting is chaírō (‘rejoice’); the
infinitive, chaírein, and imperative, chaíre, chaírete (lit ‘Rejoice!’ ‘Joy to you!’), are frequently translated ‘Hail!’ or ‘All Hail!’ (Mt.
26:49; 27:29; 28:9; Mk. 15:18; Lk. 1:28; Jn. 19:3). (Cf. TDNT, IX, 367.) When Jesus sent forth His disciples they were to ‘salute’ the
house they came to (Mt. 10:12), saying, ‘Peace [eiré̄ nē] be to this house!’ (Lk. 10:5). After His resurrection Jesus greeted His disciples
saying, ‘Peace be with you’ (eirḗnē hymín, Jn. 20:19, 21, 26). He left His ‘peace’ (eiré̄ nē) with them — ‘not as the world gives,’ in
merely a formal way — as His parting blessing (Jn. 14:27). As used in these NT greetings, eiré̄ nē has a far broader meaning than our
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