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Romans 16:13
ESV Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.
NIV Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
NASB Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.
CSB Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother--and mine.
NLT Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.
KJV Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

What does Romans 16:13 mean?

Paul continues to list people he would like his Roman readers to greet for him. Now he comes to Rufus. It is not known if this Rufus is the same one mentioned in Mark 15:21 as the son of Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Jesus. If this is that Rufus, then he would have been of North African descent.

Paul describes Rufus as one chosen in the Lord, perhaps meaning that Paul felt Rufus had been singled out by God for a specific work. It is also possible that Paul simply described Rufus as being one of the elect, a description he gave to all believers (Ephesians 1:4).

Paul offers greeting as well to Rufus's mother, saying that she had been a mother to him, too. She was not his biological mother. Instead, she had served Paul in a maternal way, functioning as a spiritual mother in his life.
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