Romans 16:5
ESV
Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.
NIV
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
NASB
also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
CSB
Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
NLT
Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person from the province of Asia to become a follower of Christ.
KJV
Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
NKJV
Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.
What does Romans 16:5 mean?
Paul concludes his instructions that his readers greet his longtime friends and co-workers Priscilla and Aquila with another greeting. He asks that they greet the church that meets in their house. By this, we know that Priscilla and Aquila were likely quite wealthy by the standards of their day, having a home large enough to host one of the house churches. They had done the same when they lived in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:9).Since Paul greets the church that meets at their house, this likely indicates that the church in Rome was large enough to gather at multiple locations.
Next Paul asks his readers to greet a man named Epaenetus. Paul describes him as the first convert to Christianity in Asia. The literal word used here is aparchē, sometimes translated as "firstfruits." Ephesus, where Priscilla and Aquila helped to establish a church, is a major city in the Roman province of Asia. Scholars speculate that Epaenetus was led to Christ by Priscilla and Aquila and then traveled to Rome with them to help with the ministry there.
