Phoebe is recommended to the Romans for acts of kindness, which she had done far from Rome. — Kpoardng, a succour er) We may believe, that Phoebe was wealthy, but she did not shrink by subterfuges from the duty of ministering , in the case of strangers, the needy, etc. ; nor did she regard in the case of [on the part of] her fellow-citizens, who were wholly intent on self- interest, the opinion entertained of her bad economy. — ttoXXwv, of many) Believers ought to return a favour not only to him, who has been of service to themselves, but also to him, who has been of service to others.
3. salute) We should observe the politeness of the apostle in writing the salutations ; the friendly feeling of be- lievers in joining theirs with his, ver. 21, 22 ; again, the humi- lity of the former in attending to them, and the love of the latter in the frequent use of them. — rip/Vxav, Prisca) strong testimony sufficiently confirms this reading ; Baumgarten prefers np/tTuWuvj Priscilla } A holy woman in Italy seems to have borne the Latin name Priscilla, which is a diminutive, Acts xviii. 2, but in the Church the name, Prisca , is more dignified. The name of the wife is put here before that of the husband, because she was the more distinguished of the two in the Church; Acts xviii. 18 : or even because in this passage there had gone before the mention of a woman, Phoebe. — ’AjcvXuv, Aquila) The proper names of believers, Roman, Hebrew and Greek, set down promiscuously, show the riches of Grace in the New Testament exceeding all expectation [Eph. iii. 20]. — <rwepyoug, fellow-workers) in teaching, or else, protecting : See the follow- ing verse.
4. 07r/ i/s£, who) They are individually distinguished by their own respective graces, or duties ; but Scripture never praises any one so as to give him any ground for extolling himself, but for praising God and rejoicing in Him. — ketfjjxa v) The force of the verb is not unsuitably explained by the noun viroQi jx»j, a stake laid down. — a/ sxxXTj/r/a/, the churches) even the Church at Rome, for the preservation of Paul, and we still are bound in some measure to give thanks to Aquila and Priscilla, or we shall do so hereafter.
1 ABCD(A)G Vulg. fg support Hqiokuu against Ugi'axth'hciv, of the Rec. Text. — Ed.