· Translation: KJV

Romans 16:6Greet Mary, who labored much for us.

The setting

Rome, ~57 AD. Paul dictates final greetings for his letter to Roman Christians, naming a woman whose hard work built the early church in Rome, Italy.

The emotion here: deeply grateful while imprisoned, knowing others carry the burden

The original word

kopiáō (κεκοπίακεν) — to labor to the point of exhaustion, like a field worker at harvest

Why it matters

Women like Mary were foundational to early Christianity, often hosting churches in their homes

Read with care

What most readers miss in Romans 16:6

Paul uses the same word for Mary's work that he uses for his own apostolic ministry

Common misconceptionPeople think this is just a polite greeting. But 'labored much' uses the strongest Greek word for exhausting work — Paul is honoring a ministry giant.

Bible Genome reading

Romans 16:6 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerPaul
Eraearly_church
Primary emotiongrateful
Literary typeletter
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability20%
Memorability20%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone20%
Themes:servicededication

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Romans 16

Romans 16:6 comes from the book of Romans, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is grateful, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is tender. It belongs to the letter genre of biblical literature. Key themes include service, dedication. Notable phrases: labored much for us. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

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