Romans 16:12

Salute Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute Persis who labored much in the Lord.

Batey observed that the first two names are of twin sisters, described as

"Those workers in the Lord ..." Paul may wish by this description to point out that although their names were "Dainty" and "Delicate" - for this is what their Greek names mean they were like "iron butterflies" in their labors for Christ.[26]

Batey's contrast of the strong work done by those ladies with the fragile names is similar to saying, "Look what a strong job old Weakly is doing!" Of course, nothing whatever is actually known of these three Christian ladies singled out for special greetings from Paul, since this is the only place they are mentioned in the New Testament.

Persis the beloved ... All three names in this verse are feminine, but there are marked differences in the way Paul presented them, the present tense being used for the labor of the twins, and the past tense for the work of Persis. "The beloved" designates only Persis, not the twins; but the reason for such significant variations is not discernible. Murray thought that the past tense with reference to Persis might have meant that

age or infirmity had overtaken Persis and she was no longer active as she had been.[27]

Who labor in the Lord ... was translated by Barrett thus:

"Who labor in the Lord ..." means "who toil in the Lord," meaning to work as a Christian but not necessarily to do "Christian (that is, "church") work."[28]

The distinction thus noted by Barrett is of the utmost importance; and the proper attention to it will prevent thinking of the various Christian ladies mentioned here as deaconesses, or, in any manner, formal official church employees. "Toiling in the Lord" is here used of persons who, in all probability, were slaves in the establishment of Nero; and their duties must be understood as having been arduous and nearly ceaseless, but their performance of every duty was in the spirit of being "unto the Lord"; and so their work was sanctified by their membership in the body of Christ. So it is with every person whose work, of whatever nature, is done in a spirit of loving submission to the will of God. Paul taught that all honorable employment engaged in by Christians was actually work being done "unto the Lord," a thought somewhat differently expressed by him, thus:

And whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

[26] Richard A. Batey, The Letter of Paul to the Romans (Austin, Texas: R. B. Sweet Company, 1960), p. 186.

[27] John Murray, loc. cit.

[28] C. K. Barrett, Commentary on Romans (New York: Harper and Row, 1957), p. 284.