Πατρόβας
Patrobas
Definition
Patrobas is a proper name of a person mentioned in the New Testament. It refers to a specific Christian man who was part of the early church community in Rome. The name appears only in Romans 16:14, where Paul includes him in a list of believers to whom he sends greetings. As a proper name, it does not have multiple senses or meanings; its significance lies solely in identifying this individual as a member of the Roman church.
Biblical Usage
The word Πατρόβας is used only once in the New Testament, in Romans 16:14. It is used strictly as a personal name within a list of fellow Christians whom Paul greets at the close of his letter to the Romans. The usage pattern is consistent with other names in the chapter, serving to identify and honor specific individuals within the early Christian community.
Etymology
The name Πατρόβας (Patrobas) is of Greek origin. It is a compound name, likely derived from the Greek words 'patēr' (πατήρ), meaning 'father', and possibly a shortened form of a verb like 'bainō' (βαίνω), meaning 'to go' or 'to walk'. Thus, the name could be interpreted to mean something like 'father's walk' or 'descendant of the father'. It was a known personal name in the Greco-Roman world.
Semantic Range
In the first-century Greco-Roman world, names like Patrobas were common. Its compound structure, referencing 'father', may have indicated lineage or a hoped-for character trait. As a personal name in a Pauline greeting, it highlights the personal, relational nature of the early church, where individuals from various backgrounds (this name suggests a Greek or Hellenistic background) were integrated into the Christian community in Rome.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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