“Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus” (2 Timothy 4:19).
2 Timothy 4:19 begins what are probably the last recorded words of Paul the Apostle. As we consider this final passage, it may be helpful to visualize Paul’s condition as he ends this letter to Timothy.
First, he is chained in a damp, dark prison cell. He has no money. He has no possessions. Most of his companions have left. Others have deserted him. He is cold, lonely, and soon to die. However, he has managed to procure some crude paper, a quill pen, and a mixture of water and charcoal to serve as his ink. So as Paul scratches out these final words to Timothy under these conditions, what does he choose to say? He says, “Please greet my friends.”
Among those friends were Priscilla and Aquila, two old acquaintances of Paul from his days as a traveling missionary. The Biblical book of Acts tells us that they had been expelled from the city of Rome, along with the rest of the Jewish people under an edict from the Roman government. When Paul arrived in the city of Corinth, he met this married couple who had just arrived there as well.
As it turned out, Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla were all tentmakers by trade. They apparently got along so well that they established lodging together within the city and stayed there for some time. Later, when Paul departed for Syria to continue his missionary work, Priscilla and Aquila went with him (see Acts 18:1-18). In fact, Paul was so close with this couple that he referred to Priscilla as “Prisca” in this passage, a likely reference to her nickname.
Priscilla and Aquila also appear in several of Paul’s other New Testament letters. For instance, the book of Romans tells us they were ready to support Paul at the cost of their lives…
“Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches. Also give my greetings to the church that meets in their home” (Romans 16:3-5).
In addition to opening their home to serve as a house church, we also know that Priscilla and Aquila ministered to others on an individual level as well (see Acts 18:24-28). Now it seems this well-traveled couple had made their way to the city of Ephesus along with Timothy. Thus, it is fitting that Paul reserved some space at the end of this letter to greet these long-time, faithful friends.