1 Peter 5:13

Peter calls Rome Babylon in a metaphorical sense. The woman who is chosen along with us is the church of Christ established in that city. He also mentions Mark the Evangelist, whom he calls his son in Christ and to whom he entrusted the task …

"Babylon" he calls Rome on account of its eminence, which Babylon also enjoyed for a long time. "Elect" he calls the Church of God that was established in Rome. By Mark he means the Evangelist, calling him also a son in the Spirit, not in …

The Church which is gathered in Babylon greets you, etc. He calls Rome Babylon figuratively, evidently because of the confusion of manifold idolatry. In the midst of which, the holy Church, now immature and very small, was shining forth, in the example of the Israelite …

Peter calls Rome Babylon [Babel] because of the many languages spoken there.

The church that is at Babylon,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, supply the word "church", as we do. Some, by "Babylon", understand Rome, which is so called, in a figurative sense, in the book of the Revelations: this is an ancient opinion; so Papias understood it, as (e) Eusebius relates; but that Peter was at Rome, when he wrote this epistle, cannot be proved, nor any reason be given why the proper name of the place should be concealed, and a figurative one expressed.

The church that is at Babylon - Near which St. Peter probably was, when he wrote this epistle. Elected together with you - Partaking of the same faith with you.

), telling them that God had elected or chosen the Christians at Babylon out of the world, to be his church, and to partake of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, together with them and all other faithful Christians, ch. i.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you - It will be seen at once that much of this is supplied by our translators; the words “church that is” not being in the original. The Greek is, ἡ ἐν Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλεκτὴ hē en Babulōni suneklektē; and might refer to a church, or to a female. Wall, Mill, and some others, suppose that the reference is to a Christian woman, perhaps the wife of Peter himself. Compare 2Jn 1:

Compare 1Pe 3:7, "heirs together of the grace of life." But why she should be called "elected together with you in Babylon," as if there had been no Christian woman in Babylon besides, is inexplicable on this view.

The Church that is at Babylon - After considering all that has been said by learned men and critics on this place, I am quite of opinion that the apostle does not mean Babylon in Egypt, nor Jerusalem, nor Rome as figurative Babylon, but the ancient celebrated Babylon in Assyria, which was, as Dr. Benson observes, the metropolis of the eastern dispersion of the Jews; but as I have said so much on this subject in the preface, I beg leave to refer the reader to that place. Instead of Babylon, some MSS. mentioned by Syncellus in his Chronicon have Ιοππῃ, Joppa; and one has Ῥωμῃ, Rome, in the margin, probably as the meaning, according to the writer, of the word Babylon. Elected together with you - Συνεκλεκτη· Fellow elect, or elected jointly with you. Probably meaning that they, and the believers at Babylon, received the Gospel about the same time. On the election of those to whom St. Peter wrote, see the notes on 1Pe 1:2. And ...Marcus my son - This is supposed to be the same person who is mentioned Act 12:12, and who is known by the name of John Mark; he was sister’s son to Barnabas, Col 4:10, his mother’s name was Mary, and he is the same who wrote the gospel that goes under his name. He is called here Peter’s son, i.e. according to the faith, Peter having been probably the means of his conversion. This is very likely, as Peter seems to have been intimate at his mother’s house. See the account, Act 12:6-17.