Greek word · G4514

Ῥωμαῖος

rōmaios

Roman

A Roman. In the eastern provinces this usually meant a Roman citizen, someone with the legal rank of civis Romanus, whatever his birthplace or ethnic background.

Appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

Ῥωμαῖος, -α, -ον

Roman: John 11:48, Acts 2:10 (RV, from Rome), Acts 16:21, 37-38 22:25-27, 29 23:27 25:16 28:17.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Acts 23:27

Range of meaning: A Roman. In the eastern provinces this usually meant a Roman citizen, someone with the legal rank of civis Romanus, whatever his birthplace or ethnic background.
Against the English: BSB, NIV and ESV add "citizen", which brings out the legal sense. KJV, WEB and YLT keep just "a Roman", which modern readers may take as a statement about where he came from or what ethnic group he belonged to.
How it drifted: Today "Roman" usually means someone from Rome or Italy. In the first century it named a legal status that a Jew from Tarsus could hold from birth (22:28).
Used elsewhere in the period: Acts 16:37–38; 22:25–29; 25:16. Josephus records Jews who held Roman citizenship in Asia Minor (Antiquities 14.228–240). Under Roman law (the lex Porcia, and the lex Julia on public violence) citizens were protected from being flogged or bound without trial and had the right to appeal.

From the study of Acts 16:37

Range of meaning: (1) A resident or native of Rome. (2) More often in Acts, a Roman citizen: someone who held the legal status civis Romanus, wherever he was born or lived.
Against the English: KJV, YLT and WEB say 'Romans'. BSB, NIV and NLT say 'Roman citizens', which says plainly what was meant.
How it drifted: Today 'Roman' suggests someone from Rome or of Italian descent. In the first century it named a legal privilege held by people across the empire, and Paul was a Jew from Tarsus who was born a citizen (22:28).
Used elsewhere in the period: Cicero's speech against Verres (In Verrem 2.5.162) describes Gavius being flogged in the forum at Messana while he kept crying civis Romanus sum, 'I am a Roman citizen'. Cicero calls it a crime to bind a citizen and an outrage to flog one. Acts 22:25–29 and 23:27 use the same word for citizenship. In Acts 16:21 the accusers had appealed to their own Roman identity: customs 'not lawful for us, being Romans'.

From the study of Acts 2:10

Range of meaning: (1) A person from the city of Rome; (2) a Roman citizen, the legal status (as in Acts 16:37; 22:25–29, where Paul claims to be a 'Roman'); (3) collectively, 'the Romans' as the ruling power (John 11:48).
Against the English: English 'Romans' easily suggests Gentile Italians, the imperial power, or (in church usage) Roman Catholics. Here it means members of the Jewish community of Rome and their converts.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rome had a large Jewish population by this time. Many descended from captives Pompey brought back after taking Jerusalem in 63 BC, who were later freed; Philo says the district across the Tiber was 'occupied and inhabited by Jews', most of them freed slaves and Roman citizens (Philo, Embassy to Gaius 155). Claudius later expelled Jews from Rome over disturbances (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4; Acts 18:2).

Where it appears

John · 1

John 11:48 Ῥωμαῖοι Romans

If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

Here: This is the only place in John's Gospel where the Romans are named. They hang over the whole Passion story but are named only here, in the council's fear.

Acts · 11

Acts 2:10 Ῥωμαῖοι, from Rome,

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome,

Here: People from the city of Rome. In context these are Jews (and converts to Judaism) from Rome's sizeable Jewish community, not Gentile Italians. The word does not by itself mean they held Roman citizenship.
Acts 16:21 Ῥωμαίοις Romans

by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”
Acts 16:37 Ῥωμαίους Romans

But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”

Here: Roman citizens, a legal status, not people from the city of Rome. This is the third count and the heaviest: flogging a citizen was a crime under Roman law.
Acts 16:38 Ῥωμαῖοί Romans

So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
Acts 22:25 Ῥωμαῖον a Roman

But as they stretched him out to strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
Acts 22:26 Ῥωμαῖός a Roman

On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
Acts 22:27 Ῥωμαῖος a Roman

The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered.
Acts 22:29 Ῥωμαῖός a Roman

At once those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
Acts 23:27 Ῥωμαῖός a Roman

This man was seized by the Jews, and they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen,

Here: A Roman citizen in the legal sense: a man with the rights of citizenship. It does not mean someone from the city of Rome. Paul was from Tarsus.
Acts 25:16 Ῥωμαίοις with Romans

I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.
Acts 28:17 Ῥωμαίων, Romans,

After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.