Andronicus is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Andronicus was a Christian in Rome whom Paul greeted personally in the closing chapter of his letter to the Romans. Paul names him alongside a woman named Junia, calling them both his “kinsmen,” a term that suggests they were Jewish by birth and possibly even relatives of Paul himself. He further describes them as his “fellow-prisoners,” indicating that they had suffered imprisonment alongside him at some point for the sake of the gospel. Though Scripture does not record the circumstances of that imprisonment, the fact that Paul mentions it shows these were not casual acquaintances but fellow laborers who had shared hardship for Christ.
Paul goes on to say that Andronicus and Junia were “of note among the apostles,” a phrase indicating they were well known and highly regarded among the apostles, or possibly that they were themselves counted among that group. Either way, they held a respected standing in the early church. Paul also notes that they “were in Christ before me,” meaning they had come to faith in Jesus Christ before Paul’s own conversion on the road to Damascus. This makes them among the earliest believers, members of the church before Paul himself was added to it.
The setting is significant: Paul, writing to the believers in Rome, takes care to greet this man by name. Andronicus appears only here in the King James Bible, in a single verse, yet that verse preserves his memory as a faithful servant who believed early, suffered willingly, and earned the esteem of the apostles.
The Name
Andronicus is the Greek form of a name (Ἀνδρόνικος) built from two common Greek elements: *anēr* (ἀνήρ), meaning “man,” and *nikē* (νίκη), meaning “victory.” Taken together, the name is generally understood to mean “man of victory” or “victorious man.” This is a well-established meaning, since both component words are ordinary Greek terms with clear senses, and the name appears in broader Greek and Roman usage beyond the New Testament. Unlike some biblical names whose meanings are uncertain or disputed, the sense of Andronicus is straightforward and recoverable from its parts.
A Closing Thought
Andronicus reminds us that faithfulness is often quiet. He appears in a single verse, greeted by name and then never mentioned again, yet Paul remembered him as one who believed before Paul did and suffered as a prisoner beside him. There is no record of a sermon he preached or a church he planted, only the testimony that he was in Christ early and stood firm through hardship. Most of us will live similarly unrecorded lives. The lesson is that being known by God and counted faithful by those who labor beside us is enough. Early faith and patient endurance still matter, even when no one but heaven takes note.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: New
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Romans 16:7 — Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.