1 Peter 5:13

1 Peter 5:13 ‘She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.'

‘She' -Some have contended that this refers to Peter's wife. But since the word ‘church' is feminine in gender, it makes more sense that this refers to the congregation of which Peter was. member. In addition, the ‘she' is contrasted with the congregations to whom Peter was writing ‘you'.

‘who is in Babylon' -‘Babylon (on the Euphrates) was not as yet entirely destroyed, and there seems to be no real reason for believing Rome is meant here, or some Babylon of another country.' (Oberst p. 244) Babylon had been. center of Jewish scholarship after the captivity. Many Jews had never left the city, even when given the opportunity to return to Palestine. The great commentary on the Jewish Law was called the Babylonian Talmud. ‘So important were the Jews of Babylon that Josephus had issued. special edition of his histories for them. There is no doubt that there was. large and important colony of Jews there; and it would have been quite natural for Peter…to preach and to work there.' (Barclay p. 329)

‘so does my son, Mark' -Probably the John Mark mentioned in the book of Acts. Peter was acquainted with his mother, Mary (Acts 12:12). He was with Paul in Rome around 62 A.D. (Colossians 4:10). He was also the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10). ‘My son'-used in the sense of. son in the faith, as Paul calls Timothy, his son (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:1)