Exploring the Meaning of Episemos in Greek

ἐπίσημος expresses the idea of being “notable,” appearing in the description of Barabbas in the Passion narrative and in Paul’s greeting to Andronicus and Junia. In both settings it marks out a person as conspicuous within a defined frame of reference—one within a prison context, the other within a circle of recognized ministers.

Root and Related Words

ἐπίσημος is connected with ἐπί (epi), “upon/to/against” (Strong’s G1909), and σημαίνω (semaino), “to signify” (Strong’s G4591). These relationships place the adjective within a word-family that speaks in terms of something set “upon” a sign or mark—language suited to describing someone who stands out as noticed or distinguished in a given setting.

Occurrences

“They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.” (Matthew 27:16)

Here ἐπίσημος modifies “prisoner,” and the immediate effect is to single Barabbas out from among other prisoners as one who is already prominent in the public’s awareness. The sentence is spare—“a notable prisoner, called Barabbas”—yet it assumes that the name carries weight in the situation. The adjective supplies that assumption: Barabbas is not merely available as a choice but is a figure with a recognized profile. Within the prison setting, “notable” does not describe an inner quality or a private reputation; it functions publicly, as a distinguishing label that explains why he can be named without further introduction. The word also sharpens the narrative tension of the scene by highlighting that the prisoner in view is not obscure or incidental but stands out among those detained.

“Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are notable among the apostles, who were also in Christ before me.” (Romans 16:7)

In Paul’s greeting, ἐπίσημος appears within a layered commendation. Andronicus and Junia are first located relationally (“my relatives”), then by shared experience (“my fellow prisoners”), and then by reputation: “who are notable among the apostles.” The adjective therefore functions in a tightly defined social and ministerial frame. It does not simply say they are well known in general; it places their notability “among the apostles,” identifying a specific community within which their prominence is recognized. Because Paul adds that they “were also in Christ before me,” the line reads as a concise profile: they belong to an earlier cohort of believers and have a standing that is acknowledged in apostolic circles. In this greeting genre, “notable” serves as a reason for honor within the congregation receiving the letter: Paul’s commendation calls for recognition of their established prominence.

Sense and Usage

Across its two uses, ἐπίσημος consistently highlights a person’s conspicuous status rather than supplying details that create that status. In Matthew 27:16 the adjective stands in for background knowledge: the reader is not told why Barabbas is notable, only that he is. This is a rhetorical shorthand that marks him as someone already “on the radar.” The notability is attached to a social label (“prisoner”) and a proper name (“Barabbas”), suggesting that in the scene his identity carries public recognition sufficient to distinguish him from others who might otherwise fit the same category.

In Romans 16:7, by contrast, the adjective is embedded in an explicit chain of commendations. Notability is located “among the apostles,” so the sense is not merely that Andronicus and Junia are noteworthy individuals, but that their prominence is recognized within a defined circle. The wording lets the reader see how notability can be relational: it is measured with reference to a group (“the apostles”), and it is presented as a communal judgment that Paul expects the audience to accept. The surrounding phrases also show that ἐπίσημος can sit alongside other descriptors without competing with them. “My relatives,” “my fellow prisoners,” “notable among the apostles,” and “in Christ before me” each contribute a different angle—kinship, shared suffering, recognized standing, and early participation—so that “notable” names a reputational fact within a broader portrait.

Seen together, the two occurrences also demonstrate that ἐπίσημος can mark prominence in very different kinds of company. In Matthew, the frame is a carceral setting and the public awareness attached to a prisoner. In Romans, the frame is the network of apostolic ministry and the esteem attached to trusted workers. The adjective does the same lexical work in both places—indicating notability—while the context determines whether that notability is associated with imprisonment as a notorious reality (“a notable prisoner”) or with honor in Christian service (“notable among the apostles”). In neither verse does the word itself define the basis of prominence; it simply asserts the fact of being distinguished, leaving the narrative or epistolary context to imply what sort of attention or recognition is in view.

Imagery

The passages attach ἐπίσημος to people whose names are spoken as already weighty. Matthew 27:16 presents a man identified in the stark setting of custody—“a notable prisoner”—so the adjective evokes the image of one detainee who stands out among others. Romans 16:7, set within greetings of a community letter, evokes the opposite social scene: respected workers whose standing is acknowledged “among the apostles,” so that their notability functions as a mark of public recognition within a ministerial circle.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).