a servant. Paul’s word (Gk. diakonos) is variously translated as “servant” (1 Tim. 4:6), or “deacon” (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8). It is unlikely Paul uses the term to refer to the specific church office of deacon; he is instead describing Phoebe as a servant of the church in a more general sense.

 R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2009.