3773. Ourbanos
Lexical Summary
Ourbanos: Urbanus

Original Word: Οὐρβανός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Ourbanos
Pronunciation: oor-ban-os'
Phonetic Spelling: (oor-ban-os')
KJV: Urbanus
NASB: Urbanus
Word Origin: [of Latin origin]

1. Urbanus (of the city, "urbane"), a Christian

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Urbanus.

Of Latin origin; Urbanus (of the city, "urbane"), a Christian -- Urbanus.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of Latin origin (of the city, polished, etc.)
Definition
Urbanus, a Christian
NASB Translation
Urbanus (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3773: Οὐρβανός

Οὐρβανός, Ὀυρβανου, (a Latin name; cf. Lightfoot on Philip., p. 174), Urbanus, a certain Christian: Romans 16:9.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Cultural Background

Urbanus bears a distinctly Latin name meaning “city-bred” or “of the city.” The presence of such a name in the Roman congregation fits the social mosaic of the first-century capital, where slaves, freedmen, and immigrants from every corner of the Empire worshiped side by side. The name points to either a Roman birth or, more likely, a freedman status, for Latin names were often adopted at manumission. His Greek form (Οὐρβανὸς) appears only once, yet that single mention opens a window onto the cosmopolitan character of the early church.

Biblical Occurrence

Romans 16:9: “Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.”

Role in Paul’s Ministry

1. Fellow Worker: Paul’s use of “our fellow worker” (συνεργὸς ἡμῶν) places Urbanus in the circle of laborers who advanced the gospel through teaching, hospitality, financial support, or administrative help. The plural pronoun “our” suggests recognition not merely by Paul but by the wider missionary team.
2. Local Anchor: Unlike companions who traveled with Paul (Timothy, Titus, Silas), Urbanus seems to have served the church in Rome itself. Paul, writing from Corinth or Cenchreae, greets him as a trusted ally already embedded in the congregation he has yet to visit in person (Romans 1:10-13). Urbanus thus represents the essential partnership between itinerant apostles and settled believers.
3. Link in a Network: Romans 16 strings together men and women, Jews and Gentiles, slaves and persons of social standing. Urbanus stands between names of Greek (Stachys) and Latin (Amplias, Tryphena) origin, embodying the harmony Paul commends earlier in the epistle (Romans 15:5-7).

Patterns of Fellowship in Romans 16

• Commendation rather than command: Paul does not direct Urbanus but honors him, reinforcing servant-leadership.
• Corporate language: “Fellow worker” underscores that gospel service is shared, not competitive (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:9).
• Recognition of unseen labor: Rome’s church likely met in multiple households (Romans 16:5, 14-15). Paul singles out Urbanus though he never worked beside him in Rome, showing apostolic care for believers he knows only by report.

Historical Traditions After the New Testament

Early patristic lists of the Seventy sometimes include Urbanus, grouping him with other names from Romans 16 such as Amplias and Stachys. Later martyrologies claim he became bishop in Macedonia and suffered under Emperor Trajan. While these accounts arise centuries after Paul and cannot be verified from Scripture, they testify to the high regard in which his memory was held.

Theological and Practical Lessons

• Every believer’s labor matters: a single verse immortalizes Urbanus as co-laborer with an apostle, encouraging ordinary Christians that none serve unnoticed.
• Mutual affirmation strengthens the church: Paul’s greeting models how leaders can build unity by publicly honoring faithful workers.
• Cross-cultural harmony: a Latin-named Christian celebrated in a Greek letter sent by a Jewish apostle foreshadows the multiethnic people of God envisioned in Revelation 7:9.
• Continuity of service: later traditions, though secondary, remind readers that gospel work continued through subsequent generations, rooted in the faithfulness of figures like Urbanus.

Thus, Strong’s Greek 3773 introduces us to more than a name; it introduces a pattern of partnership, humility, and cultural inclusiveness that marks authentic New Testament ministry.

Forms and Transliterations
Ουρβανον Οὐρβανὸν ουρούντα ουρών Ourbanon Ourbanòn
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Romans 16:9 N-AMS
GRK: ἀσπάσασθε Οὐρβανὸν τὸν συνεργὸν
NAS: Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker
KJV: Salute Urbane, our helper
INT: greet Urbanus the fellow worker

Strong's Greek 3773
1 Occurrence


Οὐρβανὸν — 1 Occ.

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