Philemon 1
1
1From Paul, a prisoner # 1 In other letters from Paul, he describes himself as an apostle, but here, writing to his dear friend, there is no need to remind Philemon of his apostleship. of the Anointed One, Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, # 1 Philemon means “affectionate” and is derived from the Greek word philema, which means “kiss.” our precious friend and companion in this work. 2To the church that meets in his house, along with our dear sister Apphia and our fellow soldier Archippus. # 2 Apphia means “fruitful one” and is believed to be the name of Philemon’s wife. Archippus means “master of the horse” and was possibly their son’s name. See also Col. 4:17.
3May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ pour out his grace and peace upon you.
Philemon’s Faith and Love
4I am always thankful to my God as I remember you in my prayers 5because I’m hearing reports about your faith in the Lord Jesus and how much love you have for all his holy followers. 6I pray for you that the faith we share # 6 This is somewhat ambiguous, for the Greek is literally “for the sharing of the faith of you.” It can mean a number of things, including the common faith that Paul and Philemon shared, or it could mean the faith that Philemon shared with others through evangelism. The Aramaic can be translated “May your association [fellowship] of believers [Philemon’s house church] be fruitful in works and in the knowledge of all that you possess in Jesus, the Messiah.” may effectively deepen your understanding of every good thing that belongs to you in Christ. 7Your love has impacted me and brings me great joy and encouragement, for the hearts of the believers have been greatly refreshed through you, dear brother.
Paul’s Request on Behalf of Onesimus
8Even though I have enough boldness in Christ that I could command you to do what is proper, 9-10I’d much rather make an appeal because of our friendship. So here I am, an old man, # 9–10 Some manuscripts have “an ambassador” in place of “an old man.” a prisoner for Christ, making my loving appeal to you. It is on behalf of my child, whose spiritual father I became # 9–10 The Aramaic can be translated “whom I birthed with my chains (while in prison).” while here in prison; that is, Onesimus. # 9–10 Paul employs a masterful play on words, for the name Onesimus means “useful” or “valuable.” The book of Philemon is a masterpiece of grace, tact, and love. 11Formerly he was not useful or valuable to you, but now he is valuable to both of us. 12He is my very heart, # 12 The Aramaic can be translated “for he is my son.” It would be hard to imagine a more powerful way to describe the affection between Paul and his spiritual son, Onesimus. The one who gave us the love chapter (1 Cor. 13) demonstrated that love in his relationships, even with those who were much younger than he. and I’ve sent him back to you with this letter.
13I would have preferred to keep him at my side so that he could take your place as my helper during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. # 13 Or “in the chains of the gospel.” The Aramaic changes the object of the phrase to Onesimus: “I took him to serve me, chained to God’s message, on your behalf.” 14However, I did not want to make this decision without your consent, so that your act of kindness # 14 By implication, this act of kindness refers to Philemon receiving the fugitive slave back with love and forgiveness. would not be a matter of obligation but out of willingness.
15Perhaps you could think of it this way: he was separated from you for a short time so that you could have him back forever. 16So welcome him no longer as a slave, but more than that, as a dearly loved brother. He is that to me especially, and how much more so to you, both humanly speaking and in the Lord.
17So if you consider me your friend and partner, accept him the same way you would accept me. 18And if he has stolen anything # 18 Although the Greek verb adikeō means “to do wrong” or “to defraud,” the clear implication is that Onesimus had stolen from his master. from you or owes you anything, just place it on my account.
19I, Paul, have written these words in my own handwriting. I promise to pay you back everything, to say nothing of the fact that you owe me your very self. # 19 By implication, it was Paul who had brought the message of life to Philemon and became his “spiritual father” as well.
20Yes, my brother, enrich my soul # 20 Or “benefited” or “profited.” This is a play on words that would not be lost on the educated Philemon, for it is taken from the root word for “Onesimus” (“profitable”). in the Lord—refresh my heart in Christ! 21I’m writing to you with confidence that you will comply with my request and do even more than what I’m asking.
22And would you do one more thing for me? Since I’m hoping through your prayers to be restored to you soon, please prepare a guest room for me.
23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in the Anointed One, Jesus, sends his greetings of peace # 23 The cultural greeting of that day would be peace or “shalom.” to you, 24and so does Mark, # 24 That is, “John Mark.” See Acts 15:36–40. This shows that John Mark was fully restored in his relationship and partnership with the apostle Paul. Since Mark’s death was in Alexandria in AD 62, the book of Philemon was obviously written before then. This is the only place in the New Testament that records Mark and Luke being in the same place. Paul had two Gospel writers who traveled with him. Aristarchus, # 24 Aristarchus means “best prince” (“ruler”). He was also known as Aristarchus of Thessalonica and is identified in church history as one of the seventy whom Jesus sent out. He was both a ministry companion of Paul and Paul’s “fellow prisoner” (Col. 4:10). Demas, # 24 Demas means “governor of the people.” Demas would later desert Paul and turn back to the world. See 2 Tim. 4:10. and Luke, my companions in this ministry.
25May the unconditional love # 25 Or “grace.” of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, be with your spirit! # 25 The Aramaic adds a postscript: “End of the letter of Philemon, which was written from Rome and sent by the hands of Onesimus.”
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Philemon 1: TPT
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