Philemon
Introductory greeting
[Five names are mentioned here in the introduction and conclusion, see verses 23-24. This indicates that there is a fine structure and symmetry in the letter. The fact that Paul does not use the title "apostle," as he does in nine of his thirteen letters, suggests that he has a close friendship with Philem. The title "prisoner" indicates that he is imprisoned, probably in Rom. However, he does not write "prisoner of the emperor" even though he is imprisoned by the Roman state. Paul is not owned by his circumstances; he is owned by Jesus and is his prisoner!] 11[From:]
Paul, prisoner of the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) Jesus
and brother Timothy.
To:
Philem. our beloved friend and co-worker [his name means "affectionate"], 2Apphia, our sister [probably Philem. wife; Apphia was a common Phrygian name meaning "fruitful"],
Archippus, our fellow soldier (literally "fellow soldier") [Archippus is mentioned in where Paul encourages him to fulfill his ministry in the Lord. He may be the son of Philem. and Apphia, since he is in their home, or he may be one of the church leaders in Colossae.] and the church in your [Philem.].'s house. 3Grace (power, undeserved favor) be with you, and peace (harmony, freedom from fear, well-being) from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ).
Philem. was a wealthy Christian man. His household included his wife, younger children, probably also grandparents, and perhaps older children with their families. Such a large household also had slaves. These household servants took care of the cooking and childcare. If they had a good master, they had a good life. However, conditions could be really bad, especially for slaves who worked in the fields and mines. A slave cost about five hundred denarii, which was equivalent to two to three years' wages for an ordinary worker. A slave could be freed or buy his freedom for the purchase price. However, it took a long time to save up. The punishment for running away was severe. In this letter, Paul appeals to Philem. for mercy for the slave Onesimus, who had run away from him but is now returning.Paul's prayer for Philem.
4I always thank my God when I mention (think of) you [Philem.] in my prayers. 5The reason is that I constantly hear about the love [that is selfless and generous]
and the faith
you have
in the Lord Jesus and
for all the saints [his love also included Onesimus].
[Epaphras had told Paul about the church in Col., see . He had probably also mentioned Philem.'s faith in Jesus, which made him love everyone selflessly and generously. The verb form "heard" indicates that it was not just a single report about Philem. love and faith that Paul had heard, it was something that everyone talked about.
The verse is written as a chiasm. The pattern means that the word love is primarily associated with other believers and the word faith with belief in the Lord Jesus. Faith in Jesus is central and is the core of everything. At the same time, "love and faith" also belong together. Paul has faith and love for the Lord, but also for other believers. Already in the introduction to the letter, Paul shows that he has faith that the situation with Onesimus will be resolved in love.] 6I pray that your fellowship with us in faith
will prove effective and give clear insight into all the good things we have in the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ). 7Your love [which is selfless and generous] has been a great joy and comfort (encouragement) to me, because the saints have been strengthened in their hearts (and still are) thanks to you, brother. I appeal for Onesimus
8Philem. had God's selfless, generous love for all believers, see . Onesimus is now also among the believers. Philem. previous proof of faith, faithfulness, and love is the basis for Paul's appeal to include Onesimus in the fellowship of believers. Paul does not command Philem. based on his authority, but instead appeals to him as a friend. Even though I now have the boldness (openness, honesty) in the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) to command you [Philem.] to do your duty, 9I would rather
appeal to you for love's sake. [The basis for the decision must be selfless, sacrificial love.]
I, Paul, an old man [an elder] and now a prisoner of the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) Jesus, 10appeal to you for my child
whom I have begotten in my imprisonment (in my chains), Onesimus. [The name Onesimus means "useful" or "helpful" and was a common slave name. The similar Greek verb onaimen means "to become useful." That is the reason for the choice of words in verses 11 and 20. Paul uses the word appeal (Gk. parakalo) in both verses 9 and 10. This, in contrast to his not commanding in , reinforces his exhortation and sincere appeal to Philem. to receive Onesimus, who was like a son to Paul.] 11Formerly he was of no use [no "Onesimus"] to you,
but now he is of great use [now he is a true "Onesimus"]
to both you and me.Onesimus is sent back
12I am sending him back to you,
the one who is my heart [like a precious, dearly loved child].
13Actually, I wanted to keep him here with me,
so that he could help me in your place now that I am imprisoned (in chains) for the sake of the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do would not be done out of compulsion but of your own free will. [ is the chiastic center of the letter and its main theme.] 15Perhaps that is why he was separated from you for a time,
so that you might have him back forever,
16no longer as a slave,
but as something more:
a beloved brother.
He is that to me in the highest degree.
How much more so to you,
both as a man (in the flesh) and as a brother in the Lord?
[The gospel has a unique power to make rich and poor, slave and free, brothers and sisters, see Gal. 3:28. In Jesus we are one, so to receive Onesimus was like receiving Paul, see Matt. 25:40.]Receive him as if it were I myself who came
[So far, Paul has only used the usual indicative form for all verbs. Now comes the first imperative in the exhortation "receive." Paul uses a similar approach in all his letters. All exhortations are based on what Jesus has done. Paul does not just stand by Onesimus and plead with Philem. on Onesimus' behalf. Paul figuratively stands in front of Onesimus and asks Philem. to receive Onesimus as if it were Paul himself who had come. Jesus also uses similar language, see . These two verses also have a difficult-to-translate chiastic structure that reinforces Paul's substitution with Onesimus. In Greek, the order of the pronouns is: I, you, he, I, he, you, I. The first, last, and central pronoun is "I," which centers Paul between "you and he" and "he and you."] 17Therefore, if you consider me your friend,
receive him as you would receive me.
18If he has wronged you or owes you anything,
put it on my account. [Since Paul implies that Onesimus owes Philem. money, it may be that he stole money or something valuable when he ran away. Paul is willing to take responsibility for Onesimus' misdeeds when he was an unbeliever. In this letter, Paul makes himself an example of Jesus. He shows what true grace is.]I write with confidence in your obedience
19
Paul pleads in his letter for Onesimus, who has become like a son to him. Model of Paul from the Creation Museum in Cincinnati, USA.
Not to mention what you owe me: yourself. [Philem. had probably come to faith in Ephesus when Paul was there during his third missionary journey and the gospel was spreading throughout Asia, see . When Paul casually mentions that Philem. owes him his salvation, he uses a rhetorical device called paralipsis. This rhetoric involves the speaker drawing attention to something and then immediately explaining that it is not relevant and does not need to be discussed further at this point. It is a clever way of conveying something without having to say it outright.] 20Yes, brother, let me "benefit" from you
in the Lord.
Strengthen my heart
in the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ). [The word "benefit" is the Greek word onaimen, which is similar to Onesimus' name. Paul also places his own heart in a chiasm in a beautiful way in the middle of Jesus' heart.] 21I am writing to you, confident of your obedience,
and I know that you will do even more than I ask. 22At the same time, please arrange a place for me to stay (a guest room – Gk. xenia),
for I hope that you [Philem. , Apphia, Archippus, and the church, see ] will restore me through your prayers. [Here, a less common ancient Greek word for guest room is used. The root comes from the word "stranger." The same word is used in about the rented room in Rom where Paul was probably staying when he wrote this letter. Paul now switches to the plural for the first time in the letter and includes the entire church in Philem. There is also a chiastic symmetry where Paul's prayer for them in is thematically related to the congregation's prayers for Paul in . See also .]Closing greetings
[Five names were mentioned in the introduction, and here in the conclusion, five more people who are with Paul are mentioned. Central to the letter is the name of Jesus. This structure and symmetry help to point out how the believer is in Jesus – he is central. These five people mentioned here in the conclusion are also mentioned in the letter to the Colossians, which suggests that these letters were written at the same time, see .] 23Epaphras [probably pastor in Colossae],
my fellow prisoner in the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) Jesus, the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ), sends his greetings to you [Philem.]. [It was Epaphras who had evangelized in the Lycus Valley and was present when the churches in the three cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae were founded. He had probably met Paul in Ephesus during the three years Paul worked there, see . Epaphras had come to Paul in Rom and told him about their faith and love, see .] 24So do my fellow workers: Mark [John Mark], Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. [There is a reason why Paul mentions the last four people, whom Philem. probably did not know but had certainly heard of. The fact that Mark is mentioned first may be because he had abandoned Paul but was restored, see ; ; ; . This was a fine testimony that spoke directly to Philem. situation about how his relationship with Onesimus could also be restored. John Mark, which was his full name, was originally from Jerusalem and was Barnabas' cousin, see . It was in Mark's mother's house that the church gathered and prayed when Peter was miraculously freed, see . Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas, but he interrupted the journey in Perga, see . Mark was close to Peter, who calls him his son, see . Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark, which contains many details from Peter's experiences with Jesus. Aristarchus was from Thessalonica, see ; . He probably became a Christian when Paul came to Thessalonica, see . During the collection for the church in Jerusalem, he was chosen to accompany them. He remained at Paul's side on the way to Rom, see . He is one of three men of Jewish background who are with Paul at this time, see . It is likely that Demas also came from Thessalonica in the same way as Aristarchus. Demas eventually abandoned Paul for worldly interests and went to Thessalonica, see . Luke was a physician, see . He had traveled with Paul on several of his journeys and wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.] 25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah, Christ) be with your spirit.
