Paul, a prisoner of Christ* Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,
“Christ” means “Anointed One”.
to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:
A private request, addressed to a household
The greeting names Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and “the assembly in your house”.
Everything that follows, the appeal and the accounting included, is sent under that greeting.
Read verses 1 and 2. The senders and recipients are split at the sentence’s own first “to” at build time; see src/data/derived/philemon.json.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,
hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,
that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.
For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,
He says he could command, and then does not
Verse 8: he has “all boldness in Christ to command you”. Verse 9: “yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you”.
Verse 9 gives his reason, “for love’s sake”; verse 14 adds “of free will”.
Read verses 8, 9 and 14 together. “Command” and “appeal” are located in the text at build time.
yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains,*
Onesimus means “useful”.
The name carries a footnote, and the letter plays on it
The WEB committee footnote here reads, in full: “Onesimus means ‘useful’.”
The next verse says he “once was useless to you, but now is useful”. The footnote is theirs; setting it beside verse 11 is ours.
Open the footnote marker on verse 10; it comes from the source file. This site makes no Greek claims of its own (see /accuracy).
The man the letter is about is named a single time
Besides Jesus Christ, eleven people are named in 25 verses. Onesimus is named once, at verse 10, and so is Philemon, at verse 1.
After that he is “him”, “my own heart”, “a beloved brother”.
Counted at build time from the rendered text: src/data/derived/philemon.json → people. Search the letter for “Onesimus”.
who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,
whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.
But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever,
It never says he ran away
Nowhere does the letter call Onesimus a runaway. He was “separated from you for a while” (15), and “if he has wronged you” (18): a conditional, not a charge.
How he reached Paul is not stated.
Read the letter through — it is 25 verses — and look for the sentence that says he fled. There is not one.
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
What exactly is being asked for is not stated
Onesimus is to be received “no longer as a slave” (16); Philemon “will do even beyond what I say” (21).
Some read an unspoken request for freedom; others, a return on new terms. This site picks neither.
Read 16 and 21. If a sentence in the letter settles it, this note is wrong and should be corrected.
If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account.
I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).
The line the letter says he wrote with his own hand
Verse 18 moves whatever is owed onto Paul’s account. Verse 19 signs for it: “I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it”, and adds that Philemon owes him his own self besides.
Read 18 and 19. Both phrases are located in the text by their own words at build time, not by verse number.
Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
The letter closes on the words it opened with
“Refreshed” is at verse 7, of the saints’ hearts; “Refresh” at verse 20, of the sender’s. “Heart” is at 7, 12 and 20, and at 12 it is what Onesimus is called.
No other verse uses either.
Occurrences counted at build time: src/data/derived/philemon.json → repeated. Search the letter for “refresh” and “heart”.
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother
Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.
The request is followed by his hope of coming
Verse 22: “prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.”
It comes right after the appeal closes. The letter does not connect the two, and neither does this site.
Read verses 20 to 22 in order and notice what follows what.
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
The letter is addressed to Philemon and to three other parties, including everyone who meets in his house. The request is never repeated privately.
How would your choice change if your church knew about it?