Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Philemon 1:10
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
10. I beseech thee ] See on the same word just above.
my son whom I have begotten ] Lit., “ whom I begot.” But English demands the perfect where the event is quite recent.
“ Son”: “begotten ” : cp. 1Co 4:15: “I begot you, through the Gospel.” The teacher who, by the grace of God, brings into contact the penitent soul and Him who is our Life, and by faith in whom we become “the children of God” (Gal 3:26), is, in a sense almost more than figurative, the convert’s spiritual father. The spiritual relationship between the two is deep and tender indeed. The converted runaway had taken his place with Timothy (1Ti 1:2; 2Ti 1:2) and Titus (Tit 1:4) in St Paul’s family circle.
See Gal 4:19 for the boldest and tenderest of all his parental appeals.
Onesimus ] The name stands last in the sentence, in the Greek; a perfect touch of heart-rhetoric.
“The name was very commonly borne by slaves” (Lightfoot, p. 376). It means “ Helpful,” “ Profitable ” ; and such words were frequent as slave-names. Lightfoot (p. 376, note) quotes among others Chrestus (“ Good ”), Symphorus (“ Profitable ”), and Carpus (“Fruit”). Female slaves often bore names descriptive of appearance; Arescousa (“ Pleasing ”), Terpousa (“ Winning ”), &c.
On Onesimus and his status see Introd. to this Epistle, ch. 3, 4
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus – That is, my son in the gospel; one to whom I sustain the relation of a spiritual father; compare the notes at 1Ti 1:2. The address and tact of Paul here are worthy of particular observation. Any other mode of bringing the case before the mind of Philemon might have repelled him. If he had simply said, I beseech thee for Onesimus; or, I beseech thee for thy servant Onesimus, he would at once have reverted to his former conduct, and remembered all his ingratitude and disobedience. But the phrase my son, makes the way easy for the mention of his name, for he had already found the way to his heart before his eye lighted on his name, by the mention of the relation which he sustained to himself. Who could refuse to such a man as Paul – a laborious servant of Christ – an aged man, exhausted with his many sufferings and toils – and a prisoner – a request which he made for one whom he regarded as his son? It may be added, that the delicate address of the apostle in introducing the subject, is better seen in the original than in our translation. In the original, the name Onesimus is reserved to come in last in the sentence. The order of the Greek is this: I entreat thee concerning a son of mine, whom I have begotten in my bonds – Onesimus. Here the name is not suggested, until he had mentioned that he sustained to him the relation of a son, and also until he had added that his conversion was the fruit of his labors while he was a prisoner. Then, when the name of Onesimus is mentioned, it would occur to Philemon not primarily as the name of an ungrateful and disobedient servant, but as the interesting case of one converted by the labors of his own friend in prison. Was there ever more delicacy evinced in preparing the way for disarming one of prejudice, and carrying an appeal to his heart?
Whom I have begotten in my bonds – Who has been converted by my efforts while I have been a prisoner. On the phrase whom I have begotten, see 1Co 4:15. Nothing is said of the way in which he had become acquainted with Onesimus, or why he had put himself under the teaching of Paul; see the introduction, Section 2. See (3) Below.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Phm 1:10
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus
Softened by the entreaty of a friend
This and the previous verse taken together seem to contain two references to the Roman law.
For the loves sake I rather beseech–being such an one as Paul, an old man, and, as it is, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus. We have here a twofold reference–a plea for legal pardon, a hint at emancipation.
1. I beseech–I beseech thee–puts Paul in the position of a formal precator. The law gave the Roman slave one real right. It relented with humane inconsistency upon one point, and one only. For the slave in the Roman Empire the right of asylum did not exist. His only conceivable resource was that he might, in his despair, fly to a friend of his master, not for the purpose of concealment, but of intercession. The owner, who was absolute as far as any formal tribunal was concerned, might be softened by the entreaties of the friend who took upon himself the office of intercessor. The Roman jurisprudence formally declared that the slave in fly ing to a friend of his proprietor with this intention did not incur the enormous guilt of becoming fugitivus. St. Paul, indeed, was unable to appear with Onesimus. But in the emphatic and repeated beseech, he seems to declare himself the legal precator.
2. The hint at the emancipation is contained in the recognition of Onesimus by St. Paul as a son of the various forms of manumissio justa, the adoptive stands in the first rank. With the title of son, the rights of domestic and civil life flow in upon the slave, new born into the common family of humanity. May there be a yet further allusion? St. Paul, indeed, hopes to see Philemon again (Phm 1:22). Yet he may die. In these literally precativa verba (I beseech, I beseech thee, Phm 1:9-10), in what may be his last will and testament, he lays upon Philemon, as if his heir, the duty, not only of pardoning, but of giving manumission to the penitent slave. (Bp. Wm. Alexander.)
The compassion of the gospel
I. How compassionate the Gospel makes a man toward his suffering fellow men. Though the greatest man then alive–far greater than the Emperor of Rome himself–Paul, illustrious in the estimation of all the angels, is trying to do good to a poor runaway slave, whom the pagan Romans looked upon as a mere dog, the like of whom many a Roman master had flogged to death, and then flung into the pond to feed the fish. He acts towards Onesimus as a father; calls him his son converted in his bonds. Then notice the prudence and tact with which Paul writes. When a prudent person wishes to convey a piece of painful news to another, he tries to prepare the mind of the hearer for the tidings. For example, when the messenger conveyed to Achilles the news of the death of his beloved friend Patroelus, he used a word which means both to be dead and to be asleep. So if we wanted successfully to plead the cause of a son who had grievously offended his father, we should keep out of sight as long as we could the faults of the son, and mention all we could in his favour. So Paul acts in pleading the cause of Onesimus. In order to induce Philemon to take back Onesimus, he first calls him his child; and of course Philemon would respect any one Paul called by so tender a name. He then calls him his convert; and of course Philemon would treat with affection any convert of Paul. He then speaks of his conversion during his imprisonment; and then–last–comes his name, Onesimus.
II. How mysteriously God often works in the conversion of sinful men. Onesimus was probably born at Colosse, in Asia Minor. There he was in the service of Philemon, and, having robbed his master, he travelled hundreds of miles to Rome, to hide himself from pursuit. Yet there the Lord met him. Perhaps it was the result of the merest accident that he was induced to enter Pauls humble abode. Perhaps he was in the deepest poverty, and meditated drowning himself in the Tiber, when some Christian person saw him, pitied him, and induced him to listen to that gospel he had often heard and slighted at Colosse. We lately heard of a young man who robbed his master of 10, and from fear of detection escaped to India, The preaching of a missionary was the means of his conversion, and, as soon as possible, he sent to his master threefold the amount stolen, with a full and contrite confession of his guilt.
III. The afflictions of Gods servants need be no barrier to their spiritual usefulness. Paul was a prisoner in Rome when the conversion of Onesimus took place. Martin Luther was called to endure a long and dreary confinement, but during it he produced his marvellous translation of the Bible. Richard Baxter wrote some of his most beautiful works in prison, or at seasons of bodily affliction; and if John Bunyan had not been in Bedford jail, most likely the Pilgrims Progress would never have been written. Persecutors have tried to trample under foot the piety of the people of God, but, like the aromatic herb, the more it was pressed, the more sweet odours it sent forth. If we have the will we have the power to serve God and benefit our fellow creatures. In health, in sickness, in death, we can alike glorify God and honour Christ.
IV. A faint emblem of the compassion of Christ for human souls. Says Martin Luther, To my way of thinking, we are all like poor Onesimus, and Christ has come down from heaven to restore us to our Divine Friend and Father. (Homilist.)
Brotherly regard in the Church
I. We learn from this love appearing in the apostle that the basest person in the Church, truly converted and brought unto Christ, should not be condemned, but most lovingly, tenderly, and brotherly regarded. The least and lowest member that belongeth to God ought not to be rejected and debased, but highly for Christs sake to be honoured and respected. Reasons:
1. Those that are least esteemed, and are of lowest condition, were bought with as great and high a price as any others.
2. There is no respect of persons with God.
3. They shall receive with others the same recompense of reward.
Uses:
1. Seeing we are bound to love the lowest in the Church that belong to Christ, we learn that our affections must be carried most earnestly, and in the greatest measure to those that have the greatest measure of heavenly graces, not regarding riches, or kindred, or outward respects before the other.
2. Seeing every member of Christ must be much esteemed, be he never so mean, it teacheth us not to have the religion of God and the faith of Christ in acceptation of persons.
3. This giveth comfort and contentment to the meanest and smallest of Gods saints, and putteth them in remembrance not to be discomforted and out of heart for their mean calling or for their low estate, for they are nothing the less regarded of God, or to be esteemed of His Church.
II. We learn from this name given unto Onesimus converted to the faith that there ought to be the same affection between the pastor and the people, which is between the Father and the Son. Uses:–
1. Seeing the minister and people ought to love as father and son, it teacheth both of them to cut off all occasions of discord and division and to nourish love and mutual concord one with another. It may be many occasions may arise, which if by wisdom they be not smothered and suppressed in the beginning, they are as little sparks that quickly break out into a flame, and the flame suffered to continue consumeth all things that are near unto it. We must show ourselves ready to bring water to quench this fire. It is a deceitful snare, and wonderful subtilty of Satan to cast matters of dissension between the minister and people that so though the Word be among them, yet that it may by that means be with less fruit and profit with them.
2. These most loving titles applied to the minister and people show the duties required of pastors toward their charge, and teach them to love them as their children, to tender their good, to exhort them to lay up for themselves spiritual riches. Great is the love of parents towards their children., If the child be sick or wayward, they do not cast him out of doors or withdraw their affection from him. Hence it is that Christ when He saw the people scattered abroad, and dispersed here and there as sheep without a Shepherd, He had compassion upon them, and showed great love toward them. We see how Christ applieth this to the conscience of Peter, and willeth him to try his love toward Him by feeding His sheep and lambs, thereby assuring him that if he persuaded himself to love Christ Jesus, and yet was not careful to teach His people, he deceived himself and lied to the Holy Ghost, who would find him out in his sin. Seeing the minister and people ought to be as father and son, this showeth the duty of the people that are under their ministry that they regard their ministers as their parents, honouring them, yielding them due recompense, esteeming them as workers together with God, to beget them to Christ, to turn them to salvation. Of our parents we have received only to be, of our ministers we have received to be well. Of our parents we have taken our first birth, of our ministers we have obtained our second birth. Of our parents we have been brought into the world by generation, of our ministers we have been brought into the Church by regeneration. Our first begetting was to death, our second or new life is to life and salvation. By the first birth we are heirs of wrath, by the second we are made the sons of God. (W. Attersoll.)
Onesimus
1. The love which St. Paul felt towards his convert, the yearning desire with which he longed for his good. He overlooked all distinc tions of rank; all that was swallowed up by a deeper bond of sympathy, namely, that St. Paul had been the means of bringing him out of darkness, and of teaching him the gospel of Christ Jesus. I believe there is no union more lasting and true than the spiritual union which exists between those who have done and those who have received good. It is what every clergyman longs for, that he may know that his ministrations have been a blessing to those among whom he ministers. No encouragement, no praise, will compare for a moment with the joy of feeling that he has souls for his hire. No grief is so heavy as the fear of an unblessed ministry, of souls not drawn towards himself, because not drawn by him to Christ Jesus.
2. St. Paul quite foresaw that it might be hard for Philemon to receive back his slave in a forgiving spirit, and to look on him as a brother through faith in Christ, and as an equal in the sight of God. And is not that same difficulty of daily occurrence among us? People always like to keep up the notion of their own superiority over others that they are above, and others below them. And we stand on our rights, and we resent an injury, and we remember a wrong that has been done us, and we should be as likely as Philemon was to speak in disparagement of the change which is said to be wrought in any one who once has done us harm. And here comes up the evidence of a truly Christian spirit. To forgive those who have injured us; to care not for our own, but for anothers wealth; to do to others as we would be done by; to think no evil, to bear no malice, to rejoice in any ones conversion to Christ; here are the signs of a heart renewed and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Ghost.
3. The words of St. Paul may remind us how careful we ought to be, how much of pains and thought we ought to take about those who are closely connected with us in the affairs of our daily life. Just think of the relations which should exist between masters and servants, between employers and employed. As a matter of fact, how little there is for the most part of mutual interest in each others welfare beyond the mere giving and receiving of wages, and the good-natured liking which may exist between the one and the other. How seldom the matter is looked on from a Christian point of view. How seldom the master cares for more than to prevent dishonesty and vice, and to avoid scandal in his house, Is he really anxious about the spiritual welfare of his dependents? Or take the opposite side. For those who go out to service, how little thought is given to any part of the engagement beyond the amount of wages, or the lightness of the work, or the pleasantness of the place. Whether the household be one where God is really served is a less common question. Everything seems to be remembered but the one chief thing of all, the care of the soul. And the same thought may be applied to other relations of life, to parents and children, to acquaintances and neighbours and friends. God allows us to have such relations one to another, but God requires that He should stand first in everything. We cannot be serving God in sincerity and truth; we cannot be fulfilling the charge which God has committed to us, unless we be anxious for others as well as for ourselves, unless we would depart with them from evil, and increase with them in good. And when we heartily desire and pray that others, as well as ourselves, may have Gods highest blessing, we shall find how wonderfully the Lord answers that wish. How strange that the running away of Onesimus from his master should have led to his conversion, and so to his return. But not one whit more strange than are the great results which have come to us all from what seemed the smallest and most unimportant events. A word will change the current of a mans life, will lead to the awakening of conscience, to the searching for and finding salvation. (H. R. Nevill.)
The courtesy of the gospel
I. The gentle courtesy of the apostle. No Christian ought to be rude or harsh. This letter is a model of true politeness–a charming and masterly example of Christian love.
II. The electing love of God. Philemon was a Christian; a Christian minister too; yet the heart of Onesimus, his servant, remains hardened. No doubt his master had given him up. But the Lord had not. The Lord willed not that he should perish.
III. The power of the Gospel. The Holy Ghost brought it home with power to the heart of Onesimus. He saw the evil of sin, the love of Jesus, the worth of his soul.
IV. The value of a Christian servant (Phm 1:11). Now Onesimus is really a changed man, he will be profitable to Philemon. A truly Christian servant will serve his earthly master well, because he serves a Master in heaven. He will work with a good conscience, and prove himself faithful and true.
V. The ground on which St. Paul urges his request (Phm 1:19). Those who are Gods instruments in bringing others to Jesus ought to get gratitude from their spiritual children. Strange to say, this is almost rare. We warmly thank friends who help us in regard to this world, while spiritual blessings are too often forgotten. (F. Harper, M. A.)
Spiritual children
Calvins three children all died in infancy. Of the last he wrote to a friend: The Lord gave me another son, and the Lord hath taken him away; but have I not thousands of children in the faith of Christ? (J. F. B. Tinling, B. A.)
The afterlife of Onesimus
Ignatius mentions an Onesimus as Bishop of Ephesus at the time of his journey to his martyrdom at Rome, and though we must allow an interval of forty-four years between that time and the date of this Epistle, it is at least possible that the converted slave may have risen to that high position. It is suggestive that Ignatius speaks of him in the highest terms as a man of inexpressible love, and exhorts all the members of the church to love and honour him, and that he reproduces St. Pauls allusion to the meaning of his name. May I, he says, after naming Onesimus, have joy or profit of you, if indeed I be worthy of it. Another Onesimus appears half a century later, as writing to Melito, bishop of Sardis, to urge on him the compilation of a volume of extracts from the Scriptures; and it may, perhaps, be inferred from its occurrence there and elsewhere, in the regions of Asia Minor, that the memory of the Colossian slave had invested the name with a special popularity. (Dean Plumptre.)
Whom I have begotten in my bonds—
Spiritual parentage better than natural
St. Paul, then, was Onesimuss father–not natural but spiritual; and we are more beholden to our spiritual than to our natural fathers.
1. They beget us of a woman; these of the Church which is the spouse of Christ.
2. They beget us of mortal seed, therefore we die; these of the immortal seed of the Word of God, whereby we live forever.
3. They beget us to a temporal life; these to an eternal.
4. They to the miseries of the world; these to the joys of the world to come. Therefore let us love them, let us have them in singular love for their works sake. As Alexander professed he was more beholden to Aristotle than Philip; the one gave him esse, being, the other bene esse, his well-being. Yet this is little considered of. (W. Jones, D. D.)
Eager for usefulness
I. That ministers may love their sons with an unequal love, they may love some more than others, as Christ did John above the rest of the disciples; namely, those in whom they behold a more lively image of Christ, and in the begetting of whom they had greater experience of Gods power and mercy than in others.
II. That the Spirit of God and the Word of God is not bound together with the bodies of the ministers, for both these, namely, the Spirit and Word of God, were now effectual in the prison for Onesimuss conver sion. The adversaries then must not think that the restraining of the ministers and of the gospel will prove one work. The Earl of Derbys accusation in the Parliament House against M. Bradford was that he did more hurt (so he spake, calling good evil) by letters and conferences in prison than ever he did when he was abroad by preaching.
III. Paul saying that he begot him in his bonds, hence it is easy to gather that after, by speech had to and fro with him in the prison, he understood in what case he was, he presently wrought upon him, to bring him to a sight of his sin, and so to a godly sorrow for it. By which example ministers must learn that it is their duty, not only in their public meetings to seek mens conversion by their general preaching to all, but if at any time, by Gods providence, they shall light upon any whom they see miserably to stray out of the ways of God, though it be in private places and companies, as Philip and the Eunuch in journeying, they are by all means possible, no just cause detaining them, to endeavour the conversion even of such, and to do the part of a good Samaritan towards them, whom they find so dangerously wounded by Satan.
IV. But as all ministers are greedily to catch those occasions which God offers for furthering the salvation of their brethren, so especially those who, being imprisoned, are restrained from their public preaching, that so by this means the want of their public sermons may in some measure be supplied. Now, how goodly a thing it is for ministers, even then when they are poorest, to make others rich (2Co 6:10), and when they are bound and captive, to make others free! (D. Dyke, B. D.)
Preaching in chains
The following incident is related by one of the leading Christians of Russia:–One of our converts was wrongfully accused of blasphemy for breaking his images. He was sentenced to transportation to Siberia. This involved trudging on foot one thousand miles in chains through the snow. A fellow convert went to see him depart, and to cheer him up as he left his friends and home behind. To his astonishment he found the prisoner full of peace and joy. Thank God, said the exiled one, for the privilege of preaching Christ in chains to my fellow prisoners? A nobler example of Christian fortitude than this it would be difficult to find in any religious movement. The effect of persecution generally has been to spread the gospel, and it appears that Russia will be no exception.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus] It is evident from this that Onesimus was converted by St. Paul while he was prisoner at Rome, and perhaps not long before he wrote this epistle.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus; Onesimus, lately thy servant, (the same mentioned Col 4:9), but my son.
Whom I have begotten in my bonds; not naturally, but spiritually, to whom I have been a spiritual father, and begotten him to Christ in my old age, and while I have been here suffering as a prisoner.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Ibeseech thee emphatically repeated from Phm1:9.In the Greek,the name Onesimus is skillfully put last, he puts first afavorable description of him before he mentions the name that hadfallen into so bad repute with Philemon. I beseech thee for myson, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus. Scripture doesnot sanction slavery, but at the same time does not begin a politicalcrusade against it. It sets forth principlesof loveto our fellow men which were sure (as they have done) in due time toundermine and overthrow it, without violently convulsing the thenexisting political fabric, by stirring up slaves against theirmasters.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus,…. Now he comes to the request itself, and mentions by name the person on whose account he makes it, and whom he calls his son; not merely because of his affection to him, but because he really was his spiritual father; he had been the happy instrument of his conversion, and he was his son according to the common faith, or in a spiritual sense: hence it follows,
whom I have begotten in my bonds: which is to be understood of a begetting again, or of regeneration; not as if the apostle was the efficient cause of it, as the nature of it shows, it being expressed by men’s being born from above; by their being quickened, when dead in trespasses and sins; by being made new creatures, and transformed in the renewing of their minds; by Christ being formed in them, and by a partaking of the divine nature; and who is sufficient for these things? besides it is expressly denied to be of man, but is always ascribed to God, Father, Son, and Spirit; but as being the instrument and means of it, through the preaching of the Gospel, the word of truth, by which God of his own will, and by the power of his grace, regenerated this person; and this is said to be done “in his bonds”: by which it appears, that the word of God was not bound, but had a free course, and was glorified, and the bonds of the apostle were the means of the spread of it; and that it was attended with great power, to the conversion of souls: and this circumstance is mentioned to engage Philemon to regard the entreaty of the apostle; he had been the instrument of begetting many souls to Christ; but this man was begotten by him in his bonds, when he was a prisoner, and so was peculiarly dear to him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For my child ( ). Tender and affectionate reference to Onesimus as his spiritual child.
Whom I have begotten in my bonds ( ). First aorist active indicative of , to beget. See 1Co 4:15 for this figurative sense. Paul is evidently proud of winning Onesimus to Christ though a prisoner himself.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
I beseech. Resuming the beseech of ver. 9. I beseech, I repeat. Onesimus (Onhsimon). The name is withheld until Paul has favorably disposed Philemon to his request. The word means helpful, and it was a common name for slaves. The same idea was expressed by other names, as Chresimus, Chrestus (useful); Onesiphorus (profit – bringer, 2Ti 1:16); Symphorus (suitable). Onesimus was a runaway Phrygian slave, who had committed some crime and therefore had fled from his master and hidden himself in Rome. Under Roman law the slave was a chattel. Varro classified slaves among implements, which he classifies as vocalia, articulate speaking implements, as slaves; semivocalia, having a voice but not articulating, as oxen; muta, dumb, as wagons. The attitude of the law toward the slave was expressed in the formula servile caput nullum jus habet; the slave has no right. The master’s power was unlimited. He might mutilate, torture, or kill the slave at his pleasure. Pollio, in the time of Augustus, ordered a slave to be thrown into a pond of voracious lampreys. Augustus interfered, but afterward ordered a slave of his own to be crucified on the mast of a ship for eating a favorite quail. Juvenal describes a profligate woman ordering a slave to be crucified. Some one remonstrates. She. replies : “So then a slave is a man, is he! ‘He has done nothing, ‘ you say. Granted. I command it. Let my pleasure stand for a reason” (vi., 219). Martial records an instance of a master cutting out a slave ‘s tongue. The old Roman legislation imposed death for killing a plough – ox; but the murderer of a slave was not called to account. Tracking fugitive slaves was a trade. Recovered slaves were branded on the forehead, condemned to double labor, and sometimes thrown to the beasts in the amphitheater. The slave population was enormous. Some proprietors had as many as twenty thousand. 211 Have begotten in my bonds. Made a convert while I was a prisoner.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “I beseech thee for my son Onesimus” (parakalo se peri tou emou teknou Onesimon) “I appeal to you concerning or on behalf of my child (in the faith) Onesimus.” Paul also referred to Onesimus not only as a child of his, but also as a faithful and beloved brother from Colosse, Col 4:9. This Onesimus, run away slave of Philemon in Colosse of Asia Minor, had found Christ, through Paul, now in a Roman prison.
2) “Whom I have begotten in my bonds” (hon egennesa en tois desmois) “Whom I begat in my bonds or chains.” Paul testified of Onesimus’ conversion as a “begetting, from a sinful slave of Philemon, to a beloved brother. As an instrument through whom Onesimus was saved, Paul referred to himself as having begotten Onesimus, as also he did brethren of the Corinth church. In this sense he often referred to converts as his sons or children, 1Co 4:15. Chains and bonds of the Roman prison could not chain or bind the power of the gospel or seal the mouth of His witness, Paul. Act 16:30-31; Rom 1:15-16.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10. I beseech thee for my son. Since less weight is commonly attached to those prayers which are not founded in some cause of just commendation, Paul shows that Onesimus is so closely related to him as to afford a good reason for supplicating in his behalf. Here it is of importance to consider how deep is his condescension, when he gives the name of “son” to a slave, and a runaway, and a thief.
When he says that Onesimus has been begotten by him this must be understood to mean, that it was done by his ministry, and not by his power. To renew a soul of man and form it anew to the image of God — is not a human work, and it is of this spiritual regeneration that he now speaks. Yet because the soul is regenerated by faith, and “faith is by hearing,” (Rom 10:17,) on that, account he who administers the doctrine holds the place of a parent. Moreover, because the word of God preached by man is the seed of eternal life, we need not wonder that he from whose mouth we receive that seed is called a father. Yet, at the same time, we must believe that, while the ministry of a man is efficacious in regenerating the soul, yet, strictly speaking, God himself regenerates by the power of his Spirit. These modes of expression, therefore, do not imply any opposition between God and man, but only show what God does by means of men. When he says that he had begotten him in his bonds, this circumstance adds weight to the commendation.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
10. I beseech thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus.
a.
In this verse the great central burden of the letter is revealed: Paul is begging concerning Onesimus, the runaway slave.
In all probability Philemon sensed that the letter concerned Onesimus from the instant he saw it, even before he unrolled it. Onesimus himself had probably handed it to Philemon, or was standing nearby as Tychicus handed it over. See Col. 4:7-9. The very circumstances under which a runaway slave might return were so rare that the return of the slave would in itself arouse the expectation of an explanation.
But even if Philemon had sensed that the letter concerned Onesimus, he could hardly have anticipated an appeal so tender, so spiritual, so moving.
b.
The name Onesimus is given last in the sentence, both in the Greek and in our version. Placing the name last produces an effective climax to the request.
c.
The fact that Onesimus was now Pauls child shows that Paul had won him to Christ during their contact at Rome. Onesimus had heard the story of Jesus, and was convinced. He had been begotten by the word of truth. Jas. 1:18; 1Pe. 1:23. He had been told that he must repent. He had been baptized, born of the water and the spirit. Joh. 3:5. Probably one of Pauls helpers, Timothy or Tychicus or some other, had gone to a pool, or bath, or river to baptize him; Paul himself was confined to his house. See Act. 28:30. After his conversion Paul himself had told Onesimus that he was obligated to return to his master.
d.
The name Onesimus means Helpful. Up to this time Onesimus had hardly lived up to his name. However, if Onesimus afterwards obeyed Pauls instructions to slaves in Col. 3:22-25, he certainly would have been helpful.
e.
A verb (oninemi) from the same root as the name Onesimus is used n Phm. 1:20. It means to be useful, to profit, or help. Thus Paul makes a play on words, based on the name Onesimus.
f.
The fact that Onesimus was begotten (converted) while Paul was in bonds shows that we can win souls under any circumstances. 1Co. 4:15.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(10) My son.Properly, my own child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus. The name is withheld, till Philemons interest is doubly engaged, for one who is the Apostles own child (a name of endearment given elsewhere only to Timothy and Titus), and for one who was begotten under the hardships and hindrances of imprisonment. At last the name is given, and even then comes, in the same breath, the declaration of the change in him from past uselessness to present usefulness, both to the Apostle and to his former master.
Onesimus.Of Onesimus we know absolutely nothing, except what we read here and in Col. 4:9. Tradition, of course, is busy with his name, and makes him Bishop of Bera, in Macedonia, or identifies him with the Onesimus, Bishop of Ephesus, mentioned in the Ignatian Epistle to the Ephesians (Eph. 1:2-6). The name was a common one, especially among slaves.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. My son Onesimus The Greek order of words is, for my son, whom I have begotten in my bonds Onesimus. The English order loses the reluctant delay of Paul to mention to Philemon the offensive name of the culpable runaway. The reader will trace the skill of Paul in his progressive approach to this point from the beginning of his epistle. Philemon, as he reads along, is led through a train of soothing preparatories, the object of which he does not suspect until he reaches this central word. All the circuitous prelude is in behalf of Paul’s own bond-begotten son.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘I plead with you for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,’
And his plea is for Onesimus, to whom he sees himself as a father, because even while he was in prison he had won him to Christ with the result that Onesimus has been born of the Spirit. Here we have the evidence that in some way Onesimus came to him, for he was unable to go out teaching and preaching.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Paul Bases His Plea on the Value of Onesimus as an Asset to Both of Them The first reason is based upon the value that Onesimus has become to both of them (Phm 1:10-14). Paul refers to Onesimus initially, not as a slave, but as a servant of Christ and now a brother in the Lord (Phm 1:10). This gives Onesimus the qualification of being profitable to both the author and the recipient (Phm 1:11). Paul then offers him back to Philemon in a gesture of submission to the master’s will, while making him aware of his value to Paul (Phm 1:12-14).
Phm 1:10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Phm 1:10
Comment – Paul is using a play on words, or synonyms, in calling Onesimus first, “unprofitable ( ),” then, “profitable ( ).”
Phm 1:11, “Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:”
Phm 1:10 Comments The Apostolic Constitutions state that Philemon did free his slave Onesimus.
“We do not permit servants to be ordained into the clergy without their masters’ consent; for this would grieve those that owned them. For such a practice would occasion the subversion of families. But if at any time a servant appears worthy to be ordained into an high office, such as our Onesimus appeared to be, and if his master allows of it, and gives him his freedom , and dismisses him from his house, let him be ordained.” ( Constitutions of the Holy Apostles: The Ecclesiastical Canons of the Same Holy Apostle, 7.47.82) ( ANF 7)
The writings of the early church fathers mention Onesimus as the bishop of Ephesus.
“I received, therefore, your whole multitude in the name of God, through Onesimus , a man of inexpressible love, and your bishop in the flesh, whom I pray you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be like him. And blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop.” ( The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians 1)
“And indeed Onesimus himself greatly commends your good order in God, that ye all live according to the truth, and that no sect has any dwelling-place among you. Nor, indeed, do ye hearken to any one rather than to Jesus Christ speaking in truth.” ( The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians 6)
The Apostolic Constitutions, a collection of ecclesiastical law that is believed to have been compiled during the latter half of the fourth century, gives us a list of the earliest bishops. This ancient document states that there was a man by the name of “Onesimus” who became the bishop of the church at Borea in Macedonia. There is little doubt that this is referring to the same individual, since the names of Archippus and Philemon, which also occur in the epistle to Philemon, are referred to in the same passage.
“Now concerning those bishops which have been ordained in our lifetime, we let you know that they are theseOf Laodicea in Phrygia, Archippus. Of Colossae, Philemon. Of Borea in Macedonia, Onesimus , once the servant of Philemon.” ( Constitutions of the Holy Apostles 7.46) ( ANF 7)
In addition, the name of Onesimus occurs in the epistle to the Colossians and refers to him as a resident of that city.
Col 4:9, “With Onesimus , a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.”
Phm 1:12 Comments – The bowels are a reference to Paul’s own deepest affections and heart of love. No matter how mature in the Lord and how famous in Christian circles Paul encountered, his heart was to love even the “least of these my brethren.”
Phm 1:14 Comments – Paul wants Philemon to receive his servant back willing, and not out of compulsion. This is why Paul exhorts him to do so, rather than commanding him so. Paul uses a similar expression in 2Co 9:7 when he asks the church at Corinth to give cheerfully, and not out of compulsion.
2Co 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Basis for the Plea – Paul then presents his plea while presenting three reasons to Philemon for receiving him back.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. Based on His Value Phm 1:10-14
2. Based on Divine Providence Phm 1:15-16
3. Based on Their Close Relationship Phm 1:17-20
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Phm 1:10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, The order of the original words is this: I entreat thee for a son of mine, whom I have begotten in my bonds,Onesimus. Thus the mind is kept in an agreeable suspense; and it must have affected Philemon in such a manner, as to render it impossible for him to withstand an entreaty proposed with so much delicacy and modesty.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 2267
THE EFFICACY OF THE GOSPEL
Phm 1:10-11. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.
THE inspired volume certainly differs in many respects from what we might have expected. We should have supposed, that it would contain only such things as could not be known except by revelation. But, behold, here is a letter, written to a single individual, on a subject which might occur at any time or place; a letter, containing no particular point of doctrine, but simply requesting a master to receive with kindness an offending, but repentant, slave. It should seem strange, I say, that such an epistle should be dictated by inspiration, and be preserved for the edification of the Church to the end of time. But so it is: and an attentive consideration of its contents will soon convince us, that it is worthy of its Divine Author. We must never forget, that the Word of God is intended to regulate our spirit and conduct in every situation and relation of life: and, in this view, the epistle before us possesses a transcendent excellency: for, though it does not state particularly any of the doctrines of the Gospel, it does shew us in a very impressive manner,
I.
The spirit which it breathes, where its influence is complete
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds. Let us here mark,
1.
The interest which the Apostle took in the welfare of Onesimus
[Onesimus was a slave belonging to Philemon, who was a person of eminence, perhaps a minister in the Church at Colosse [Note: ver. 1, 2.]. He had fled from his master, having, it should seem, first robbed him; and had come, many hundred miles off, to Rome; where he conceived he should be perfectly out of the reach of his masters inquiries. It happened that at that time Paul was a prisoner at Rome; yet, though a prisoner, was permitted to see, and to instruct, all who came to him. Onesimus, probably from curiosity, went to see and hear this famous servant of Christ; and, through the special grace of God, was converted under his ministry. He soon made himself known to Paul; and, approving himself a sincere convert to the faith of Christ, ingratiated himself into the favour of the Apostle, who received and loved him as a son. In truth, he was now, in a spiritual sense, his son; since, by the ministry of the Word, the Apostle, as it is expressed, had begotten him in his bonds. The Apostle now desired to restore him to the favour and protection of that master whom he had so greatly injured: and for that end he wrote this epistle to Philemon, and sent it by the hands of Onesimus himself: for he judged, that no man can be a true penitent without making restitution to all whom he has wronged, and asking pardon of all whom in any great degree he has offended. He judged this to be necessary, as well for the peace and comfort of Onesimus, as for the honour of God and his Gospel: and therefore, notwithstanding the loss of his kind attentions would be severely felt by the Apostle, he would on no account retain him at Rome, but sent him back to his master, Philemon, at Colosse.]
2.
The exquisite delicacy with which he pleaded his cause
[In point of delicacy of feeling and sentiment, this epistle has not perhaps its equal in the world. Some of its leading features we will proceed to notice.
The Apostles object was, so to break the matter to Philemon, as not to shock his feelings; and so plead the cause of Onesimus, as to procure for him a favourable reception. Hence arose a necessity for touching every point with tenderness and delicacy; which the Apostle proceeded to do, not by rules of art, (though the most consummate wisdom could not have devised any plan more appropriate than that which is here pursued,) but by the simple dictates of love.
He begins with acknowledging Philemons eminence both in faith and love; and with declaring, what exquisite joy he felt, both in the accounts which he had heard of him, and in remembering him before God in his daily supplications [Note: ver. 47.]. This had a tendency to disarm Philemon, if he felt any bitter resentment against Onesimus: for he could not well indulge hatred, when he himself experienced so much love.
The Apostle then proceeds, in the language of meek entreaty, to request Philemons pardon in behalf of this returning slave. He reminds Philemon, that, as he himself, no less than Onesimus, had received the truth by means of his ministry, he might well assume the authority of a father, and require, rather than request, the performance of so plain a duty: but he chose rather to entreat as a favour, as a favour to him who was now grown old in the service of his Lord, and was a prisoner too for the truths sake, that he would be reconciled to Onesimus, whom the Apostle himself regarded as a son [Note: ver. 810.]. How could such a request as this, a request from such a person, under such circumstances, be refused? Methinks, it was not possible for Philemon, however indignant against Onesimus, to reject a petition offered by his own spiritual father, in such terms as these.
He goes on to remind Philemon, that Onesimus, who had hitherto but ill deserved that name [Note: Onesimus means profitable: and it is in reference to the import of his name that the Apostle speaks.], since he had been so unprofitable, would henceforth act a more worthy part, and be indeed profitable, in whatever capacity he should be employed. This consideration would not be without its influence; more especially as the Apostle speaks of himself as having been materially benefited by the services of Onesimus, as Philemon himself would in all probability be in future [Note: ver. 1114.].
He then suggests a thought, which must of necessity produce a great effect upon Philemons mind. Philemon, being himself an eminent servant of Christ, could not but know that God has formed his purposes from all eternity ; and that, if any be converted to the faith of Christ, it is in consequence of Gods electing love, who has ordained the time, the means, the manner, and every thing respecting his conversion, from all eternity. Now, says Paul, who can tell? Perhaps all that Onesimus did, and whereby he so justly provoked thy displeasure, was, in the counsel of God, ordained to be the means whereby he should be converted to the faith of Christ ; and, though not in his own intention, yet in the intention of an unerring God, he therefore departed for a season, that thou mightest receive him for ever, not now a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved [Note: ver. 15, 16.]? This would in no respect excuse the wickedness of Onesimus, any more than Gods intention to redeem the world would excuse the murderers of the Lord Jesus. Onesimus was a free agent in all that he did : but perhaps God had seen fit to leave him to the wickedness of his own heart, in order that he might thus be brought under the ministry of Paul, and have the grace of God the more abundantly magnified in his conversion, and in the whole of his future life. How effectually would such a thought as this engage a pious mind, like that of Philemons, to co-operate with God, and to advance to the uttermost the purposes of his grace!
Lest the recollection of the losses sustained by means of Onesimus should rankle in Philemons mind, the Apostle further adds, that whatever Onesimus might owe him, he (Paul) would most gladly undertake to pay ; though he did not much expect that such a demand of pecuniary compensation would be made upon him, by one who owed to him what was of more value than the whole world, even his own soul [Note: ver. 18, 19.].
Finally, as though he were pleading for his own life, and all his happiness were bound up in the obtaining of this request, he entreats: If thou count me a partner, (a partaker of the same salvation with thyself,) receive him as myself [Note: ver. 17.]. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord; for they are all in commotion whilst his acceptance with thee is in suspense; and nothing but thy compliance with my request can give them rest [Note: ver. 20. This is the force of the word .].
Now the point which I wish to be noticed here, is, not the line of argument merely, but the delicacy of the sentiment, and the exquisite address with which the Apostle seeks to attain his end. This, if it had been the effect of art, would have gained our admiration: but, as the effect of Christian principle, and Christian love, it is edifying in the highest degree, inasmuch as it shews what a spirit the Gospel breathes, and what genuine Christianity will universally inspire [Note: Observations might have been made also on ver. 21, 22. But enough is here said to illustrate the point in hand.].]
From the account which the Apostle gives of Onesimus, we are led to notice,
II.
The change which it operates where its influence is begun
Onesimus, says the Apostle, was in time past unprofitable, but now will be profitable both to thee and me. The state of every man previous to his conversion may be said to be unprofitable, because he does not answer the true ends of his creation : he does nothing for God, nothing for the Church, nothing for his own soul. But no sooner will divine grace reach his heart, than he will endeavour to be serviceable,
1.
To the Church of God generally
[Onesimus, having received the truth in the love of it, instantly set himself to work, if by any means he might render service to the Apostle in his confinement. Doubtless such a servant, at such a juncture, was an unspeakable comfort to the Apostle, and would greatly alleviate the pains and sorrows of his imprisonment. And, no doubt, whatever Onesimus was able to do, he did with great delight, not shrinking back from the horrors of a prison, nor intimidated by the sufferings inflicted on St. Paul, but rejoiced to have an opportunity of testifying his love to one, who had been such an instrument of good to his own soul.
Now here we see, what every true convert will do. He will begin to inquire, How can I co-operate with my minister in his labours of love? How can I strengthen his hands? How can I encourage his heart ? What can I do, either to shew my love to him, or to impart to others the benefits which I myself have received? Can I assist in any way in visiting the sick, in instructing the ignorant, in relieving the needy, in teaching the rising generation? Whether my talents be more or less, I am determined that they shall not be wrapped in a napkin, but be diligently improved for my God. Freely I have received; and I will freely give. Yes, beloved brethren, how unprofitable soever a man may have been in times past, he will not willingly be so any longer, but will be profitable to his minister, and to the Church of Christ, as far as his ability will admit.]
2.
To those who have a more immediate claim upon him
[Onesimus would henceforth be profitable to his master Philemon. O! in what a different spirit would he serve his master now! We apprehend indeed that Philemon instantly gave him his liberty; and that he immediately became an assistant in the Church of Colosse, to whom St. Paul gave him a most satisfactory testimonial [Note: Col 4:9.]: but, if he had continued in the service of Philemon, we can have no doubt but that he would have justified the character given of him by St. Paul, and proved truly profitable to his master. And herein divine grace will be sure to shew itself: it will lead us to fill up our station in life, whatever that station be, with the utmost care and diligence. Are we servants ? we shall regard our master as placed over us by the Lord himself, and shall do him service as unto the Lord. Were we even slaves, we should fulfil our duties as unto God himself, who has appointed us our lot, and who requires that we execute with fidelity the work he has assigned us. It is often made a matter of complaint indeed against religious servants, that they are idle, and impatient of reproof. And glad should I be, if there were not too much reason for this complaint. But let not this evil be imputed to religion : for religion condemns it utterly : the Gospel gives no sanction to such conduct, nor any occasion for it. It requires that servants demean themselves with modesty and humility ; and not towards kind masters only, but towards such as are harsh and severe [Note: 1Pe 2:18.]: and it especially enjoins, that they fulfil all their duties, not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as unto God, doing the will of God from their hearts [Note: Eph 6:5-8.]. Let it be remembered then, that the true and proper tendency of the Gospel is, to improve us in every station and relation of life: and that, if it operate not this change in our hearts and lives, we have never received it as we ought [Note: Tit 2:11-12.].]
Learn then from hence,
1.
To abound in all acts and offices of love
[Who does not admire the character given of Philemon, whose love was such as to attract the notice of all, and constrain them to acknowledge the abundance of the grace bestowed upon him, whilst, by his kindness and liberality, the bowels of the saints were so greatly refreshed [Note: ver. 6, 7.]? And who does not admire the interest which the Apostle took in the welfare of a poor slave who had run away from his master ? Such, beloved, are the offices in which we should delight. None on earth are so low or abandoned, but they deserve notice from us, and should be objects of our pity and compassion. I call upon you then, if there be any, whom by your instructions you may restore to God, or by your kind offices you may reconcile to man, to engage in the good work with all your heart, and to labour to the uttermost to diffuse the blessings which are the sure result of faith and love.]
2.
To bring men, if possible, under the sound of the Gospel
[See the effects produced on this worthless character. Worse than unprofitable had Onesimus been : but, by the hearing of the Gospel, he was turned to God. Of whom then will yon despair ? Who will not lay down the weapons of his rebellion, when God speaks with power to his soul ? It may be that a person is hardened under the Gospel, even as Onesimus was: for we cannot doubt but that the pious Philemon had endeavoured to watch over his domestics : but in vain had all his instructions been. Not so the instructions of the Apostle Paul, when accompanied with a divine power to his soul : then he became a new creature ; and, though a slave of man, was made a freeman of the Lord : so may it be with those whom you may bring to attend where Christ is preached. God may meet them, as he did Onesimus. Many who, like Zaccheus, have thought of nothing but gratifying a foolish curiosity, have been made to obey the voice of Christ, and have found salvation come unto their souls. If one such instance occur through your instrumentality, you will have saved a soul from death, and hid a multitude of sins [Note: Jam 5:19-20.].]
3.
To bear in mind your own obligations to your great Advocate and Intercessor, Jesus Christ
[Doubtless Onesimus would long remember his obligations to St. Paul. But what were they in comparison with what you owe to the Lord Jesus Christ ? Think how you have cast off the yoke of Almighty God, and robbed him of all the service to which he was entitled, and gone to a distance from him, that you might live as without God in the world. Think how the Lord Jesus Christ has instructed you, and brought you to the knowledge of salvation, and restored you to the favour of your offended God. Think how he has not merely offered to pay your debt, but has actually discharged it. Yes; of him it was exacted, says the prophet, and he was made answerable [Note: Isa 53:7. The marginal translation.]: and he laid down his own life a ransom for you. To his continual intercession too are you indebted for all that peace which is maintained between God and your souls. Will you not then be thankful to him? or rather, shall there be any bounds to your gratitude ? Bless him then, and adore and magnify him, and call upon all that is within you to bless his holy name. And now endeavour to be profitable to him. Consecrate to him all your faculties, and all your powers. Live for him : die for him, if need be : and begin now the song, in which you shall, ere long, join all the choirs of heaven: To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and our Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen [Note: Rev 1:5-6.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Ver. 10. My son Onesimus ] Ignatius, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, maketh mention of Onesimus, as pastor of Ephesus, next after Timothy. The Roman Martyrologue saith, that he was stoned to death at Rome, under Trajan the emperor. Paul calleth him his son because his convert. See 1Co 4:15 ; so Cyprian calleth Caecilius (who converted him) novae vitae parentem, the instrument of his life; and Latimer saith the like of his blessed St Bilney, as he calleth him.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Phm 1:10 . : cf. Sanhedrin , xix. 2 (Jer. Talm.), “If one teaches the son of his neighbour the Law, the Scripture reckons this the same as if he had begotten him” (quoted by Vincent). : one would expect it is attracted to instead of agreeing with . He is to be in future, no longer . : . . in N.T., but used in the Septuagint, Hos 8:8 , 2Ma 7:5 , Wis 2:11 ; Wis 3:11 , Sir 16:1 ; Sir 27:19 . As applied to Onesimus the reference must be to something wrong done by him; the fear of being punished for this was presumably his reason for running away from his master. : a thoroughly Pauline expression, cf. Phm 1:9 , Rom 6:22 ; Rom 7:6 ; Rom 7:17 ; Rom 15:23 ; Rom 15:25 , 1Co 5:11 , etc. : only elsewhere in N.T. in 2Ti 2:21 ; 2Ti 4:11 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
for. App-104.
son. App-108.
have begotten = begat. Compare Php 1:1, Php 1:12, Php 1:13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Phm 1:10. , I beseech) This word is repeated with great force, as if after a parenthesis.- , concerning my son) Besides other things, he puts first a favourable description of the person, having suspended the sense till he mentions the hated (offensive) name of Onesimus. And the whole epistle savours of the recent joy for Onesimus, who had been gained as a convert, and from whom it seems he concealed the circumstance that he was writing so kindly about him.-, I have begotten) He was the son of Pauls old age.-, Onesimus) He alludes pleasantly to this name in the following verse.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Philemon 1:10
I beseech thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,-His entreaty was in behalf of Onesimus, whom Paul during his imprisonment had converted to Christ. He calls it a begetting. [The wish of love is allpowerful with loving hearts, and its faintest whisper louder and more constraining than all the trumpets of Sinai.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
my son: 2Sa 9:1-7, 2Sa 18:5, 2Sa 19:37, 2Sa 19:38, Mar 9:17, 1Ti 1:2, Tit 1:4
Onesimus: Col 4:9
whom: 1Co 4:15, Gal 4:19
Reciprocal: Gen 49:8 – thy hand Deu 23:15 – General Luk 6:42 – cast Luk 7:3 – General Act 28:20 – this chain 1Co 1:10 – I beseech Eph 4:1 – beseech Eph 6:20 – bonds 1Th 4:1 – we 1Ti 1:18 – son 1Ti 5:1 – entreat 1Ti 6:2 – believing Phm 1:17 – receive 1Pe 2:11 – I beseech 3Jo 1:4 – that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
ONESIMUS
I beseech Thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds.
Phm 1:10
A man may be known by the company he keeps, by the books he reads, and by the letters he writes.
I. This Epistle was a private letter of St. Paul.Dr. Hawker says, If it were not where it is, folded up in the sacred pages of Divine truths, it would be classed among the first productions of mankind, be carefully deposited in every museum of literature, and recommended by all the admirers of the fine arts as the most correct standard of letter-writing. It was not a public letter like the Epistle to the Romans or the Corinthians, but a private note sent by Onesimus.
II. Why did St. Paul write it?I will explain. Onesimus was a slave who fled from his master, Philemon, having previously robbed him. He fled to Rome, thinking perhaps to escape detection among the crowd. Here, it may be, he spent the stolen property in riotous living. Onesimus had doubtless heard that St. Paul was the preacher by whose ministry his master, Philemon, had become a Christian, and so curiosity, or rather the secret guiding of the good Spirit of God, led him to the hired house where the great Apostle was preaching the Gospel (Act 28:30-31). The heart of poor Onesimus is touched by grace. Then the Apostle sends him back to his master with this letter in his hand.
III. It has been said that St. Paul sanctions slavery.I do not think so for one moment. He does, indeed, send back Onesimus to Philemon; but be begs him to forgive his runaway servant, and to receive him not now as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved (see Phm 1:16). For, indeed, there is a fellowship in Christ which makes masters and servants one; it is the grand communion of saints which they have with God, with their risen Lord, and with each other.
Rev. F. Harper.
Illustration
The manner of the Epistle teaches us as well as its matter. St. Paul offers to pay the debt of Onesimus for him, or to make up what he had taken, out of his own slender purse. Onesimus must pay what he owed. It would be a poor beginning in his new Christian life to attempt to evade his obligations. Put that on mine account, says St. Paul. And then he adds, as if it were not sufficiently business-like for a Christian, I, Paul, have written it with mine own hand; I will repay it. This principle condemns all attempts to slip off, or shuffle over, any social or commercial engagements on the score of Christian claims or exclusiveness.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
THE APOSTLES APPEAL
I. The gentle courtesy of the Apostle.No Christian ought to be rude or harsh. That is a grand verse in the PsalmsThy gentleness hath made me great. And the children of God are commanded to be gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. This letter to Philemon is a model of true politeness. Luther calls it a charming and masterly example of Christian love.
II. The love of God.Philemon was a Christian. He was a Christian minister too, yet the heart of Onesimus, his servant, remains hardened. He flees from his master. Then God, in His wondrous grace and mercy, directs his feet to Rome, and guides him within the reach of St. Pauls voice. The Lord had not given him up! The Lord willed not that he should perish. He led him to the place where His Apostle was preaching, and opened his heart to attend to the things spoken. In all this I see the wonderful works of God. And when I trace the hand of the Lord guiding the feet of poor runaway Onesimus into the way of peace, I mark the fulfilment of the promise of the great and good Shepherd, Who said, Other sheep I have them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice (Joh 10:16).
III. The power of the Gospel.The Holy Ghost brought it home with power to the heart of Onesimus. He saw the evil of sin. He saw the love of Jesus. He felt the worth of his soul. The story of the Saviours love, dying for sinners on the Cross, overcame him at last.
IV. The value of a Christian servant.Phm 1:11 shows this. Now Onesimus is really a changed man, he will be profitable to Philemon. As much as to say, Philemon, it is even for your advantage to take Onesimus back. A truly Christian servant will serve his earthly master well, because he serves a Master in heaven. He will work with a good conscience, and prove himself faithful and true. Before his conversion, Onesimus was a dishonest slave; now he is a brother beloved both in the flesh and in the Lord.
V. The ground on which St. Paul urges his request.Thou owest unto me even thine own self besides (Phm 1:19). All you know of Christ, and all you hope for of glory, you owe to me. Certainly, those who are Gods instruments of bringing others to Jesus ought to get gratitude from their spiritual children. How grateful, for example, should St. Peter have felt to St. Andrew for bringing him to Jesus (Joh 1:41). But, strange to say, this gratitude, I fear, is almost rare. We warmly thank friends who help us in regard to this world, while spiritual blessings are too often forgotten. Yet St. Paul says, If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things? (1Co 9:11). And St. Paul takes this high ground when he begs his favour of Philemon.
Rev. F. Harper.
Illustration
Note the destination of Onesimus after he had been converted to Christianity. He is bidden to return to his master. True, St. Paul writes a beautiful letter for the runaway slave to present when he gets back; but back he must go. St. Paul is kind, but firm. Onesimus, being now a Christian, must return to the post which he had deserted. Surely here we may learn something about the social duties of the Christian, and especially of any one who has been newly impressed with Christian truth. The more worldly our business is, the more do we want good Christians to be engaged in its management. God is with us in many ways, and yet I do not know that He ever specially visited any one who had forsaken a clear duty without a clear call to do so, though it were professedly to serve Him better. Wherever we are, God is. Wherever we work, he works. There is no greater mistake than to think that we are kept from God by our business.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Phm 1:10. The special request referred to in the preceding verses was concerning Onesimus. He was a slave of Philemon, but not the most satisfactory kind of one. (See next verse.) He had run away from his master, and in some way had come to Rome and fallen into the company of Paul. The apostle taught him his duty to the Lord and induced him to obey it. On this principle he calls him his son, in the same way he referred to Timothy as his son (1Ti 1:2).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Phm 1:10. I beseech thee for my child. He puts the tenderest word in the forefront of his petition, and speaks of the fugitive slave as his child, before he mentions him by name. This touch of the language can only be preserved by ranging the English words in the same order as the Greek.
whom I have begotten in my bonds. Conversion is so often spoken of in the New Testament as a new birth, that it is not surprising that the apostle employs the figure in speaking of one who had been won to Christ by his ministry. Having called him his child, he now explains the spiritual relationship, a tie stronger for such a man and at such a time than any links of natural kinship.
Onesimus. The name is Greek, and signifies profitable. The Jews, as may be seen all through the Old Testament, were specially regardful of the meaning of names, so we need not wonder that when he writes the name, the sense which it had, and how aforetime the bearer of it had not corresponded to it in his character, should at once come into his mind, and furnish the thought which follows in the next verse.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Phm 1:10-14. I beseech thee There is a beautiful emphasis in the repetition of these words, which he had introduced in the preceding verse; for my son The son of my age. The order of the original words is this; 1 entreat thee for a son of mine, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus On this Macknight remarks as follows: Onesimuss name at the end of the sentence has a fine effect, by keeping the reader in suspense. This every person of taste must perceive. The apostle would not so much as mention Onesimuss name till he had prepared Philemon for hearing it; and when he does mention it, instead of calling him a fugitive slave, or even a slave simply, he calls him his own son, to show that he had a tender affection for him, and was much interested in his welfare. And then, by telling Philemon that he had begotten him in his bonds, he insinuated that Onesimus was not discouraged from becoming a Christian by the apostles bonds. Being, therefore, a firm believer, he was not unworthy of the pardon the apostle solicited for him. Indeed, in this beautiful passage there is a group of the most affecting arguments closely crowded together. On the one hand we have Philemons own reputation for goodness; his friendship to the apostle, his respect for his character, reverence for his age, (now it is supposed about sixty or sixty-three,) compassion for his bonds, and at the same time an insinuation of that obedience which Philemon owed to him as an apostle. On the other hand we have Onesimuss repentance and return to virtue, his profession of Christianity, notwithstanding the evils to which it exposed him, and his being the object of his spiritual fathers tender affection. In short, every word contains an argument. Philemon therefore must have been exceedingly affected by this moving passage. Who in time past was to thee unprofitable We have just seen with what endearment the apostle called Onesimus his son, begotten in his bonds, before he mentioned his name; here we see with what fine address, as soon as he had mentioned it, he touches on his former misbehaviour, giving it the softest name possible, and instantly passing on to the happy change that was now made upon him, so disposing Philemon to attend to his request, and the motives whereby he enforced it: but now profitable No one should be expected to be a good servant before he is a good man. The apostle manifestly alludes to his name Onesimus, which signifies profitable. To thee and to me Or rather, even as to me. To show the sincerity of Onesimuss repentance, the apostle mentions the experience which he himself had had of his benevolent disposition, in the many affectionate services which he had received from him during his confinement. After such a proof Philemon could have no doubt of Onesimuss piety and fidelity. It has been justly observed, that it was strange Onesimus, who had been so wicked in the pious family of Philemon, amidst all the religious opportunities he enjoyed there, should meet with conversion in his rambles at Rome. Instances have often happened somewhat of a similar nature; but it is very unjustifiable, and may probably be fatal, for any to presume on the like extraordinary interpositions of providence and grace in their favour. Doddridge. Whom How agreeable and useful soever he might have been to me here; I have sent back to thee again; thou therefore receive him Into thy family with readiness and affection. Receive him, did I say? nay rather, receive, as it were, my own bowels A person whom I so tenderly love, that he may seem, as it were, to carry my heart along with him whithersoever he goes. Such is the natural affection of a father in Christ toward his spiritual children. As Bengelius observes, by laying aside his apostolical authority, St. Paul had brought himself to a level with Philemon; and now to exalt Onesimus, and to display that dignity which a man acquires by becoming a sincere Christian, he calls him, not his son simply, but his own bowels; or, as it is expressed Phm 1:17, his very self. Whom I would have retained, that in thy stead, &c. That he might have performed those services for me, which thou, if present, wouldest gladly have performed thyself. Thus the apostle insinuates to Philemon the obligation he was under to assist, with his personal services, him who was his spiritual father; and more especially while he was confined with a chain for preaching the gospel of Christ. But without thy mind That is, without thy express consent; would I do nothing In this affair. From this we learn, that however just our title may be to beneficent actions from others, they must not be compelled to perform them; they must do them voluntarily; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity Or by constraint, for Philemon would not have refused it; but willingly If Onesimus had remained with the apostle in Rome, and Philemon had pardoned him at the apostles intercession, that favour would not have appeared so clearly to have been bestowed voluntarily, as when Onesimus returned and put himself in his masters power, and was received again into his family, The apostle, therefore, sent him back to Philemon, that his receiving him might be known to have proceeded from his own merciful disposition. Macknight.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
10. I exhort thee concerning my child, whom I begot in my bonds, Onesimus,
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 10
Hebrews 1:10-12; Psalms 102:25-27.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Now to the point – we need to discuss your servant Onesimus – note nothing has been said about why Onesimus is with Paul – that he had run away from his owner Philemon.
Barnes sees a significance of the order of verse ten. He says that the verse appears thusly “I entreat thee concerning a son of mine, whom I have begotten in my bonds–Onesimus.” He points out that Paul declares this man to be his son before naming him to give Philemon time to know the sonship before knowing it is Onesimus, thus avoiding the displeasure of hearing the name till he knows that Paul has a spiritual father/son relationship to the man.
The old “Give them the good news first and then get to the bad news” tactic. All through this letter you can see the wisdom and in my mind cunning of Paul as he writes with a very specific purpose in mind – get Onesimus off the hook or at least get him back into good graces with his owner with as little upset as possible.
We see that Paul has given the gospel and Onesimus has responded. He has, in the time Paul has known him, come to find out he was unprofitable to Philemon, that he, as a Christian, is quite beneficial to Paul and most likely will be also for Philemon.
Since Paul does not know what it will be like when Onesimus returns, how can he say that he will be profitable to Philemon? I assume that Paul knows what the new creature in Christ is like. It seems to me that it must be, in Paul’s mind, a guaranteed item for a new believer to be a profitable person to all around them.
Think on that truth for a few days and see what you come up with for new believers – for how old believers live their lives – well, how you live your life.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
"Onesimus" means "useful." Paul mentioned his name here (Phm 1:10) for the first time having prepared Philemon for the unpleasant memories associated with his formerly unfaithful servant by the foregoing comments. He called Onesimus his child. The figurative parent-child relationship was common in both Judaism and the pagan mystery religions as an illustration of the teacher-pupil relationship or the leader-convert relationship. [Note: Eduard Lohse, "Colossians and Philemon," in Hermeneia, p. 200.]
"In addition to the tender love that is contained in this expression there lies in it the thought of immaturity: Onesimus is only a child as yet and in this condition needs much tender care lest his young spiritual life suffer or die." [Note: Richard C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon, p. 962. Cf. Galatians 4:19; 1 Thessalonians 2:7.]
"This is the one-time self-righteous Pharisee, the heir of Jewish exclusiveness, and he is speaking of a Gentile, and a Gentile slave at that, from the very dregs of Roman society—yet he can refer to him as a son. So his statement (Col. iii. 11) that ’there is neither Greek nor Jew . . . bond or free’ [Gal 3:28] is no empty formula but reflects the attitude of heart to which he himself had been brought by God." [Note: Carson, p. 108.]
Paul had led Onesimus to Christ while Paul was in confinement. The apostle softened the unpleasantness that the mention of Onesimus’ name would have produced by making a pun. "Useful" had been "useless" to Philemon, but now he was living up to his name. He had proved useful to Paul and he could be useful to Philemon. There was no need for Paul to identify exactly what sin Onesimus had committed against Philemon. Instead of magnifying it he minimized it (cf. 1Pe 4:8).
"Achrestos ["useless"] designates Onesimus with reference to his flight and the time before his conversion. Apparently he was useless even before he ran away. He was a Phrygian slave and as such ’had confirmed the popular estimate of his class and nation by his own conduct’ [Note: J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 310.] since Phrygian slaves were proverbial for being unreliable and unfaithful." [Note: O’Brien, p. 292.]
"(The name Philemon means ’affectionate’ or ’one who is kind.’ If the slave was expected to live up to his name, then what about the master?)" [Note: Wiersbe, 2:271.]