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PAUL’S LETTER TO
PHILEMON

ΦΙΛΉΜΩΝ







From Paula, a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed One,
      and Timothyb our brother,
to Philemonc, our dear friend and coworker,
      to Apphiad our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier
      and to the assemblye at your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed Onef.

I always thank my God, rememberingg you in my prayers, hearing of your love and the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints. I prayh that the fellowship of your faith might become effective when you realizei every good thing that is in us in the Anointed One. For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the heartsj of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Therefore, although I have boldness in the Anointed One to command you what’s suitable, I’d rather exhort you on the basis of love, since I’m Paul, an old man and right now a prisoner of Jesus the Anointed One. I exhort you on behalf of my son Onesimusk, whom I’ve fathered in chains. He once was useless to you, but now he’s usefull both to you and me. I’m sending him in person back to you—he who is my visceral emotions—whom I wanted to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might serve me in the chains of the good news. But I wished to do nothing without your consent so that your good deed may not be forced, but out of your free will. Because maybe this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you may have him completely and permanentlym, no longer as a slave, but beyond a slave, a beloved brother - especially to me, but much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lordn.

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you, charge this to me. I, Paul, wrote this with my own hand. I will pay you back—yet I won’t mention that you even owe me your own self. Yes, brother, may I be benefitted from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Anointed One.

I’m writing to you convinced of your obedience, knowing that you’ll do even more than what I’m saying. But meanwhile, prepare a guest room for me; because I hope that through your prayers I will be graciously returned to you.

Epaphraso, my fellow prisoner in Jesus the Anointed One, salutes to you, as do Markp, Aristarchusq, Demasr and Lukes, my coworkers.

The grace of the Lord Jesus the Anointed One be with y’all’s spirit.t

Footnotes

a. Paul (Latin: Paulus) is the Roman name of Saul (Hebrew: Shaul) and the name which he chose to use during his ministry, similar to a missionary from a country where English is not the native language choosing an English name or vice-versa. Paul means “little”.

b. Philemon is a Greek name and means “friendly”. From the Greek word “φιλέω”, meaning “to be a friend to (fond of (an individual or an object)), i.e. have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling)”.

c. Apphia is probably a foreign name, possibly Phrygian, “expressive of endearment”.

d. Archippus is a Latinized version of the Greek name “Archippos, Ἄρχιππος”, meaning “horse-ruler”. This possibly ties to the fact that he’s a soldier. “Archippus appears twice in the New Testament. Both references place him within Paul’s circle of trusted coworkers and situate him in Colossae. The name, common in Greek culture, combines imagery of a cavalry leader with the responsibilities of Christian ministry, hinting at spiritual vigilance and disciplined service.” (BibleHub’s Topical Lexicon)

e. Or “church”.

f. Or “Jesus Christ”, “Jesus the Messiah”.

g. Lit. “making mention of you”.

h. “I pray” is included for the sake of readability.

i. Lit. “in the acknowledgment of every good thing”

j. Lit. “intestines”.

k. Onesimus is a Latinized version of Onesimos (Ὀνήσιμος), meaning “useful, profitable, beneficial” in Greek. Paul later creates a wordplay based on Onesimus’ name and the same being now useful to both Paul and Philemon, who was Onesimus’ slave master.

l. Paul ties the name Onesimus meaning useful to the Greek words ἀχρεῖστος (achréstos), meaning “useless”, and εὔχρηστος (euchréstos), meaning “useful”. Simultaneously, euchréstos (εὔχρηστος) is also a wordplay together with Christ (Χριστός), the Anointed One, the title attributed to Jesus as the Messiah, since both words sound similar.

m. Lit. “forever”, “eternally”.

n. Physically and spiritually.

o. Ἐπαφρᾶς - A contraction of Epaphroditus (Epaphroditos), meaning “devoted to Aphrodite”. Judging by the name, a former pagan converted to Christianity.

p. Μᾶρκος - From Latin “Marcus”, meaning "of Mars, warlike, warrior" or "famous counsel". One of the four Gospel writers, author of the Gospel of Mark.

q. Ἀρίσταρχος - Greek name meaning “best ruler”; a Macedonian Christian of Tessalonica, “a 'fellow-captive' with Paul” (Thayer's Greek Lexicon).

r. Δημᾶς - Probably a short form of Δημήτριος, Demetrius, whose name meaning comes from Demeter, Greek goddess of agriculture. Demas was “a companion of Paul, who deserted the apostle when he was a prisoner at Rome and returned to Thessalonica” (Thayer's Greek Lexicon).

s. Λουκᾶς - Also Lucas, a contraction from Latin Lucanus, meaning "from Lucania" or possibly derived from the Latin word “lux”, meaning light. The only Gentile writer to write his Gospel and also the Book of Acts.

t. Some manuscripts add “Amen” at the end.