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Philemon 7-9
New Catholic Bible
Philemon 7-9
New Catholic Bible
7 Your love has given me much joy and encouragement because the hearts[a] of the saints have been refreshed by you, my brother.
Plea for Onesimus.[b] 8 Therefore, although I am confident that in Christ I have the right to command you to do your duty, 9 I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. I, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Philemon 1:7 Hearts: literally, “intestines,” the part of the body that was considered to house the emotions of pity and love (see vv. 12, 20).
- Philemon 1:8 With a touch of humor, Paul utilizes a double play on words. He plays with the meaning of the name “Onesimus,” which is “useful,” and with the meaning of another Greek word, chrestos, which is part of achrestos, the word for “useless,” and euchrestos, the word for “useful.” In the background is the point that chrestos sounds like Christos, which means “Christ.”
Paul also takes the responsibility to relieve any financial burden that Philemon may have incurred in the affair, but he ends up saying that it is Philemon who is more indebted to the Apostle himself! Indeed, the slave’s flight may turn out to be a grace—it offers Philemon the chance to acknowledge him as a “brother” in Christ.
