Onesimus Was At One Time Unprofitable V. 11 – “Which in time past was to thee unprofitable but now is profitable to you and me. ” This verse contains a word play that is lost in English. The name “Onesimus” means “useful.” Therefore, in word play, Paul tells Philemon that Onesimus (“useful”) had become useless […]
Introductory Remarks The Apostle Paul has gone all the way to this part of the letter before he writes about the runaway slave, Onesimus (v. 10). One can imagine what Philemon and family and the church that met in his house thought when they heard that word. What kind of emotions would be going through […]
Introduction: Paul’s Greeting (vv 1-4) There are basically 3 characters featured in the Book of Philemon: Paul Philemon Onesimus. There are 2 other mentioned in these verses, Apphia and Archippus (mentioned in Col. 4:17), probably wife and son of Philemon. Verse 1 — The Apostle Paul is a prisoner in Rome; the writing is […]