Philemon 1:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—

NIV: yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul--an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus--

NASB: yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—

CSB: I appeal to you, instead, on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an elderly man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus,

NLT: But because of our love, I prefer simply to ask you. Consider this as a request from me — Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus.

KJV: Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

NKJV: yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ—

In verse 8, Paul said he had the authority to command Philemon. Verse 9 expresses Paul's preference to make a request instead. Paul then defines himself as elderly, and a prisoner for the sake of Jesus. At the time this letter was written, Paul would have been in his 60s, considered "aged" in his culture. Because he was preaching about Jesus, Paul was currently living under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31).

Prior to his conversion to Christianity, Paul had arrested and imprisoned believers. Afterwards, Paul spent long stretches incarcerated for that same faith. In addition to his house arrest, Paul had been imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:16–40) and spent two years in jail in Caesarea (Acts 24:26–27). In fact, Paul's life ended in jail (2 Timothy). All told, he probably spent between five and six years of his Christian ministry incarcerated. He certainly qualified as a "prisoner" for the sake of Christ.

Philemon 1:8–16 is Paul’s plea to Philemon that he would forgive and free the runaway slave Onesimus. Onesimus seems to have known Paul from his visits to Colossae, then encountered him in Rome after running away. After becoming a Christian, he returns to Philemon with this letter from Paul. Paul reminds Philemon that the three of them, including Onesimus, are brothers, and should be treated the same way.

Philemon is a letter from Paul, regarding a runaway slave named Onesimus. Paul respectfully requests that Philemon forgive his runaway slave, free him, and allow him to serve Christ without restrictions. Philemon was a prominent figure in the church of Colossae. Paul goes so far as to ask Philemon to charge any debts owed by Onesimus to Paul himself.

Philemon is short enough that it only contains a single chapter. Because Paul knows Philemon personally, and has only positive things to say about him, there is no need for a lengthy discussion. Paul appeals to Philemon to forgive and release his runaway slave, Onesimus. Onesimus, a convert to Christianity, seems be the one sent to deliver this letter to his former master.

Philemon is one of the shorter books in the Bible, but it contains some important information. The Christian concept of slavery cannot be understood without a proper review of this letter. Paul recognizes the facts of slavery in his era, and does not command Philemon to release Onesimus. However, he does appeal to the unity we share in Christ as a reason for Philemon to set this man free.

Accessed 4/29/2024 12:30:36 AM