Philemon 1 (WEB)

Philemon 1

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,

² to the beloved Apphia, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the assembly in your house:

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

⁵ hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,

⁶ that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us in Christ Jesus.

⁷ For we have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

⁸ Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate,

⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains,

¹¹ who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.

¹² I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,

¹³ whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

¹⁴ But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.

¹⁵ For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever,

¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.

¹⁸ But if he has wronged you at all or owes you anything, put that to my account.

¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self besides).

²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

²¹ Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.

²² Also, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Around Philemon 1

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Philemon 1 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul is in chains, and he writes a very short letter about a very personal matter. He greets Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and the assembly that meets in Philemon’s house, and gives thanks for Philemon’s love and faith, which have refreshed the hearts of the believers.

Then comes the request. Paul could command, but for love’s sake he appeals. He is asking about Onesimus, whom he has come to love like a child while in prison. Onesimus was once useless to Philemon but is now useful. Paul is sending him back, as his own heart, and he wants Philemon to receive him not as a slave but as more than a slave, “a beloved brother”. If Onesimus has wronged Philemon or owes him anything, “put that to my account.” Paul writes with his own hand that he will repay it.

He adds that he is confident Philemon will do even more than he asks, and he asks him to prepare a guest room.

Background

Paul does not say exactly what happened between Onesimus and Philemon. Tradition has long held that Onesimus was a runaway slave, while some scholars suggest other circumstances. The letter does not call for an end to slavery, and it has been misused to defend it. Christians have also read Paul’s plea for a brother rather than a slave as a seed that works against it. See Colossians 4 and Ephesians 6. The letter is usually dated to a time when Paul was in prison, possibly in Rome.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 18 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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