Bibelkommentare

Philemon 1:1. Paul, a prisoner, &c.— St Paul intimates, Phm 1:8-9 that he chose to lay aside all his apostolic authority, and to beg it as a favour of Philemon to be reconciled to Onesimus; and, in order to touch and melt the heart of Philemon, he begins with styling himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ. This affable and condescending manner of address must be owned to be more agreeable and engaging than that of authority and command. The apostle might here call Timothy the brother, and not his son, as he does elsewhere, to add weight and dignity to his character, and thereby render his name of more moment in behalf of Onesimus. Whoever contributed any way towards helping forward the gospel, were called the apostle's fellow-labourers. See Philemon 1:24.

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Philemon 1:2. Apphia,— This was a Roman name. St. Paul writes it Apphia, after the Hebrew manner; the Romans wrote it Appia. She is conjectured by some of the fathers, and asserted by others, to have been the wife of Philemon; and as she is mentioned next to Philemon, and beforeArchippus, who was a minister in the church at Colosse, the conjecture seems not improbable. By the apostle's styling her sister (according to the several ancient copies and versions,) or the beloved, according to the common reading, she appears to have been a Christian; and it is most likely that she was addressed, in order to engage her interest in behalf of Onesimus, with a view to whose affair the whole Epistle was evidently written, in its primary sense. Archippus has been generally thought to be Philemon's son; probably he was one of St. Paul's assistants, who had some gifts of the Spirit, and had devoted himself very much to the work of the ministry in Colosse. They might have been called fellow-soldiers with the apostles, who with them fought the good fight of faith; for the Christian life is a warfare: but the apostle seems to have used the phrase for "such as in those times of persecution took pains to preach and spread the Christian religion," Philippians 2:25. 1Ti 1:18. 2 Timothy 2:3-4. By thechurch in Philemon's house, the apostle seems to have meant his whole family, who were Christians, and united together in Christ's worship. See Rom 16:5. 1 Corinthians 16:19.

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Philemon 1:4.— The apostle does not proceed immediately to the main subject of the Epistle; but, after the usual salutations, comes nearer to the point; with the most admirable address thanking God that Philemon had been as generous and kind already, and had done as much in other instances, as he was now going to request of him. He urges the benevolent and good man by his own past example; as if he had said, "Only continue to act like yourself, and then you will do all that I am now going to desire of you." This wascertainly a most grateful and insinuating way of pointing out to Philemon his duty, and the most proper and beautiful introduction to this particular request: Philemon 1:4-7.

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Philemon 1:5. Hearing of thy love and faith,— "Hearing, with greater pleasure than I can express, of the steady faith which thou hast, and always maintainest, toward the Lord Jesus Christ, as the great object to which our faith as Christians is directed, and of thy ardent love to all the saints, who are the excellent of the earth, and the most deserving of our esteem and affection." The words of this verse stand in the original as they are placed in our version; and many instances of such a transposition are produced by Dr. Whitby, in his learned note on this place; but Mr. Blackwall justly observes, that our language does not admit of the like, and therefore proposes the rendering which we have followed in our paraphrase above.

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Philemon 1:6. That the communication of thy faith, &c.— "It is therefore matter of my most fervent prayer, thatthese promising openings may be abundantly answered; and that thy communion with us in the faith of our blessed Redeemer, the advantages of which thou dost now so happily share, may be more and more apparently efficacious, in extorting from all that behold it, the due acknowledgment of every good and valuable thing which is in you all towards Christ Jesus, and all those whom he is pleased to own and favour."

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Philemon 1:8.— After this preparation, the apostle comes to the main subject of his Epistle; which was, to request Philemon to take Onesimus into his favour again. The main argument which he urges is, that he, through divine grace, had converted Onesimus to genuine Christianity, who would therefore prove another sort of servant than he had formerly been: such softness of expression, warmth of affection, and elegance of address, are here made use of, as deserve the highest approbation.

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Philemon 1:9. Paul the aged,— It is generally thought that this Epistle was written about the year of Christ 62; and if we suppose St. Paul to have been twenty-four years old when Stephen was stoned, which is consistent with his being called a young man;—that being about the year 34, (for we have not data sufficient absolutely to determine the exact time,) he would be now fifty-two; and considering how much his constitution would probably be impaired by his fatigues and sufferings, before that time he might properly enough call himself πρεσβυτης,— one advanced in age, though not an old man. Let us now attend a little to the force of the argument contained in the present verse. It is as if the apostle had said, "I am become a humble petitioner;—and consider with yourself who it is that begs this favour: It is Paul;—a name which once sounded pleasing in your ears, and a person for whom you professed a high regard; that very person, who has travelled many a hundred miles by sea and by land, through numberless difficulties, and much ill treatment for his attempts to make men wise, holy, and good through the grace of God in Jesus Christ: to whom you, Philemon, as well as many thousands, owe instrumentally the salvation of their souls, and whose very name might carry init the force of many arguments: the person who now humbly petitions you, is one who might address you in a different manner: he has been illuminated with abundance of revelations from Heaven, favoured with the power of working numerous, great, and beneficial miracles, and by the laying on of his hands is, under the Spirit of God, able to communicate spiritual gifts or miraculous powers unto others. He has been sent out among the nations, has baffled the wisdom of the world, has prevailed against the eloquence of the orators, and has overturned the schemes of the heathen philosophers, and Jewish scribes and rabbies: he has, through grace, made numerous converts, both among Jews and Gentiles; turning men from ignorance, superstition, idolatry, and vice, to knowledge, holiness, piety, virtue, and happiness. He bears a commission of a sublime nature, and of the utmost importance to the welfare of mankind; and he carries his credentials along with him: he is an ambassador for Christ, as though God did beseech you by him; and he prays you, in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to Onesimus again. Permit me also to add another circumstance, which with all humane persons, and more especially with all genuine Christians, must have great weight: the aged ambassador is now also the prisoner of Jesus Christ. I have been almost two years in the custody of a soldier, and often chained to him; confined to a disagreeable companion, and very much in his power, and at his mercy. Inquire now at Rome for the aged ambassador of Jesus Christ,—you will find him in custody, like a criminal; though really wearing that chain onlyfor preaching the gospel, especially among you Gentiles. And, finally, consider him whose ambassador and prisoner I am; my commission is from a Person of highest dignity, for whose sake I can endure a prison, and joyfully wear this chain; and I am persuaded that your regard to him is not small, nor will you suffer an ambassador and prisoner of Christ to petition in vain." Almost every word carries in it the force of an argument; Philemon's love to the person of St. Paul,—his regard for his high office and dignity, as the aged ambassador of Christ,—his love and cheerful obedience to the Lord Jesus himself, are all touched upon or intimated in this short sentence

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Philemon 1:10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus,— The order of the original words is this: I entreat thee for a son of mine, whom I have begotten in my bonds,—Onesimus. Thus the mind is kept in an agreeable suspense; and it must have affected Philemon in such a manner, as to render it impossible for him to withstand an entreaty proposed with so much delicacy and modesty.

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