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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Phm C1
Phm 1 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25
OET (OET-LV) Yes, brother, I from_you might_benefit in the_master, refresh of_me the heart in chosen_one/messiah.
OET (OET-RV) Yes, brother, with both of us being in Yahweh, I might hopefully benefit from you—refresh my heart in the messiah.
This is the main part of the letter. Paul stated clearly in verse 17 what he was asking Philemon to do. He said, “Welcome Onesimus back just as you would welcome me.” But before Paul asked Philemon to do this, he told Philemon several reasons why he should welcome Onesimus back. In verses 8–11, he told Philemon that he wanted him to do something to help Onesimus because Onesimus had become a Christian and would be useful to Philemon. Paul told Philemon that another reason why he should help Onesimus was because Philemon loved Paul and his other Christian brothers. In verses 12–14, Paul said that he was sending Onesimus back to Philemon, even though he wanted to keep Onesimus with him. In verses 15–16, Paul told Philemon why God may have allowed these things to happen, and that he (Paul) loved Onesimus very much. Then in verses 17–21, Paul finally said clearly that he wanted Philemon to welcome Onesimus. Paul offered to pay for anything Onesimus owed to Philemon. He also reminded Philemon that in the past he had helped Philemon become a Christian. This was another reason why Paul expected that Philemon would do what he asked.
In this Section (verses 8–21) Paul, as a Christian brother, asked Philemon to help Onesimus, but did not command him to do it.
Read verses 8–21 carefully in the BSB and the GNT.
In this paragraph Paul finally stated clearly to Philemon what he wanted him to do. He wanted Philemon to welcome Onesimus back in the same way that Philemon would welcome Paul if Paul were visiting him. This is the main point of the whole letter.
Paul promised to repay Philemon for anything Onesimus may have taken from Philemon or for anything wrong he may have done against him. But Paul knew that Philemon probably would not ask him to repay him, because Paul had helped him to become a Christian. Christ surely changed the way Philemon thought about life and about money. In fact, Paul was sure that Philemon would do what he was asking him to do and even more.
Paul was also sending Onesimus back to Philemon because Onesimus needed to obey his master again and help him and show that he had changed. If Onesimus did this, he and Philemon could have peace with each other again.
Read verses 17–21 again.
Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord.
So, my brother, please do this kind thing for me because we (dual-incl) belong to the Lord.
For the Lord’s sake, my brother, please do for me this thing I am asking.
Yes, brother: Paul was again asking Philemon to welcome Onesimus. See verse 17.
some benefit: Paul was not asking Philemon to help him in some general way. He wanted Philemon to do a specific thing for him. He wanted him to forgive Onesimus and receive him back. So the meaning is clearer in the CEV: “do this for me” (referring to the favor Paul asked for in verse 17).
in the Lord: The main idea of this phrase seems to be that Paul wanted Philemon to think about Paul’s request as a fellow believer in Christ would. And he wanted Philemon to think of Onesimus as a fellow Christian, not only as a slave. Paul believed that as Philemon thought like this, he would do what Paul was asking him to do.
Refresh my heart in Christ.
Encourage me by doing this as a fellow believer.
Do what I ask because we both belong to Christ.
Refresh my heart: “Cheer me up,” “make me happy,” “set my heart at rest,” “relieve my worry.” Paul was saying, in other words here, what he already said in verse 20a. He used the same phrase here that he used in verse 7.
in Christ: This is the same kind of phrase as “in the Lord” (20a). Another way to say it is: “as a fellow Christian.”
Verse 20b means the same as verse 20a. Paul was still saying that he wanted Philemon to do what he had asked him to do. Here are two ways to translate it:
Make me happy as a Christian brother by doing this favor for me.
Cause me to be happy as your Christian brother: do this favor for me.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἀδελφέ
brother
Here, brother is a metaphor for a fellow believer. Alternate translation: [spiritual brother] or [brother in Christ]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἐν Κυρίῳ
in ˓the˒_Lord
See how you translated in the Lord in verse 16. This metaphor refers to being a believer in Jesus and means the same as in Christ. Alternate translation: [as you serve the Lord] or [because we are fellow believers in the Lord]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀνάπαυσόν μου τὰ σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ναί ἀδελφέ ἐγώ σοῦ ὀναίμην ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀνάπαυσον μού τά σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ)
How Paul wanted Philemon to refresh him can be made explicit. Alternate translation: [refresh my inward parts in Christ by accepting Onesimus kindly]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἀνάπαυσόν μου τὰ σπλάγχνα
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ναί ἀδελφέ ἐγώ σοῦ ὀναίμην ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀνάπαυσον μού τά σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ)
Here, refresh is a metaphor for comfort or encourage. Alternate translation: [encourage me] or [comfort me]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ἀνάπαυσόν μου τὰ σπλάγχνα
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ναί ἀδελφέ ἐγώ σοῦ ὀναίμην ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀνάπαυσον μού τά σπλάγχνα ἐν Χριστῷ)
Here, inward parts is a metonym for a person’s feelings, thoughts, or inner being. Alternate translation: [encourage me] or [comfort me]
1:20 do me this favor: Or let me have this benefit; Greek onaimēn (“favor, benefit”) might be a play on the name Onesimus, which can mean “beneficial” (cp. 1:11).
OET (OET-LV) Yes, brother, I from_you might_benefit in the_master, refresh of_me the heart in chosen_one/messiah.
OET (OET-RV) Yes, brother, with both of us being in Yahweh, I might hopefully benefit from you—refresh my heart in the messiah.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.