The epistle to philemon chapter one objectives in studying philemon 1 to be impressed with the loving hospitality which characterized the christians in the early church 2 to learn lessons in the use of tact in dealing with others summary in this very short and personal epistle, paul addresses it to philemon, apphia, archippus and to the. This went on for two years, so that all the jews and greeks who lived in the province of asia heard the word of the lord. Rosscup comments on vincents commentary in the icc series obtain this work for a detailed examination of the greek text with good word studies. To philemon our dear friend and fellow worker 2also to apphia our sister and archippus our fellow soldierand to the church that meets in your home.
Dunn, new internation greek testament commentary nigtc, eerdmans, 1996, 405 pp. Read philemon commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Paul reminds philemon that god has loved him freely. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church. The news of the cordial reunion will brighten his day in prison. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul. Gordon fee in his book how to read the ible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with examples from philemon added. In this brief epistle, the apostle paul provides faiths solution to the problem of reconciling a christian slave to his christian master. The letter is addressed to philemon, an old friend of pauls who he had converted during his time at colosse. At church a few weeks ago, my husband took note of how our pastor, nate shurden, thanked god for the book of philemon, calling it this postcard epistle in the corpus of the canon. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. An alternate view is that the actual master of the slave is archippus and that the one to whom the letter is addressed, philemon, is the most prominent christian there.
The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. It probes the specific circumstances under which paul wrote the letter. Onesimus is a brother in god s family and philemon loves him very much. Book of philemon matthew henrys bible commentary concise. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content.
Philemon 1 download lesson notes, powerpoints, audio. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Paul wrote this letter to philemon, a believer in colosse who, along with others, was a slave owner cf. Paul, the principal, who calls himself a prisoner of jesus christ, that is. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. Yet when paul prayed for philemons compassion in verse 7, heart was. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle with authority. Its a little book that can get lost between the giants on either side, yet it has a powerful message.
This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. Presented here is a verse by verse exposition of the new. Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. The thirteenth, and last, of pauls epistles, and the eighteenth book in the new testament, is philemon. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. Commentary critical and explanatory book of philemon annotated commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible 57 kindle edition by dr. Dunn examines colossians and philemon within the context of the jewish and hellenistic cultures in the first century and discusses the place of colossians and philemon in the relationship between the pauline mission and the early churches that received these letters. Paul mentions his own name three times in this his shortest epistle verses 1. Philemon, one of note and probably a minister in the church of colosse, a city of phrygia, had a servant named onesimus, who, having purloined his goods, ran away from him, and in his rambles came to rome, where paul was then a prisoner for the gospel, and, providentially coming under his preaching there, was, by. He mentions this also in his other prison epistles ephesians. Philemon was pauls son in the faith, yet he entreats him as a brother onesimus a poor slave, yet he solicits for him as if he were seeking some great thing for himself.
It more likely refers to philemon than to the last one named, archippus. The letter to philemon the new international commentary on the. Also, paul asks philemon to accept onesimus as a fellow christian rather than as a slave. A daily bible study in 7day sections with a summary commentary, discussion questions, and daily application section introduction the prior section sunday philemon 1. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner. This commentary expounds philemon in light of its theological purpose and its setting in the grecoroman world. Philemon 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. Pauls epistle to philemon is one of the few books in the nt whose authenticity has hardly ever been doubted.
The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Philemon united states conference of catholic bishops. This commentary expounds philemon in light of its theological purpose and its. Philemon was the master of onesimus, a runaway slave. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on pauls letter to philemon. Marvin vincent international critical commentary on philemon. The book is about bondage and love, forgiveness and joy. The background to the book of philemon is the story of a slave. Christian love and forgiveness are given prominence in the book of philemon. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery.
Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. Most runaway slaves, if caught, faced harsh punishment and sometimes even death. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. Mostly, it is about jesus christ, who is mentioned 11 times in 25 verses. With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or usefulness. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. The brief and practical book of philemon has long been a favourite of christians.
Yea, brother, or o my brother it is an adverb of wishing or desiring, let me have joy of thee in the lord. One of his slaves, onesimus, had apparently stolen from him cf. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. A free bible version and commentary on pauls letter to philemon in easyenglish. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. It appears that he was a slave holder before he was saved. Philemon commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Study philemon using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Paul wants philemon to know, how refreshing it will be to him if onesimus is accorded a warm forgiving reception as he had requested. Study the bible online using commentary on philemon and more.
This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the jews. Philemon was a slave owner who also hosted a church in his home. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament. His travels somehow brought him to rome where, in the. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. David guzik commentary on pauls letter to philemon, which is a plea to his friend.
There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. Of the letters paul wrote to churches or individuals, in 9 of them he called himself an apostle in the opening. It was written around 62 ad whilst paul was imprisoned in rome. Philemon commentary word studies in the new testament. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. So philemon must love other people in the same way as god loves him. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Best commentaries and books on philemon logos bible software. One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1. The bible knowledge commentary says onesimus, a slave of philemon, had run away, having evidently robbed his master phile. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world. Commentary critical and explanatory book of philemon.
Twice he speaks of being a prisoner of jesus christ. Working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. The commentary on colossians and philemon by peter obrien number 44 in the word biblical commentary series is a worthy endeavor, suitable for the biblical scholar and the layperson alike. The power of the gospel in winning a runaway thief and slave. Philemon 1 commentary philemons relationship to onesimus. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading commentary critical and explanatory book of philemon annotated commentary. In the bible book that bears philemon s name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside paul.