Preface: Paul writes a letter to Philemon to ask him to manumit his slave, Onesimus, who has come to Paul in Rome (while Paul is under house arrest). We can only speculate why Onesimus ended up with Paul.

Bible Summary: Paul, a prisoner, to Philemon. I ask that you receive Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a brother. Put his wrongs on my account.

In the third or fourth draft form, this document should be the most extensive examination of Philemon 1 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview:

Outline of Chapter 31:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Some Points on Slavery for the Book of Philemon

         Introduction         Word Cloud for Philemon (ESV)

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Philemon 1 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Philemon 1 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Philemon 1

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Philemon 1

         Introduction         The Principals of Philemon 1

         Introduction         The Places of Philemon 1

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Philemon 1

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Philemon 1 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Philemon 1 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       6              Operation Z (a graphic)

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Philemon 1 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Philemon 1

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Philemon 1

         Summary            A Brief Review of Philemon 1

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Philemon 1

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Philemon 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Philemon 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Philemon 1

——————————

An Introduction to Philemon 1

I ntroduction: The primary purpose of Philemon 1 was for Paul to reach out to Philemon, who allowed one of the assembly’s meeting place to be his home, and ask him to manumit his slave, Onesimus. Paul knows about this slave because his slave, Onesimus, ran away from home and came to Paul (who is a prisoner in Rome under house arrest—arguably a worse position to be in than the slave).

Liberals continually attack the Bible, claiming that the Bible is pro-slavery. The Bible is not pro-slavery; nor does the Bible advocate for sweeping societal changes or governmental changes. We were not placed on this earth to end slavery, hunger or war. These three institutions will probably continue to exist till the end of time (at least the latter two will, as Jesus guaranteed that they would).

Although many believers in a society will change that society—and generally for the good (the United States was founded by Protestant believers in Jesus); that is not why we are placed on this earth. God does not need us to whitewash the devil’s world. That being said, Paul, in the book of Galatians, says there is no difference between slave and free; and in this book, he will ask Philemon to free his slave Onesimus. However, this will be Philemon’s decision, not Paul’s. And although Paul could bring to bear the social pressure of the church at Colosse upon Philemon’s head, he did not. Paul wrote two letters at this time—one to the Colossians and one to Philemon—and Paul does not say a word about this situation to the believers in Colosse.

There is a lot to learn from Paul’s very informal missive to a fellow believer—perhaps a believer who came to Jesus Christ through Paul. Paul’s approach is more relaxed and more personal.

There are things which I notice concerning the voculary of this chapter as I go through it word-by-word. The name Onesimus occurs but once. The word slave or bond-servant is not found until v. 14. This is all about Paul making a request to Philemon to free his slave Onesimus, but Paul has many more important topics to deal with. Even though Paul’s primary request is for the freedom of Onesimus, his focus in this missive was clearly upon Christ Jesus.

Word Cloud for Philemon (ESV); created using Wordle on February 27, 2025. I just found out that this program is no longer available. The text from the 2001 ESV was used.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Paulos, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy the brother, to Philemon, the beloved (one) and a fellow worker of us; and to Apphia the sister, [the beloved (one)]; and to Archippus, a fellow soldier of us; and to the church, according to the house of you. Grace to you (all) and peace from God a Father of us and a Lord Jesus Christ.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow worker,

to Apphia the beloved, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your house:

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

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, a brother: to Philemon, our beloved and fellow labourer,

And to Appia, our dearest sister, and to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church which is in thy house.

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

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        .

Original Aramaic NT              Paul a prisoner of Yeshua The Messiah, and brother Timotheaus, to beloved Philemon and our companion laborer,

And to Aphia our beloved* and to Arkippus our fellow laborer and to the church that is in your house.

Grace be with you and peace from God Our Father and from Our Lord Yeshua The Messiah.

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear helper in the faith, 

And to Apphia, our sister, and to Archippus, our brother in God's army, and to the church in your house: 

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

Bible in Worldwide English     I am Paul. I am in prison because I belong to Christ Jesus. Our brother Timothy and I send greetings to you, Philemon. We love you very much. And you work with us.

We also send greetings to our sister Apphia; to Archippus who is worker in Gods army as we are; and to the people who meet as a church in your house.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you in their kindness and give you peace.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Greetings from Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, our brother. To Philemon, our dear friend and worker with us. Also to our sister Apphia, to Archippus, who serves with us in the Lord's army, and to the church that meets in your home. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Word™                         From Paul, who is a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy. To our dear coworker Philemon, our sister Apphia, our fellow soldier Archippus, and the church that meets in your house. Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

Good News Bible (TEV)         From Paul, a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy--- To our friend and fellow worker Philemon, and the church that meets in your house, and our sister Apphia, and our fellow soldier Archippus: May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

J. B. Phillips                           .

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

Radiant New Testament        .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              .

Contemporary English V.       From Paul, who is in jail for serving Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is like a brother because of our faith. Philemon, you work with us and are very dear to us. This letter is to you and to the church that meets in your home. It is also to our dear friend Apphia and to Archippus, who serves the Lord as we do. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Goodspeed New Testament  .

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        From Paul, a prisoner of the Anointed One, Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our precious friend and companion in this work, and to the church that meets in his house, along with our dear sister Apphia and our fellow soldier Archippus.  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ pour out his grace and peace upon you.

Plain English Version             .

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  I, Paul, am a prisoner who serves the Messiah Jesus. I am here with Timothy, our fellow believer. I am writing this letter to you, Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker. I am also writing to Apphia, our fellow believer, and to Archippus, who is like a soldier who serves along with us. And I am writing to the group of believers that meets in your house. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus the Messiah will continue to act kindly toward you all. I pray that he will continue to cause you to have peace.

Williams’ New Testament      Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and my brother Timothy, to our dearly loved fellow-worker Philemon, to our sister Apphia, to our fellow-soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets at your house: spiritual blessing be with you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            From: Paul (a prisoner for the Anointed King Jesus) and Timothy (the brother). To: Philemon (the loved one and our co-worker), Apphia (the sister), Archippus (our fellow soldier), and the assembly throughout your house. Generosity to you and peace out from God, our Father, and Master Jesus, the Anointed King.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ, and Timothy, our brother, to Philemon, our dearly beloved fellow worker. Also to our beloved Apphia and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the congregation in your house. May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy, the brother, to Philemon, the beloved, and our fellow-laborer; and to Apphia, the beloved; and to Archippus, our fellow-soldier, and to the congregation in your house: Favor to you, and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament From Paul, now a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, a Brother. To our dear friend and fellow-worker Philemon, to our sister Apphia, to our fellow-soldier Archippus; and to the Church that meets at Philemon's house; May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  . Place a footnote here

Free Bible Version                 This letter is sent from Paul, prisoner of Jesus Christ, and from our brother Timothy, to Philemon, our good friend and co-worker; to our sister Apphia, to Archippus who fights alongside us, and to your house church. May you have grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

International Standard V        The Letter of Paul to

Philemon

Greetings

From: [1 The Gk. lacks From] Paul, a prisoner of the Messiah [1 Or Christ] Jesus, and Timothy our brother.

To: Philemon our dear friend [1 Or our beloved Philemon] and fellow worker,

to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, [3 Or Christ] be yours! [3 The Gk. yours is pl.]

The Heritage Bible                 .

Lexham Bible                         Greeting

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Montgomery NT                     .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      .

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

The Spoken English NT         .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer, and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the ekklesia in your house: Grace to you and peace from Elohim our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ.

Weymouth New Testament    Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother: To Philemon our dearly-loved fellow labourer-- and to our sister Apphia and our comrade Archippus--as well as to the Church in your house. May grace be granted to you all, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Worsley’s New Testament    .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)              From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and from our broth er Timothy to Philemon, our friend and fellow worker, to our dear sister Apphia, to Archip pus faithful companion in our soldiering, and to all the Church gathered in your house.

Col 4:10; Phil 1:7 Romans 16:5; 1Cor 16:19

Grace and peace be with you from God the Father and Jesus Christ the Lord.

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cipher Translation           PA’AL, a prisoner of Yahusha Ha’Mashiach, and Timotheus our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlaborer, And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the called out assembly in your house: Grace to you, and peace, from Elohiym our Father and the Adonai Yahusha Ha’Mashiach.

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Holy New Covenant Trans.    From Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, our brother. To: Philemon, our co-worker (you to whom we give ourselves, for your good, expecting nothing in return); also the group that meets in your home; Apphia, our sister; and Archippus, our co-soldier. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you help in time of need and peace.

The Scriptures 2009              Sha’ul, a prisoner of Messiah יהושע, and Timotiyos the brother, to Pileymon our beloved one and fellow worker, and Apphia our sister, and Archippos our fellow soldier, and the assembly at your house: Favour to you and peace from Elohim our Father and the Master יהושע Messiah.

Tree of Life Version                Paul, a prisoner of Messiah Yeshua, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow worker. To Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the community that meets in your house: Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and the Lord Messiah Yeshua!

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       Paul Prisoner [of] christ jesus and Timothy The Brother [to] philemon the [man] loved and working (together) [of] us and [to] apphia the sister and [to] archippus the soldier (sharing) [of] us and [to] the in house [of] you congregation Favor {be!} [to] you* and Peace from god father [of] us and [from] lord jesus christ...

Alpha & Omega Bible            (Letter to Philemon)
· PAULOS, A PRISONER OF CHRIST JESUS, AND TIMOTHEOS (Timothy) OUR BROTHER, TO PHILEMON OUR BELOVED BROTHER AND FELLOW WORKER,

AND TO APPHIA OUR SISTER, AND TO ARCHIPPUS OUR FELLOW SOLDIER, AND TO THE CALLED OUT PEOPLE IN YOUR HOUSE:

GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE FROM THEOS (The Alpha & Omega) OUR FATHER AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Awful Scroll Bible                   Paul, a prisoner for Jesus, the Anointed One, and Timothy, a brother: To Philemon, our beloved and undertaker-together, and to the beloved Apphia and Archippus, our soldiers-together, and the called-out, down along you all's houses, Grace to yous and Peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One.

Concordant Literal Version    .

exeGeses companion Bible   SALUTATION

Paulos, a prisoner of Yah Shua Messiah

and Timo Theos our brother:

To Philemon our beloved and co-worker,

and to beloved Apphia

and Archippus our co-warrior

and to the ecclesia in your house.

Charism to you, and shalom,

from Elohim our Father

and Adonay Yah Shua Messiah.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

Orthodox Jewish Bible                                                  MOSHIACH’S LETTER

THROUGH THE SHLIACH SHA’UL

TO PHILEMON

Sha'ul, a prisoner of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua and Timotiyos acheinu [(our) brother]. To Philemon ha'ahuv (the beloved) and our fellow po'el (worker)

And to Apphia achoteinu (our sister) and to Archippus our chaver leneshek (comrade arms) and to the Kehillah in your bais.

Chen v’Chesed Hashem and Shalom Hashem to you from Elohim Avinu and from Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   [This letter is from] Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, [and is being sent] to Philemon our dearly loved [brother] and fellow-worker, and to Apphia our sister [Note: This was probably Philemon’s wife], and to Archippus our fellow-soldier [Note: This was probably Philemon’s preacher son. See Col. 4:17] and to the church [that meets] in your house. May there be unearned favor to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus [not Nero], and Timothy [amanuensis], our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and fellow-worker,

And to Apphia [his wife], our sister [in Christ], and to Archippus [their son], our fellow soldier [seasoned veteran in the ministry], and to the [local] assembly [at Colossia] which meets at your home:

Grace [experiential sanctification] to you and prosperity [super-abounding grace blessings] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Paul, a bound-one of Christ Jesus (or: a prisoner pertaining to, because of and belonging to Christ Jesus), and Timothy, the brother, to Philemon, the loved one, and our fellow worker,

and to Apphia, the sister, and to Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the called-out community which corresponds to (or: down in; = at) your house:

Grace (the influence and boon of undeserved favor, kindness, joy and goodwill) and peace (or: harmony; [= shalom]) from God, our Father and Lord: Jesus Christ (or: from our Father God, and [the] Owner, Jesus [the] Anointed One [= Messiah]).

P. Kretzmann Commentary    .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. Paulˎ prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy my brother,—

    Unto Philemon the belovedˎ and a fellow worker of ours,

And unto Apphia our sister.

And unto Archippus^a our fellow-soldier,

And unto the assembly which meeteth |at thy house|:

    Favour unto youˎ and peaceˎ

From God our Fatherˎ and Lord Jesus Christ.

^a Col. iv. 17.

The Spoken English NT         Greeting and Prayer of Thanks
From Paul, a prisoner for^a Christ Jesus, and from my brother Timothy. To Philemon,^b our dear friend and co-worker,

and to our sister Apphia,^c and to Archippus^d our fellow soldier, and to the community^e that meets in your house.

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

a.Lit. “Christ Jesus’ prisoner”. He is literally in prison.

b.Prn. fye-lee-man.

c.Prn. ap-fee-a.

d.Prn. ar-kipp-us.

e.That is, the Christian community.

Updated ASV                         Greetings

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our[1] brother,

To Philemon[2] our beloved fellow worker, and Apphia our[3] sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the congregation[4] in your house:

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

[1] Lit the

[2] Gr Philemoni, meaning loving

[3] Lit the

[4] Gr ekklesia (“assembly;” “congregation, i.e., of Christians”)

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Greeting
Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ,¹ and brother Timothy, to the beloved Philemon, our fellow worker, and to the beloved Apphia and our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the congregation at your (sg)² house: Grace to you (pl) and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(1) Since Paul elsewhere calls himself a slave of Jesus, he would also be a prisoner of Jesus, but in this context I understand him to be saying that he is in prison because of Jesus.

(2) Since English is ambiguous as to whether the second person personal pronoun is singular or plural, and since Paul mixes both in this letter, it becomes necessary to let the reader know which is which.

WEB — Messianic Edition       .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  .

Analytical-Literal Translation  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy the brother, To Philemon our beloved [brother] and co-worker, and to the beloved Apphia and to Archippus our fellow-soldier and to the assembly [or, church] in your house: Grace to you_p and peace from God our Father and [the] Lord Jesus Christ!

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bill Puryear translation           Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our fellow-believer, to Philemon, our beloved and fellow-worker and to Apphia our sister and to Archippos our fellow-soldier and to those in your assembly, grace is yours and prosperity from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Brodie’s Expanded Trans.     .

C. Thomson updated NT        .

Charles Thomson NT             .

Context Group Version          Paul, a prisoner of the Anointed Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and co-worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the governing assembly in your house: Favor to you (pl) and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed.

English Standard Version      .

Far Above All Translation       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

James Allen translation          .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus and Timothy the brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow worker, and to the beloved Apphia and to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the congregation* in your house: grace to you° and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

New Matthew Bible                .

NT (Variant Readings)           .

Niobi Study Bible                   . Title

R. B. Thieme, Jr. translation  Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and fellow worker also to Apphia, our sister, and Archippus, our fellow soldier, and to the church in your home. Grace to you and peace/prosperity from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. trans2         Paul and Timothy, SLAVES of Christ Jesus, To the great advantage of all the saints, Royal Family of God in Christ Jesus, who are located at Philip'pi, with the Pastor Teacher overseer Guardian of the system and deacons the system of the Local Church:

Logistical Grace and Super-Grace blessings to you and so prosperity from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Revised Geneva Translation  .

Ron Snider translation           Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Translation           .

World English Bible                .

Worrell New Testament         .

The gist of this passage: 

1-3

Translation: Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus,...

Paul’s salutation in this ancient letter is reasonably standard. The letter comes from Paul, and he calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

At this point in time, Paul is under house arrest in Rome. He made a very wrong decision to go to Jerusalem, using an offering from the gentile saints to try to bribe the Jerusalem believers for the chance to teach them. This was completely wrong on the part of Paul, as he was a missionary to the gentiles. He left a place where there was positive volition toward his teaching and went to Jerusalem, which had turned against Paul. When he arrived, they gave him no forum.

This was not just a misjudgment on the part of Paul, but a grave mistake. Many believers along the way warned him not to go to Jerusalem, but he did anyway. This put Paul under divine discipline and God had him hauled forcefully back to Rome, which is where he belonged. He belonged in the Roman Empire evangelizing and teaching the gentiles.

He was the man for this job because he was a grace believer all the way, recognizing that his conversion was 100% grace and 0% Paul. So he had the extensive religious background but he also had the clear understanding that he was saved by Jesus Christ by the grace of God. Therefore, God wanted him proclaiming the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, making disciples of Jews and gentiles throughout the Roman Empire.

As the church continued to grow outside of Judæa, the believers in Jerusalem were either being forced out of that city or they were becoming more and more legalistic (as per the document which they originated and began to circulate in the gentile churches).

Although Paul does not tend to emphasize his wrong decisions in going to Jerusalem; he recognizes completely that he is a prisoner in Rome under the hand of Christ Jesus. He is not saying, “Well, damn that Nero and damn this system of injustice that has taken me to Rome. People, we need some empire-wide changes.” Paul says nothing like that, and he recognizes that he is the prisoner of Jesus Christ and that, when the time is right, he will no longer be under Roman imprisonment.

Furthermore, Paul is under house arrest. He is renting a house and he has food and he is a lot of interaction with other believers under these circumstances. Now, at least part of the time, he is chained to one or more Roman soldiers or chained to some stationary object. It is not clear to me whether this is a 24/7 situation or not. Having the chains might be. Having at least one Roman soldier there is also 24/7. However, whether he is chained to the Roman soldier the entire time is unknown to me.

In any case, Paul recognizes that this is all by the will of God and that when it is God’s will to remove him from this situation, he will be removed.

Translation: ...and Timothy the brother,...

This letter is also from Timothy, whom he calls a brother. This means that they are both members of the royal family of God.

Timothy is a young man—perhaps young enough to be of the next generation—and he will pastor several churches. At this point, however, he is with Paul. We do not know how this works. I lean toward there being enough room for Timothy to stay with Paul, but he is free to come and go.

Onesimus is also with Paul, but he will be carrying this letter back to Philemon, who is his master. Onesimus ran away from his master and ran to Paul.

Philemon 1:1a-b Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy the brother,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: ...to Philemon, the beloved (one)...

In the salutation of an ancient letter, the sender (s) is named first and then the recipient. Because Philemon is in the dative case, we know the letter is sent to him. There will be others who receive the letter as well. Although Philemon will personally receive this letter, he will give it to at least the others named for them to read it as well.

One local church in Colosse meets in the home of Philemon. He owns Onesimus, who ran away from him; and who is carrying this letter back to him.

Translation: ...and our fellow worker;...

Philemon is recognizes as a fellow worker or fellow laborer of Paul and Timothy.

Translation: ...and to Apphia the [beloved] sister;...

This letter is also addressed to Apphia. We do not know the situation here. Is Apphia the wife of Philemon? Is she is literal sister? She is only named here. However, since this letter is coming to her, we would be inclined to think her to be a part of Philemon’s household. It is even possible that she is a slave of Philemon.

The manuscripts differ on how she is referred to. Some speak of her as the sister (we could understand this as our sister); and other manuscripts speak of her as being beloved.

Translation: ...and to Archippus, our fellow soldier;...

This letter is also addressed to Archippus, who is called our fellow soldier. We do not know exactly how Archippus is tied to the church in Colosse or how he is tied to Philemon. Could he be Philemon’s brother or could he be Philemon’s slave?

Archippus is only mentioned in one other place, in Colossians 4:17, where he is a part of the greetings made by Paul. There he is admonished, Look to the ministry which you received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it. (Colossians 4:17b; Green’s literal translation)

Just as interesting, Philemon is not named in the letter to the Colossians; nor is Apphia.

Translation: ...and to the church at your house.

Finally the church at Philemon’s house is addressed in this letter. This would suggest that, even though this is a private letter, it should become a part of the local church’s documents.

Interestingly enough, the believers in Colosse are meeting at Philemon’s home, which suggests that his home is large enough to receive many guests. Early on in the Church Age, believers often met at private houses. This is where the people met in any geographical area.

Interestingly enough, Philemon was not named in the epistle to the Colossians; but there were probably several local churches in Colosse. One was meeting in the home of Philemon.

Philemon 1:1c–2 ...to Philemon, the beloved (one) and our fellow worker; and to Apphia the [beloved] sister; and to Archippus, our fellow soldier; and to the church at your house. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Apphia and Archippus have some sort of connection to Philemon. All of the people in Colosse know this connection but we do not. Given the nature of this letter, it is possible that Apphia is Philemon’s wife and Archippus is a slave who has shown tremendous spiritual potential. Or could these both be slaves in Philemon’s household? I lean toward one of them at least being a slave to Philemon included in this letter simply because one or both of them are fundamental to the running of Philemon’s home. They are also included in this letter because there is no free and no slave in Christ. We have become free by the gospel to become Christ’s slaves.

Philemon is clearly wealthy. We know that he has a large enough house for a local church to meet. He owns at least one slave (Onesimus); and he likely owns more. When one comes to his home, one comes into contact not just with Philemon but with Apphia and Archippus, suggesting a close relationship (as family members) or as slaves. There is nothing more important to a wealthy household than the slave who is in charge of the entire house. There must be a system of authority, even among slaves.

If you saw any of the series Downton Abbey, there were two people among the servants who were in charge. It was obvious that they kept the other servants in line and made the home run smoothly.

It would not be crazy for Paul to address two of Philemon’s servants in this letter. They would be fundamental in running Philemon’s household.

Translation: Grace and peace to you (all)...

Paul often greeted the recipients of his letters with the words grace and peace. The relationship which we have with God is based upon grace (which is all that God is free to do for us based upon the cross).

Peace is the word eirênê (εἰρήνη, ης, ἡ) [pronounced eye-RAY-nay], and it means, peace, tranquility, harmony, order, welfare; security, safety; prosperity, felicity; unity. It was part of a common greeting in the ancient world, and these are certainly things we would want to be blessed with in our lives.

Translation: ...from God our Father...

Paul has this grace and peace as coming from God our Father, which makes this greeting so much the stronger. It is one thing to be wished grace and peace from Paul and Timothy; it is a whole other thing to be wished grace and peace from God our Father. Paul was of enough authority to speak for God.

Translation: ...and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Paul also speaks on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:3 Grace and peace to you (all) from God our Father and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

God the Father and God the Son both commend grace and peace to Philemon and his household and the church which meets in his home.

Philemon 1:1–3 Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy the brother, to Philemon, the beloved (one) and our fellow worker; and to Apphia the [beloved] sister; and to Archippus, our fellow soldier; and to the church at your house. Grace and peace to you (all) from God our Father and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Philemon 1:1–3 From Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved and our fellow worker; and to Apphia, the beloved sister; and to Archippus, our fellow soldier; and to the church which meets at your home. I send the greetings of grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    I keep on being grateful to the God of me, always a remembrance of you, continually doing at the prayers of me, continually hearing of you the agapê love and the faith which you keep on having toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the holy (ones), in order that the fellowship of the faith of you effective it becomes in full knowledge of every good (thing), the (good) in us to Christ. For joy—much [of it] I keep on having and encouragement on the agapê love of you, that the bowels of the holy (ones) have been refreshed through you, brother.

Complete Apostles Bible        I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers,

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

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

For we have much thanksgiving and encouragement over your love, because the affections of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) I give thanks to my God, always making a remembrance of thee in my prayers.

Hearing of thy charity and faith, which thou hast in the Lord Jesus and towards all the saints:

That the communication of thy faith may be made evident in the acknowledgment of every good work that is in you in Christ Jesus.

For I have had great joy and consolation in thy charity, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed by thee, brother.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        .

Original Aramaic NT              I thank my God always, and I remember you in my prayers,

Behold, from the time that I heard of your faith and love which you have toward Our Lord Yeshua and toward all The Holy Ones,

That the sharing of your faith would produce fruit in works and in the knowledge of every good thing which you have in Yeshua The Messiah.

For we have great joy* and comfort, for by your love the affections of the Saints have been refreshed.

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             I give praise to God at all times and make prayer for you, 

Hearing of the love and the faith which you have to the Lord Jesus and to all the saints; 

That the faith which you have in common with them may be working with power, in the knowledge of every good thing in you, for Christ. 

For I had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been made strong again through you, brother.

Bible in Worldwide English     I always thank my God when I talk to him about you.

I have heard that you love all of Gods people and that you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

You believe as I do. I ask God that he may help you to know more and more of every good thing that we have in Christ.

My brother, your love made me very glad and it comforted my heart. I know that Gods people were glad because you loved them.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  I remember you in my prayers. And I always thank my God for you. I thank God because I hear about the love you have for all of God's holy people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. I pray that the faith you share will make you understand every blessing we have in Christ. My brother, you have shown love to God's people, and your help has greatly encouraged them. What a great joy and encouragement that has been to me.

God’s Word™                         Philemon, I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers because I hear about your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God's people. As you share the faith you have in common with others, I pray that you may come to have a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Christ. Your love for God's people gives me a lot of joy and encouragement. You, brother, have comforted God's people.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Brother Philemon, every time I pray, I mention you and give thanks to my God. For I hear of your love for all of God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. My prayer is that our fellowship with you as believers will bring about a deeper understanding of every blessing which we have in our life in union with Christ. Your love, dear brother, has brought me great joy and much encouragement! You have cheered the hearts of all of God's people.

J. B. Phillips                           .

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

Radiant New Testament        .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Version          .

Contemporary English V.       Philemon, each time I mention you in my prayers, I thank God. I hear about your faith in our Lord Jesus and about your love for all of God's people. As you share your faith with others, I pray that they may come to know all the blessings Christ has given us. My friend, your love has made me happy and has greatly encouraged me. It has also cheered the hearts of God's people.

Goodspeed New Testament  .

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        I am always thankful to my God as I remember you in my prayers because I’m hearing reports about your faith in the Lord Jesus and how much love you have for all his holy followers.  I pray for you that the faith we share may effectively deepen your understanding of every good thing that belongs to you in Christ.  Your love has impacted me and brings me great joy and encouragement, for the hearts of the believers have been greatly refreshed through you, dear brother.

Plain English Version             .

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  When I pray for you, I always thank God, because I keep hearing about how you trust in the Lord Jesus. I also hear about how you keep on loving and helping all the believers. I pray that because you trust in the Messiah the same as we do, you may be able to know every good thing that we have to give you regarding the Messiah. I have greatly rejoiced and have much courage because you, my dear friend, have been loving God's people and helping them.

Williams’ New Testament      I always thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, because I continue to hear of the love and faith you have in the Lord Jesus and all His people, and I pray that their sharing of your faith may result in their recognition in us of everything that is right with reference to Christ. Yes, I have felt great joy and encouragement over your love, because the hearts of God's people have been refreshed by you, my brother.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            I am always thankful to my God, making mention of you over my prayers, as I hear of your love and trust that you have toward the Master Jesus and for all the sacred people in order that the sharing of your trust might become active in a correct understanding of every good thing in us for the Anointed King. You see, I had much generosity and encouragement based on your love because the sacred people's sympathy has been relaxed through you, brother.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           I thank my God--always mentioning you in my prayers--hearing of your love and faith, which you have for the Lord Jesus and all God's people. That the fellowship of your faith may be effective by acknowledging every good thing, which is in you because of Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and comfort by your love, because the hearts of God's people have been refreshed by you, brother.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles I give thanks to my God always, making mention of you in my prayers-(having heard of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and of your love to all the saints)- that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledgment of every good thing that is among us, toward Christ Jesus. For we have much joy and consolation in your love; because the souls of the saints are refreshed by you, brother.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament I always mention you in my prayers and thank God for you, Because I hear of the love and the faith which you show, not only to the Lord Jesus, but also to all his People; And I pray that your participation in the Faith may result in action, as you come to a fuller realization of everything that is good and Christlike in us. I have indeed found great joy and encouragement in your love, knowing, as I do, how the hearts of Christ's People have been cheered, brother, by you.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

Free Bible Version                 I always thank my God for you, remembering you in my prayers, because I hear of your trust in the Lord Jesus and your love for all believers. I pray that you will put the generous nature of your trust in God into action as you recognize all the good things we share in Christ. Your love, my dear brother, has brought me much happiness and encouragement. You have revived the hearts of those of us who believe!.

The Heritage Bible                          I thank my God, making mention of you always upon my prayers,

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

So that the sharing of your faith may be with supernatural working in full knowledge of every inherently good thing in you for Christ Jesus,

Because we have great joy and comfort over your love, that the insides of the saints have been given rest through you, brother.

International Standard V        Paul’s Prayer for Philemon

I always thank my God when I mention you [From verse 4 through verse 21, you and your are singular.] in my prayers, because I keep hearing about your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus. I pray [The Gk. lacks I pray] that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours [Other mss. read yours (pl.)] in the Messiah. [Or Christ] For I have received considerable joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed, brother, through you.

Lexham Bible                         .

Montgomery NT                     .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      .

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

The Spoken English NT         .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    .

Urim-Thummim Version         I thank my Elohim, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your brotherly love and Faith that you have toward the LORD Jesus and toward all saints; That the association of your Faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus. Because we have great joy and consolation in your brotherly love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by you brother.

Weymouth New Testament    I give continual thanks to my God while making mention of you, my brother, in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have towards the Lord Jesus and which you manifest towards all God's people; praying as I do, that their participation in your faith may result in others fully recognizing all the right affection that is in us toward Christ. For I have found great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of God's people have been, and are, refreshed through you, my brother.

Wikipedia Bible Project          Thanks be to God, for making mention of you always in my prayers, Having heard of the love and faith, that you have toward the Lord Jesus, and all the Saints; That the sharing of your faith may develop, so you may have knowledge of everything that is ours in Christ Jesus. For we have much delight and consolation in the love that you hold, because the hearts of the Saints are rested by you brother.

Worsley’s New Testament    .

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  I never cease to give thanks to my God when I remember you in my prayers, for I hear of your love and faith towards the Lord and all the holy ones. And I pray that the sharing of your faith may make known all the good that is ours in Christ. I had great satisfaction and comfort on hearing of your charity, because the hearts of the saints have been cheered by you, brother.

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cipher Translation           I thank my Elohiym, making mention of you always in my prayers, Hearing of your love and faith, which you have toward Adonai Yahusha, and toward all the qodeshiym; That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Mashiach Yahusha.  For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the qodeshiym are refreshed by you, brother.

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Holy New Covenant Trans.    I always thank my God for you. I always remember you in my prayers. I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and for your giving of yourself to all of the saints, for their good, expecting nothing in return. I pray that you will actively share your faith with a real understanding of every good thing which we have in Christ. I feel very happy and encouraged because of your giving to others, for their good, expecting nothing in return. Brother, you have lifted up the hearts of the saints.

The Scriptures 2009              I always thank my Elohim when I mention you in my prayers, hearing of your love and the belief which you have toward the Master יהושע and toward all the set-apart ones, so that the sharing of your belief might become working in the knowledge of all the good which is in you toward Messiah יהושע.  For we have much joy and encouragement in your love, because the tender affections of the set-apart ones have been refreshed by you, brother.

Tree of Life Version                I thank my God always when mentioning you in my prayers, hearing of your love and the trust you have toward the Lord Yeshua and all the kedoshim. May the fellowship of your faith become effective, with the recognition of all the good that is ours in Messiah. For I’ve received much joy and comfort in your love, brother, because the hearts of the kedoshim have been refreshed through you.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...[I] thank the god [of] me always mention [of] you Making on the prayers [of] me Hearing [of] you the love and the faith whom [You] have to the lord jesus and to all the [men] pure so The Sharing [of] the faith [of] you Effective may become in knowledge [of] every [thing] good the [thing] in us to Christ happiness for much [I] have and comfort at the love [of] you for The Parts (Inner) [of] the [men] pure has~ been refreshed through you Brother...

Alpha & Omega Bible            .

Awful Scroll Bible                   I give good-favor to my God, myself making mention of you, as-when-at-all times in my wishes-with-regards-to, hearing of your dear love and confidence, which you hold towards the Lord Jesus and to all the awful ones, how that the participation of your confidence, shall come about undertaking-from-among, from-within the coming knowledgeable-upon of everything good, which is from-within you in the Anointed One, Jesus. For I hold of much thanks and calling-by over your dear love, certainly-of-which the bowels of compassion of the awful ones, have been ceased-up by you, brother.

Concordant Literal Version    I am thanking my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your love and the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, so that the fellowship of your faith may become operative in the realization of every good thing which is in us for Christ Jesus. For much joy have I had and consolation in your love, seeing that the compassions of the saints are soothed through you, brother."

exeGeses companion Bible   I eucharistize my Elohim,

making remembrance of you always in my prayers,

hearing of your love and trust

toward Adonay Yah Shua

and to all the holy;

to energize the communion of your trust

by the knowledge of all the good in you

in Messiah Yah Shua.

For we have

vast charism and consolation in your love,

because through you, brother,

the spleens of the holy rest.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

Orthodox Jewish Bible           I always offer a bracha to my G-d when I mention you in my tefillos (prayers),

Because I hear of your ahavah (agapé) and emunah, which you have for Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua and for all the Kadoshim.

[I pray] that your emunah (faith) being shared in Moshiach's kiruv rechokim (bringing near the far away ones) may become effective in the da’as of every mitzvah we may do for Moshiach.

For I had simcha gedolah (much joy) and chizzuk (encouragement) because of your ahavah, for the levavot of the Kadoshim have been refreshed through you, Ach b'Moshiach.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   I always thank my God [for you] as I mention you in my prayers, hearing of your love for all saints [i.e., God’s holy people], and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. [I pray] that the sharing of your faith [with others, or possibly with Paul] will be effective when you fully realize all the good you can do for Christ. For I have much joy and encouragement from [observing] your love, because you have cheered the hearts of the saints [i.e., God’s holy people], brother.

Brodie’s Expanded Trans.     I keep thanking my God always [on a continual basis], making mention of you [remembering Philemon] during the time of my prayers,

(because from time-to-time [recurring reports] I hear about your [Philemon’s] virtue love [as fruit of the Spirit] and the doctrine which you have [in your soul] by way of application face-to-face with the Lord Jesus [in spiritual self-esteem] and toward all the saints [in spiritual autonomy]),

In order that our association [fellowship], with reference to your doctrine [fruits of your Bible study], might be operational [produce continual spiritual momentum] towards Christ [category 1 love in spiritual self-esteem] by means of the full knowledge of every good of intrinsic value thing [divine good] in you;

For I have come to have great inner happiness and encouragement due to your virtue love [category 3 friendship], because the deep and tender affections [emotional response] of the saints [royal family] have been repeatedly refreshed through you [blessing by association], my brother [Philemon].

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             I always and progressively give thanks to (or: for; with) my God (or: experience gratitude in my God; express the ease of grace in my God; experience the happy fortune of abundant grace by my God; observe my God's competent and prosperous grace), repeatedly forming a recollection of you upon my prayers (or: habitually making mention concerning you, upon my thinking and speaking toward having things go well, and projecting goodness, ease and well-being),

constantly hearing of your love and faith (or: of the love and the loyal, trusting allegiance which is associated with you [and]) which you are continuously holding (or: having) toward [other MSS: {projected} into] the Lord Jesus and unto all the set-apart folks,

so that the common existence, sharing, partnership, fellowship and participation of your faith, trust and loyalty can come to be inwardly operative (may birth itself active, energized and effective) within a full and accurate intimate and experiential knowledge and insight of every good thing (or: of all virtue) – of that within us [other MSS: you] [directed and leading] into Christ (or: into the midst of [the] Anointing)!

For you see, I have much joy and comfort (relief; consolation; encouragement – the provision from a paraclete), based upon your love, because the compassions (tender affections of the very inner being; inward parts; intestines) of the set-apart people (the saints; the holy ones) have been soothed and refreshed (caused to rest again), through you, brother (= my fellow believer and Family member),...

P. Kretzmann Commentary    .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         Thanksgiving and Prayer for Philemon

I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers, because I [*Here “because ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“hear about”) which is understood as causal] hear about your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing that is in us for Christ. For I have great joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. I am giving thanks unto my God—

    |Always| making |mention of thee| in my prayers,

Hearing of thy loveˎ and of the faith which thou hast towards the Lord Jesus and towards allʹ the saints,—

To the end that ||the fellowship of thy faith|| may become |energetic| by a personal knowledge of everyʹ good thing that is in us^b towards Christ;

For ||much joy|| have I hadˎ and encouragementˎ by occasion of thy love,

In that ||the tender affections of the saints|| have had rest given them by theeˎ brother.

^b Or (WH): “you.”

The Spoken English NT         I give thanks to God for you all the time, as I mention you in my prayers.

Because I am hearing about your love, and about the faith that you show^f towards the Lord Jesus, and to all the holy ones.

I’m praying that your partnership in the faith^g will result^h in your recognition of all the goodness that’s in us in Christ.

Because I’ve had a lot of joy and encouragement from your love: you’ve refreshed the hearts of the holy ones,ⁱ my brother!

f.Lit. “have,” or “hold”.

g.Lit. “the partnership of your faith”.

h.Lit. “will become effective”. Some translations have, “that the sharing of your faith will become effective by the knowledge of all the good that’s in us in Christ”.

i.Lit. “…your love, because the innards of the holy ones have been refreshed through you”.

Updated ASV                         Philemon’s Love and Faith

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective[5] through the accurate knowledge[6] of every good thing that is in you[7] for the sake of Christ. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts[8] of the holy ones have been refreshed through you, brother.

[5] Lit might become active or operative within

[6] Epignosis is a strengthened or intensified form of gnosis (epi, meaning “additional”), meaning, “true,” “real,” “full,” “complete” or “accurate,” depending upon the context. Paul and Peter alone use epignosis.

[7] “In you” has strong textual support (P⁶¹ א G P 33 1739Byz it^g, vg syr^{p, h} cop^{sa, bo} arm al), while “in us” has weaker textual support (A C D K Ψ 81 614 it^d syr^hmg al).

[8] Lit the bowels or inward parts

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Paul commends Philemon
I always thank my God as I make mention of you (sg) in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus, and for all the saints, so that the sharing of your (sg) faith may become powerful through a full understanding of every good thing that is among you (pl) who are in Christ Jesus;³ yes, we have much thanksgiving and encouragement because of your (sg) love, in that the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

(3) Verse 6 probably reads quite differently in your version of the Bible. Were you aware that the “your” refers to Philemon while the “you” refers to the congregation? [The MSS evidence is about evenly divided between ‘you’ and ‘us’, but I follow what I consider to be the best line of transmission, as in AV and NKJV.] The verse usually ends with “you/us in Christ Jesus”, but the preposition is properly “into”, which doesn’t make good English. The reference is to those who have believed into Jesus (as He Himself invariably said)—they were outside but have moved inside. So Paul is referring to a group of regenerated people and to the aggregate of ‘good things’ to be found among them; which I assume would certainly include the gifts of the Spirit, as well as His fruit. As Philemon’s understanding of these resources increases, the sharing of his faith will become more powerful, and for this Paul prays.

WEB — Messianic Edition       .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  . innermost

Analytical-Literal Translation  I give thanks to my God, always making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones [or, saints], in order that the fellowship of your faith shall become effective in the full [or, true] knowledge of every good [thing], the [good] in us in [or, for] Christ Jesus. For I have much thankfulness and comfort [or, encouragement] over your love, because the bowels [fig., hearts] of the holy ones [or, saints] have been refreshed through you, brother.

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bill Puryear translation           I give thanks to my God at all times, while making mention of you on the occasion of my prayers, because I keep hearing about your virtue-love and faith, which you keep on having toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, in order that the fellowship through your doctrine might become effective [active, powerful] by means of the full-knowledge of all the intrinsic good which [is] in you because of Christ. For you see I have begun to have great happiness and encouragement [comfort] on account of your virtue-love, because the affections [compassions] of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

C. Thomson updated NT        I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of the faith which you have in the Lord Jesus, of your love for all the saints, so that every good man among you must acknowledge that your participation of the faith is operative for Christ Jesus. (Or literally, "that your participation of the faith may, in the acknowledgment of every good man among you, be operative for Christ Jesus.") For we have great joy and comfort for this love of yours, because the affections of the saints are refreshed by you, brother.

Charles Thomson NT             .

Context Group Version          I recognize my indebtedness to my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your allegiance, and of the trust which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the special ones; that the fellowship of your trust may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in us, to the Anointed. For I had much joy and comfort in your allegiance, because the hearts of the special ones have been refreshed through you, brother.

English Standard Version      . derived

Far Above All Translation       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

James Allen translation          .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  I am always giving-thanks to my God, making* a remembrance of you in my prayers, hearing of your love* and the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the holy-ones; *that the fellowship of your faith might become effective in the full knowledge of every good thing, the good in us, to Christ Jesus. For* we have much gratitude and comfort in your love*, because the heart* of the holy-ones have been given-rest through you, brother.

New American Standard        .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

New Matthew Bible                .

NT (Variant Readings)           I thank my God always, making mention of thee in my prayers, hearing of thy love, and of the faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; that the fellowship of thy faith may become effectual, in the knowledge of every good thing which is in °us, unto Christ. For *I had much joy and comfort in thy love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through thee, brother.

°TR-you; *MT-I have much thankfulness..—TR- I have much joy...

Niobi Study Bible                   . Title

R. B. Thieme, Jr. translation  I keep thanking my God at all times, making mention of you at the time of my prayers.

Because I hear of your love and doctrine in the soul, which you keep on having face to face with the Lord Jesus, also toward all of the saints.

In order that our association with reference to your doctrine [resident in the soul] may become operational toward Christ by means of epignôsis (ἐπίγνωσις) [pronounced ehp-IHG-noh-sis] [full knowledge] of all the intrinsic good.

For I have come to much happiness and encouragement by your [Category #1] love [occupation with Christ], because the tender affections of the royal family have been refreshed through you, brother.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. trans2         I keep thanking or always thank my God at all times, at that time when I make mention of you at that time in my prayers.

Because I hear reports of your love, trust or confidence from faith or Metabolized Bible Doctrine in the Stream of Consciousness of your Soul, which you keep having face to face with or toward the Lord Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and your love toward all saints.

And I Pray [v4 cont], In order that the Sharing of the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ (witnessing) and Metabolized Bible Doctrine, may become operational (Positive Volition-Operation Z - GAP) by means of epignosis knowledge (Wisdom - communication) of every intrinsic good doctrine resident in the Stream of Consciousness of your soul, you being positionally in Christ.

For I have come to have great or much happiness and encouragement in your Category I love for God or Occupation with the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, The Christ because the tender or deep affections of the saints or Royal Family of God have been and continue being refreshed through you, brother.

Revised Geneva Translation  .

Ron Snider translation           I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I keep hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in us for Christ's sake. For I have experienced much joy and encouragement on the basis your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

Updated ASV                         .

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Translation           .

World English Bible                .

Worrell New Testament         .

The gist of this passage: 

4-7

Translation: I keep on being grateful to my God,...

Paul is continually grateful to God. For what is given in the next phrase.

Translation: ...always remembering you, continually during my prayers.

Paul continually expresses his gratitude in his prayers when thinking about Philemon, the person to whom this letter is addressed.

Philemon 1:4 I keep on being grateful to my God, always remembering you, continually during my prayers. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Application: If you recall the book of Colossians, you will recall that Paul encouraged the Colossians to pray expressing gratitude to God. It is very easy to become discouraged in this life, particularly when you are faced with enemies. You may have no interest in cultivating relationships of animus, but you will nevertheless find yourself facing enemies in this life. And/or you have problems and pressures that bear down on you. Certainly, you will find yourself praying about such things, but you should always express gratitude in your prayers to God. You have to be able to recognize what things there are in your life to be grateful for. You cannot focus only on the things which bother you.

Paul, more than any of us, is under the pressure of being under house arrest. Rent is due, he is running ot of money, and the pantry is nearly bare. Paul is not saying any of this, but this is logically his state of affairs at this time. I say this based upon his letter to the Philippians where they send him a sizable gift, which helps take care of these problems (which Paul does not talk about, save his being under house arrest, which he mentions at the outset of this epistle). Paul, having all of these pressures, thinks about Philemon and he expresses thanksgiving to God because of him.

Application: The spiritual battle is one person at a time.

Translation: [I am] continually hearing of your agape love and of the faith...

Paul is hearing about Philemon’s relaxed mental attitude and of his faith. Now, who would Paul hear this from? Let me suggest that Paul has quizzed Onesimus—Philemon’s slave who has come to him—and he learns about Philemon’s character.

Onesimus and Philemon are both believers. Maybe Paul gave them the gospel message and they believed; or maybe Paul gave Philemon the gospel message and he gave the gospel message to his slave Onesimus.

Anyway, what Paul hears indicates that Philemon is growing in the faith. He is filled with the Spirit, he has a relaxed mental attitude toward life and toward people (which indicates a stage of spiritual growth), and he is learning Bible doctrine (the word faith is a synonym for Bible doctrine).

Translation: ...which you keep on having toward the Lord Jesus...

Philemon has a relaxed mental attitude toward others and he is growing in Bible doctrine and in faith, which things he also has toward the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, he is learning to have category #1 love toward God and faith toward God and His plan.

At salvation, we express (out loud or in our thinking) faith toward Jesus Christ; but then, we learn more and we grow, and we have more faith in Christ Jesus because we come to know and understand Him.

When I came to Christ, I knew next to nothing about Jesus. I knew to put my trust in Him for salvation, but not much beyond that. I did not even know exactly what happened after the cross, despite hunting for many Easter eggs and Easter baskets over my young life. After being saved (I read John 3:16 and some other passages in the Bible), I found out about the resurrection, ascension and session. So what I knew about Jesus expanded as did my faith in Him and what He had done.

Philemon also grew in his faith toward the Lord.