PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Philemon
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 8,478 words · 23 reading sections
Philemon 1:1
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Philemon 1:1 INTRODUCTION TO PHILEMON This epistle was written by the Apostle Paul, when a prisoner at Rome, as appears from its inscription and subscription; and seems to have been written at the same time, in the year 60, and sent by the same hand, as the epistle to the …
1,599 wordsSECTION 2Philemon 1:2
Philemon 1:2 Ver. 2. And to our beloved Apphia,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, "to sister Apphia"; and the Vulgate Latin version, "to the beloved sister Apphia"; for this is a woman's name; and it is thought that she was the wife of Philemon, since she is placed next to him, and before Archippus, a minister of the wo…
459 wordsSECTION 3Philemon 1:3
Philemon 1:3 Ver. 3. Grace to you and peace, from God,.... Which is the same form of salutation used in the other epistles; See Gill on "Ro 1:7" for though this epistle is but a very small one, yet it is introduced in the same form as the larger epistles are; and has an inscription in the former verse, a salutation in…
72 wordsSECTION 4Philemon 1:4
Philemon 1:4 Ver. 4. I thank my God,.... Meaning on account, of Philemon, for the grace bestowed upon him, thereafter mentioned; See Gill on "Ro 1:8" making other saints, Ro 1:9, the apostle was a man much in prayer, frequent at the throne of grace; and he prayed not for himself only, but for all the saints, for all t…
171 wordsSECTION 5Philemon 1:5
Philemon 1:5 Ver. 5. Hearing of thy love and faith,.... Those two spring from the free favour and love of God, and are the pure gifts of his grace; and therefore thanks are to be given for them to God; nor are they to be ascribed to the power and will of man; they are the fruits of the Spirit of God; and are the princ…
760 wordsSECTION 6Philemon 1:6
Philemon 1:6 Ver. 6. That the communication of thy faith,.... The grace of faith itself cannot be communicated from one to another; a believing parent cannot communicate it to his children, nor a master to his servants, nor a minister to his hearers; but an account of it, of its actings and exercises, of the joy of it…
376 wordsSECTION 7Philemon 1:7
Philemon 1:7 Ver. 7. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love,.... In the expressions and acts of it to the poor saints; for which reason the apostle gives thanks for it before; and it is a pleasure and comfort to an ingenuous mind, though it is not in his power to do good to the poor saints himself, to see t…
182 wordsSECTION 8Philemon 1:8
Philemon 1:8 Ver. 8. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ,.... Or use much freedom of speech in the name of Christ, as an ambassador of his, and great authority as his apostle, which was given him for edification: to enjoin thee that which is convenient; which became him as a believer in Christ, and a min…
164 wordsSECTION 9Philemon 1:9
Philemon 1:9 Ver. 9. Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee,.... Either for the sake of the great love which the apostle bore to Philemon, being, as he calls him, his dearly beloved, he took this method; or because of Philemon's great love to all the saints before mentioned, he was encouraged to proceed in this man…
462 wordsSECTION 10Philemon 1:10
Philemon 1:10 Ver. 10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus,.... Now he comes to the request itself, and mentions by name the person on whose account he makes it, and whom he calls his son; not merely because of his affection to him, but because he really was his spiritual father; he had been the happy instrument of his…
329 wordsSECTION 11Philemon 1:11
Philemon 1:11 Ver. 11. Which in time past was to thee unprofitable,.... Yea, injurious and hurtful; one that was an eye servant, that loitered away his time, and set an ill example to fellow servants; and not only so, but embezzled his master's goods, and robbed him, and run away from him. So every man, in his state o…
463 wordsSECTION 12Philemon 1:12
Philemon 1:12 Ver. 12. Whom I have sent again,.... From Rome to Colosse, or to Philemon, wherever he was, along with this epistle: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels; meaning his son, who, in a spiritual sense, came out of his bowels, to whom he stood in the relation of a spiritual father; so the Sy…
165 wordsSECTION 13Philemon 1:13
Philemon 1:13 Ver. 13. Whom I would have retained with me,.... At Rome, where the apostle was a prisoner: that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the Gospel; the apostle was in bonds, not for any crime, for any immorality he had been guilty of, but for the sake of the Gospel, for professing…
226 wordsSECTION 14Philemon 1:14
Philemon 1:14 Ver. 14. But without thy mind would I do nothing,.... Which shows great modesty and humility in the apostle, that though as such he had an authority, which he could have used, as well as had understanding and judgment how to have used it without consulting Philemon, or having his sense of this affair, ye…
195 wordsSECTION 15Philemon 1:15
Philemon 1:15 Ver. 15. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season,.... The apostle in this clause seems to soften this business of Onesimus in running away from his master; he calls it not a running away, but a departure, an absence from him, and that but for a little while; and suggests that the hand of God might…
161 wordsSECTION 16Philemon 1:16
Philemon 1:16 Ver. 16. Not now as a servant,.... That is, not only as a servant, for a servant he was, and was to be received as such; his call by grace had not dissolved the civil relation that was between him and his master, though it had added to it something that was above it, and greater than it: but above a ser…
218 wordsSECTION 17Philemon 1:17
Philemon 1:17 Ver. 17. If thou count me therefore a partner,.... A companion and friend, who reckon each other's affairs and interest their own: the word answers to rbx, a word often used in Talmudic writings, for an associate of the doctors or wise men: here it may mean also a partner both in grace, and in the minist…
205 wordsSECTION 18Philemon 1:18
Philemon 1:18 Ver. 18. If he hath wronged thee,.... By squandering away his time, spoiling his work, or corrupting his fellow servants: or oweth thee ought; by embezzling his master's goods, robbing him of his money, and running away from his service: put that on mine account; Signifying that he would be answerable …
63 wordsSECTION 19Philemon 1:19
Philemon 1:19 Ver. 19. I Paul have written it, with mine own hand,.... Meaning either this epistle, which being short, he used no amanuensis, but wrote it all himself, and which might be taken as an engagement to do what he promised; or else a bill, a promissory note, written with his own hand, which he sent along wit…
617 wordsSECTION 20Philemon 1:20
Philemon 1:20 Ver. 20. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord,.... Through the apostle was his spiritual father, having been the instrument of his conversion, yet he calls him his brother, as being a partaker of the same grace, and a minister of the same Gospel; and intimates to him, that should he grant hi…
406 wordsSECTION 21Philemon 1:21
Philemon 1:21 Ver. 21. Having confidence in thy obedience,.... In his obedience of faith to Christ, and his Gospel; he having been made willing in the day of his power to serve him, as well as to be saved by him; and being constrained by his love, and the Spirit of Christ having wrought in him both to will and to do o…
120 wordsSECTION 22Philemon 1:22
Philemon 1:22 Ver. 22. But withal prepare me also a lodging,.... Not that the apostle expected or desired any grand apartment to be fitted up for him; a room with such furniture as the Shunamite provided for the man of God was sufficient for him, and what he would have been entirely contented with; but his view in thi…
332 wordsSECTION 23Philemon 1:23
Philemon 1:23 Ver. 23. There salute thee Epaphras,.... Who was a Colossian, and minister of the church at Colosse, and so might be well known to Philemon, who seems to have been of the same place and church; see Col 1:7 his name is omitted in the Ethiopic version:my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus; this good man, and …
733 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.