The Pulpit Commentary — Philemon — Section 9

Thi& latter word ie llD 11,ra{ >,.,-y&µ,•o• (Rovieed Vereion)-with my own hand, I will (unique ph1'9.8e) l!IO far 11.11 the New Test.a- repe.y it. Thus St. P1rnl took upon himself ment is concerned, though it is found in legally the repayment of lhe debt. " Priori- Numb. xv. S of the LXX., R.S in Xenophon hua y-erhis proprie cat1tio [n b!i-il t?r eecurity] e.nd other cla.esiee.l writers. In Heh. x. 26 M11tmelur: h1s nutem oonst1tut1 obliontio. e.nd l Pet. v. 2 the adverb ~1<ou1Tlo,s ie found. Hoe Le.tine dicitur pecuniam conetit7.ere: Ver. 15.-Therefore; for this purpose de quo titulue ,·et in IJigestie ('Ava31x,,,.lla,) (fine.I c,ause). Depe.rted for a ■ea.son. He dicuut Grreci" (Scipio Gentilie). Albeit I wu thel't'fom parted from thee for a time do not eay to thee, eto. ; " though I do not (Revieed Ven.ion). For ever; eve1lastingly remin,I thee [while ao BRying] th11.t thou ( e.oousati ve, not an ad verb). The relation owest even thyself to me I" Philemon owed of master And sle."e would have heen in any to the apostle that debt of which the obli- e&Be, e.nd would still be, terminated by death. ge.t!on outweighed every other-the help by But it we.s now r.,pla.ced by e. new relation which he h11.d been led out of spiritual of Christian brotherhood, which would be darkn,•ss e.nd brought to the knowledge of permanent-a great adve.ntage. So Calvin, the truth. St. Paul we., (e.s we must con- Grotiue, and many others. Meyer's ohjec- clude from this allusion) the "spiritual tion does not seem of much weight (compare father" of Philemon- phre.se he himself tl ,e l'erpetua mancipia of Exod. ui. 6; uses in I Cor. iv. 15. Deut. xv. 17). Baur thinks that in this Ver. 20.-Yee., indeed, brother, let ma verse he hRB rea.ched the core of the Epistle- have joy of thee. This word (ovaCµ1w) iP the ethical truth which it seeks to embody from the same root e.s the word " Onesimus,'' (hut see Introduction: "Autbentici!y e.nd e.nd the apostle. more suo, rele.xing. into hie Characteristics "). frieudly familiar m11.nner after the grave Ver. 16.-Not now a.s a serve.nt, but e.bove and touching language of the last few verses, a serve.nt, a brother beloved. So great e. plays npon the word. Let me ha11e profit difference bad his Christian calling e.nd of thee-let me have Onesimus of thee. In profession me.de t.o him e.nd to otl,ers. Both the Lord (comp. 1 Cor. x. 31). The phrase in the 11.esh e.nd in the Lord. A hysteron is twice repeated in this verse, and ie very proteron. T!,e apostle is plea.ding on behalf characteristic of St. Paul. But A, 0, o•, of Onesimus thie new bond of Christian F, G, I, read en Christo in the second clause. rele.tionship, which we.s in the Lord, that it tc he.s been a.I tered, X"' for ""'• seeu,nd. ; "re- should bring about a renewed fulneee of fresh my heart in Christ" (Reviaed Version). persona.I relation. In the fle,;h, bece.U8e "in Ver. 21.-I wrote unto thee; 'IM'ite (Re- the Lord." vised Version; see ver. 19), or perhaps re- Ver. 17.-lf thou oonnt me therefore e. ferring be.ck, e.s in ver. 19, to the request in partner ; if thou h,,J,d~t me for a frie~y ver. 17. The strong, fervid, e.nd repeated our friend,,hip I entreai thiB. The •trongest appeals of the apostle had not been ea.used form of entreaty poeeible to ·be used. Ko,- by distrust of Philemon, nor of their owu .,,,.,,a in Act.I! ii. 42 refers to the Holy efficacy, but were the natural outcome of Commnnion, e.nd in I Cor. x. 16--21 pe.r- the strong interest he felt in the ce.ee of takeni of it are pie.inly ea.lied by implication Onesimus, e.nd the desire he felt to replace ,cou,uwol-part.akera, or, e.s we should say, him in the favour of his master; partly "commnnice.nts." But here the sense ie also, perhaps, to the warmth and fervour of apparently e.s above; litere.lly, 11. partner. his natural cliare.cter, which utt.ered itself Ver. 18. -[But] if he hath wronged thee involunt11.rily in forcible expressions. [at all]. It would have been needleeely Ver. 22.-Lodging, There was this one irritating to Pbilemon to go into the details additional inducement that could be brought of Onesimwi's offences. No doubt St. Paul to bear upon the mind of Philemon, viz. bRd had an a.ccuunt of them from the re- the expectation of speedily seeing him in pentant youth, but be had fe.r too much person, e.nd this, in conclusion, he usee. tact to occupy himself and Philemon in the "I do not think that the e.postle was so discussion of details. The hypothetic form rich or encumbered with such great pe.ck- avoids the whole of these. It suffices that agee that he needed a lodging prepared be e.eeumes the responsibility of repayment. beforehand, e.nd was not content with a Owes thee anything. AB e. matter of moral narrow dwelling-place, but thought the moat right at the bar of conscience. For in a spacious honeee scanty for the accommo- Beeular court the slave could be neither dation of his small body; but the.t, while debt.or nor creditor, properly speaking, as Philemon was expecting [ the apostle] to comb age.inst his master. Thie offence was ·pro- to him, he would the more do what he he.d bably embezzlement or purloining while in request.ell" (Jerome). Meyer makeH much :.ervice. A, C, D•, F, G, tc, read (elloga), of the improbability that St. Paul, starting reckon it to me. from Rome, should bespeak a lodging in Ver. 19.-I Paul have written -·,ni/.,, it Coloe811l. Yet b., suggests tl,at it we.s per- 1-25.) THE EPISTLE TO PlllLEMON.