1. See comments on Col 1:4 for the conjunction “and” (καί) as epexegetical.
2. Although this letter is addressed to a number of coworkers within the same house church, the primary intended recipient is Philemon (note the singular “your,” σου, in vv. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7).
3. For a discussion of how this focus transforms that of the opening formula found in Hellenistic papyri letters, see comments on Col 1:1–8.
4. For Winter, “Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” 3, the absence of the themes of “grace” and “forgiveness” in this introductory paragraph argues against a runaway slave hypothesis, for introductory paragraphs usually introduced major themes of a letter. However, the emphasis on “love” certainly includes these themes.
5. See comments on v. 5.
6. See the structure proposed by David L. Allen, “The Discourse Structure of Philemon: A Study in Textlinguistics,” in Scribes and Scripture: New Testament Essays in Honor of J. Harold Greenlee (ed. David Alan Black; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1992), 85: introduction (vv. 4–5), text (v. 6), reason (v. 7).
7. See, e.g., Moo, Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 379.
8. Murray J. Harris, Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ (NSBT 8; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 117–18.
9. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 333.
10. It is also possible that “the prisoner” can carry a sense of authority, as it does elsewhere in Paul’s writings (cf. Eph 3:1; 4:1; 2 Tim 1:8).
11. NTL: “Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus.”
12. Wansink, Chained in Christ, 171.
13. Cf. Harris, Slave of Christ, 118.
14. Cf. John Paul Heil, “The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” Bib 82 (2001): 189.
15. Stanley E. Porter, “Is Critical Discourse Analysis Critical?” 58.
16. This was a common name in the first century; cf. G. H. R. Horsley, “Philemon,” NewDocs 3:91.
17. Note the shift to the singular second person pronoun (σου) in vv. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7.
18. Thus Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (2nd ed.; New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 2003), 59–60, who concludes that “Philemon himself ranks high at least on the dimension of wealth and on evaluation within the sect.”
19. It can also point to Philemon as someone loved by many other Christians; cf. Aasgaard, ”My Beloved Brothers and Sisters,” 244.
20. Andrew D. Clarke, A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership (LNTS 362; New York/London: T&T Clark, 2008), 208, has rightly noted that this title points primarily to a unity of purpose rather than equality (see comments on Col 4:11).
21. This reading is based on the close proximity between the singular “your” (σου) and the name Archippus (Knox, Philemon among the Letters of Paul, 49–61).
22. See CEV, GNB; note how the NIV uses dashes to bracket the words, “also to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier.”
23. Cf. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 333; Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 190; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 273; R. McL. Wilson, Colossians and Philemon (ICC; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2005), 334.
24. Cf. Meeks, First Urban Christians, 60.
25. The use of this military imagery in these prison letters may be explained by the presence of soldiers in the prison environment; Wansink, Chained in Christ, 170.
26. Hans-Josef Klauck, Ancient Letters and the New Testament: A Guide to Context and Exegesis (trans. Daniel P. Bailey; Waco, TX: Baylor Univ. Press, 2006), 329.
27. See esp. U. Wickert, “Der Philemonbrief—Privatbrief oder apostolisches Schreiben?” ZNW 52 (1961): 230–38.
28. Artzt-Graber, Philemon, 111–15.
29. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 273.
30. Petersen, Rediscovering Paul, 99.
31. Ronald F. Hock, “A Support for His Old Age: Paul’s Plea on Behalf of Onesimus,” in The Social World of the First Christians: Essays in Honor of Wayne A. Meeks (ed. L. Michael White and O. Larry Yarbrough; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995), 77.
32. See discussion of Col 3:18–4:1.
33. For a typical Hellenistic salutation, see comments on Col 1:2.
34. Barth and Blanke, Letter to Philemon, 265.
35. This second person plural pronoun appears only here and in vv. 22, 25.
36. Within this frame of reference, it is striking for Paul to call Onesimus his “child” (v. 10). Not only does this label highlight the intimate relationship between Paul and Onesimus, it also elevates Paul’s own status as a “father,” one who has authority over Philemon.
37. Paul Schubert, The Form and Function of the Pauline Thanksgivings (Berlin: Töpelmann, 1939), 13.
38. See comments on Col 1:3.
39. The clear exception can be found in Col 1:3, which emphasizes the universal impact of the gospel (cf. 1:6).
40. Peter T. O’Brien, Introductory Thanksgivings in the Letters of Paul (NovTSup 49; Leiden: Brill, 1977), 21.
41. Cf. Roger D. Aus, “The Liturgical Background of the Necessity and Propriety of Giving Thanks According to 2 Thess 1:3,” JBL 46 (1973): 436.
42. See Hendrik S. Versnel, “Religious Mentality in Ancient Prayer,” in Faith, Hope and Worship: Aspects of Religious Mentality in the Ancient World (ed. H. S. Versnel; Leiden: Brill, 1981), 59.
43. See Brevard S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel (London: SCM, 1962).
44. “When I remember you in my prayers” (μνείαν σου ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου) has also been translated more literally as “making mention of you in my prayers” (NASB; cf. BDAG, 654; Moule, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 140–41). In light of the wider connection between “thanksgiving” and “remembering” in the OT tradition, however, the act of remembering should be reflected in the translation.
45. Moo, Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 386.
46. Barth and Blanke, Letter to Philemon, 269.
47. This translation deviates from that presented in the diagrammed sentence flow. In the sentence flow, the chiastic structure is indicated while the word order in Greek is followed. Here, the translation expresses the meaning intended through such chiastic structure (see comments below).
48. The present tense can be taken as indicating a continuous act: “because I keep hearing” (NLT).
49. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 334; Barth and Blanke, Letter to Philemon, 271.
50. Winter, “Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” 3.
51. Barth and Blanke, Letter to Philemon, 271.
52. Cf. F. F. Bruce, “St Paul in Rome. 2. The Epistle to Philemon,” BJRL 48 (1965): 81.
53. Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 317. See also 1 Thess 1:3, where both “faith” and “love” are directed to and rooted in “Christ Jesus.”
54. Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 193; Stuhlmacher, Der Brief an Philemon, 31–32; O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 278; Judith M. Ryan, “Philemon,” in Philippians and Philemon (SP 10; Minneapolis: Liturgical, 2003), 223.
55. For the meaning of this phrase, see comments on Col 1:4. But the emphatic “all” acquires a different function in this context. While the universal impact of the gospel is the focus of Colossians as Paul combats the elitist practices imposed by the false teachers, in this context, “all” allows Paul to insist that Philemon should be consistent in expressing this Christian love toward all, including his own household slave.
56. Other versions that adopt a chiastic reading list faith first: “because I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s holy people” (cf. CEV; NLT; NET).
57. Cf. Church, “Rhetorical Structure and Design,” 22.
58. Moule, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 142.
59. Cf. Arzt-Grabner, Philemon, 182–85.
60. Moo, Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 394. Cf. Joseph Fitzmyer, The Letter to Philemon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (AB 34C; New York: Doubleday, 2000), 97.
61. Lohse, Colossians and Philemon, 192. Cf. Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 318.
62. While not a uniquely Pauline usage, this use of κοινωνία is widespread in secular Greek; cf. Friedrich Hauck, “κοινός, κτλ.,” TDNT, 3:798; Nigel Turner, Christian Words (Edinburg: T&T Clark, 1980), 163.
63. Cf. Stuhlmacher, Der Brief an Philemon, 33; Ryan, “Philemon,” 223. See also the discussion in Marshall, “Theology of Philemon,” 183.
64. This active transitive reading takes the words “become effective” (ἐνεργὴς γένηται) in the active sense of making one’s faith realized in the lives of others.
65. Harris, Colossians and Philemon, 254; cf. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon, 279–80.
66. Cf. Harold Riesenfeld, “Faith and Love Promoting Hope: An Interpretation of Philemon v. 6,” in Paul and Paulinism: Essays in Honour of C. K. Barrett (ed. M. D. Hooker and S. G. Wilson; London: SPCK, 1982), 254.
67. Wilson, Colossians and Philemon, 340.
68. Winter, “Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” 3, who takes κοινωνία in the sense of “partnership,” further argues that this verse points to Philemon’s sending Onesimus to Paul to aid him during his imprisonment, thus indirectly becoming a partner in Paul’s gospel ministry.
69. This adjective carries the sense of “effective,” “active,” and “powerful”; BDAG, 335.
70. Heil, “The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” 192 n. 25.
71. “Through the knowledge” (NASB; cf. KJV, NKJV, HCSB).
72. “When you perceive” (NRSV).
73. Moule, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 143, arrives at the same conclusion, not through the Colossian parallel, but through the parallel with the Jewish concept of the will of God. For the Jews, “every good thing” can be found in the law that reveals God’s will. For Paul, however, it can only be found through “the faith” in Christ Jesus.
74. Note that in v. 14, Paul uses “the good” (τὸ ἀγαθόν) for that which Philemon needs to accomplish in the reception of Onesimus.
75. E.g., N. T. Wright, The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon [TNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986], 177.
76. E.g., Fitzmyer, Letter to Philemon, 98.
77. E.g., Moo, Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, 394.
78. Cf. “in expectation of Christ”; Barth and Blanke, Letter to Philemon, 291.
79. Ryan, “Philemon,” 225.
80. Heil, “The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul’s Letter to Philemon,” 182, further points to the use of the preposition “in/from” (ἐπί) in vv. 4 and 7 that provides an inclusio: “It is in his prayers that Paul thanks God for the love (v. 5) of Philemon, for it is in his love that Paul has had much joy and encouragement (v. 7)” (italics his).
81. Cf. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon, 334.
82. Cf. Arthur A. Rupprecht, “Philemon,” Expositor’s Bible Commentary (ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland; 2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 12:637.
83. Herbert W. Smyth, Greek Grammar (rev. Gordon M. Messing; Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1984), §2803.
84. Cf. “bowels,” (KJV).
85. Helmut Köster, “σπλάγχνον, κτλ.,” TDNT, 7:555.
86. Church, “Rhetorical Structure and Design,” 24.
87. BDAG, 69.
88. Cf. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, 178: “The Colossian Christians, weary in their daily battles for the Lord, find in Philemon the refreshment and rest needed to regain strength for renewed warfare.”
89. Andrew D. Clarke, “ ‘Refresh the Hearts of the Saints’: A Unique Pauline Context,” TynBul 47 (1996): 298–99.
90. Clarke, “ ‘Refresh the Hearts of the Saints’,” 296.
91. See Theology in Application on Col 3:18–4:1.
92. Cf. Raymond E. Collins, The Power of Images in Paul (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2008), 76: “Were it not for the Letter to the Galatians, one might say that in no other texts of the New Testament does kinship language have such importance as it does in the Letter to Philemon and the church in his house.”
93. Though used throughout Paul’s writings, this fictive kinship language can be traced back to Jesus himself, who referred to his disciples as “brothers” (e.g., Matt 12:50; 28:10; Mark 3:35; John 20:17). Equally important is the fact that it is because of Jesus himself that believers can relate to one another as brothers and sisters. Cf. Stanley E. Porter, “Family in the Epistles,” in Family in the Bible: Exploring Customs, Culture, and Context (ed. Richard S. Hess and M. Daniel Carroll R.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 148–66.
94. Recall that in the ancient context, “slave” is also a household term.
95. See, e.g., the helpful discussion in Peter T. Cha, “Constructing New Intergenerational Ties, Cultures and Identities among Korean American Christians: A Congregational Case Study,” in This Side of Heaven: Race, Ethnicity, and Christian Faith (ed. Robert J. Priest and Alvaro L. Nieves; Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2007), 259–73.
96. See Theology in Application on Col 1:1–8.
97. Carter Lindberg, Love: A Brief History through Western Christianity (Oxford: Blackwell, 2008), 28.
98. This general way of rephrasing the central point of this verse seeks to avoid building this application point only on one possible reading of this verse.
99. Clarke, A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership, 93.
100. For the relationship between Paul and the local leaders whom he considers to be his “coworkers,” see also Robert Banks, Paul’s Idea of Community (rev. ed.; Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 163–65.