Passage
Philemon 1.15-16
Book: Philemon · NASB95
Immediate context (±2 verses)
ASV
13. whom I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 14. but without thy mind I would do nothing; that thy goodness should not be as of necessity, but of free will.
15. For perhaps he was therefore parted from thee for a season, that thou shouldest have him for ever; 16. no longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much rather to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
- If then thou countest me a partner, receive him as myself. 18. But if he hath wronged thee at all, or oweth thee aught, put that to mine account; (Philemon 1:13-18, ASV)
WEB
13. whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News. 14. But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
15. For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever, 16. no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
- If then you count me a partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18. But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account. (Philemon 1:13-18, WEB)
KJV
13. Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: 14. But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
15. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; 16. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
- If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. 18. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; (Philemon 1:13-18, KJV)
YLT
13. whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news, 14. and apart from thy mind I willed to do nothing, that as of necessity thy good deed may not be, but of willingness,
15. for perhaps because of this he did depart for an hour, that age-duringly thou mayest have him, 16. no more as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, especially to me, and how much more to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord!
- If, then, with me thou hast fellowship, receive him as me, 18. and if he did hurt to thee, or doth owe anything, this to me be reckoning; (Philemon 1:13-18, YLT)
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Setting
- Speaker: TBD
- Audience: TBD
- Location: TBD
- Time period: TBD
Theological reading
Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.
Key words
Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.
- G0166 - aionios, aionios, Strong's G0166
- G1401 - doulos, doulos, Strong's G1401
- G4561 - sarx, sarx, Strong's G4561
- G4314 - pros, pros, Strong's G4314
- G2962 - kyrios, kyrios, Strong's G2962
Quoted in
Arguments and defeaters:
- Biblical Slavery Objection Defeater, via Philemon 16
- Christianity Is the White Mans Religion Objection Defeater, via Philemon 16
- Christians Behaving Badly Defeater, via Philemon 16
- Islamic Sex Slavery Objection Defeater, via Philemon 16
- Israelite Slavery Possession-vs-Ownership Defeater, via Philemon 16
Concepts:
- Atheism, via Philemon 16
- Biblical Slavery Objection, via Philemon 16
- Black People Shouldnt Be Christian, via Philemon 16
- Chattel Slavery vs Biblical Servitude, via Philemon 16
- Christians Behaving Badly, via Philemon 16
- Defining Chattel Slavery and Biblical Servitude, via Philemon 16
- Ethical Trajectory Hermeneutic, via Philemon 16
- No True Scotsman Fallacy, via Philemon 16
- Slavery, via Philemon 1.16, Philemon 16
- Verses on Gods Goodness and Human Worth, via Philemon 16
People:
Lexicon:
Notes
Your annotations.
Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.