This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. These small group studies of philemon contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. Philemon 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, as set of 17 volumes on the new testament, the result of. Philemon stands as one piece of strong evidence to the contrary, revealing that lofty doctrines such as the love of god, forgiveness in christ, or the inherent dignity of humanity have real and pertinent impact in everyday life. May 10, 2017 what is the book of philemon all about. Philemon was the master of onesimus, a runaway slave. Philemon was a slave owner who also hosted a church in his home. Pauls epistle to philemon is one of the few books in the nt whose authenticity has hardly ever been doubted. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament. Niv application commentary nivac 9780310484806 by david e. This message is an overview of the book of philemon and part of a 2year study of the bible. I am a big fan of garlands commentary on 2 corinthians so i had high expectations for this commentary, and he delivered. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus.
The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. Philemon 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Philemon united states conference of catholic bishops. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. Philemons slave onesimus run away and came to paul and sought refuge.
Read philemon commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. It also seems probable that philemon was one of pauls converts from the time he spent in ephesus. In pauls letter to philemon, we encounter his shortest letter but dont let that fool you into thinking there isnt much the. Read philemon 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. A daily bible study in 7day sections with a summary commentary, discussion questions, and daily application section introduction the prior section sunday philemon 1. They are not typical of the letters that people wrote at that time. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. The apostle paul is known particularly for some of his longer letters such as his letter to the romans.
In pauls letter to philemon, we encounter his shortest letter but. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. How to study the book of philemon the philemon effect duration. Sep 08, 20 working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. Study philemon using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. It more likely refers to philemon than to the last one named, archippus. An alternate view is that the actual master of the slave is archippus and that the one to whom the letter is addressed, philemon, is the most prominent christian there. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. It appears that he was a slave holder before he was saved. In this letter, paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his. He took the disciples with him and had discussion daily in the lecture hall of tyrannus. Study the bible online using commentary on philemon 1 and more.
The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. Christian love and forgiveness are given prominence in the book of philemon. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner. Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. Study the bible online using commentary on philemon and more. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside. So, he feels sure that philemon will do the right thing.
Unlock the niv cultural backgrounds study bible notes when you upgrade to bible gateway plus. Philemon 1 bible commentary matthew henry concise christianity. Also, through pauls words he will refocus the attention to christ and affirm the christian lifestyle. Philemon 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, filling six volumes, provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the bible. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. This commentary expounds philemon in light of its theological purpose and its setting in the grecoroman world. Paul says this to persuade philemon to do the right thing. In the bible book that bears philemon s name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside paul. Philemon 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is one of the most respected interdenominational commentaries ever written. Onesimus, a slave in colossae, had evidently robbed philemon, his master verse 18, and run away. Lightfoot 18281889 was an outstanding british new testament scholar. Philemon 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the.
Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book 12. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Like ephesians, philippians, and colossians, philemon is one of the prison epistles, written during pauls first confinement in rome. Jan 17, 2019 the purpose expressed by hina, in order that of pauls desire is that onesimus might serve diakone paul on philemons behalf hyper sou. I really like the concept of the niv application series, i just find that too often, the individual commentaries are not as well executed as i hope. It probes the specific circumstances under which paul wrote the letter. Book of philemon matthew henrys bible commentary concise. Pauls basic claim in philemon is the same as it is in galatians 3.
So in ad 60 or 61 from a prison cell in rome, paul wrote a personal letter to philemon and sent onesimus the slave back to colossae. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or usefulness. This is not the case with david garlands commentary on philemon. One of the visitors converted under pauls teaching was a man named philemon, a slaveowner from the nearby city of colossae philemon 1. Westcott at cambridge university to produce a new testament commentary based on a reliable greek text. But paul did not think it right to keep onesimus in rome, and was sending him back to philemon 1214. Paul, a prisoner of christ jesus, and timothy our brother, to philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer. Philemon 1 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary. It is striking that paul comments on how onesimus might have acted on philemons behalf, even though philemon was a master who had slaves to serve him. This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of philemon.
His introductory material, which covers approximately 28 pages, is thorough yet concise. Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Dec 19, 2018 like ephesians, philippians, and colossians, philemon is one of the prison epistles, written during pauls first confinement in rome. It is striking that paul comments on how onesimus might have acted on philemons behalf, even though philemon was a. Minister, woodland heights christian church, crawfordsville, in no. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian.
Working preacher is a ministry brought to you by luther seminary. With a wealth of knowledge, garland skillfully interprets and applies these important new testament documents to our lives today. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. With bible gateway plus, you gain instant access to a digital bible study library, including complete notes from the niv cultural backgrounds study bible and the new bible commentary. There is no longer jew or greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female. Paul wrote this book to his friend philemon who lived in colosse, and this letter was probably sent to him along with the letter to the church there. You can find the best commentary on philemon for you using the tools on the right side. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. This letter to philemon is an appeal for him to receive onesimus now as a brother in christ, and for him to forgive onesimus if he had done any wrong 1521. Onesimus, one of the millions of slaves in the roman empire, had stolen from his master, philemon, and had run away.
The power of the gospel in winning a runaway thief and slave. This epistle is the story of three main characters, onesimus, philemon and paul and their interaction. The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Philemon 1 commentary philemons relationship to onesimus. The purpose expressed by hina, in order that of pauls desire is that onesimus might serve diakone paul on philemons behalf hyper sou. Paul wrote this letter to a certain person called philemon. The working preacher team believes that god uses good biblical preaching to change lives. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul. Paul mentions his own name three times in this his shortest. Paul also reminds philemon that philemon was a sinner. A daily bible study in 7day sections with a summarycommentary, discussion questions, and daily application section introduction the prior section sunday philemon 1.
Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Philemon 1 commentary william barclays daily study bible. Philemon commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. This epistle stands alone among pauls letters in being addressed to a private christian, and in being entirely occupied with a small though very singular private matter. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. Ephesians philippians colossians philemon is pauls only one chapter book. Top 5 commentaries on the books of colossians and philemon. Type of literature genre reading cycle two from a guide to good bible reading this is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the bible. The commentary on colossians and philemon by peter obrien number 44 in the word biblical commentary series is a worthy endeavor, suitable for the biblical scholar and the layperson alike. We have enlisted hundreds of friends biblical scholars, theologians, homileticians and pastors dedicated to the craft of biblical preaching to provide you timely, compelling and trustworthy content. During his flight, onesimus encountered paul in rome, and through his ministry came to faith in christ. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ.
779 763 1255 1376 944 746 261 176 933 1566 244 986 685 1534 1088 578 1326 1462 338 1186 1517 883 1350 1336 1333 313 680 1102 982 1033 670 228 1393