Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Parallel translations
- WEB who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
- BSB Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
- NKJV who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
- NASB who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
- NLT Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul makes a play on Onesimus's name, which means "useful": once useless to Philemon, he is now genuinely useful to both. Conversion has changed him.
Overview
The name Onesimus means "useful" or "profitable," and Paul gently turns it into a description of the man's new character. Formerly an unprofitable runaway, Onesimus has become truly serviceable now that Christ has changed his heart. The wordplay illustrates how the gospel does not merely forgive sin but transforms a person into someone fruitful for God and others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Tim 4:11Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
- Job 30:1–2But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
- 1 Pet 2:10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
- Luke 15:32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
- Luke 17:10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
- Rom 3:12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
- Matt 25:30And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- Luke 15:24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The plea to receive a runaway slave as a beloved brother, charging his debt to Paul's account, is a living picture of how Christ receives us and pays what we owe.
How Philemon 1:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.