who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
Parallel translations
- WEB who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
- KJV Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee 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.
- 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 you, for he is useful to me for service.
- Job 30:1–2“But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to put with my sheep dogs.
- 1 Pet 2:10who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
- Luke 15:32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’”
- Luke 17:10Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”
- Rom 3:12They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one.”
- Matt 25:30Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- Luke 15:24for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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.