But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
Parallel translations
- WEB But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.
- BSB But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.
- NKJV But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.
- NASB but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will.
- NLT But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced.
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 refuses to keep Onesimus without Philemon's agreement, so that any kindness would be freely given rather than forced. He honors Philemon's free will.
Overview
Paul could have simply kept Onesimus and informed Philemon afterward, but he insists on Philemon's consent. He wants Philemon's goodness to spring from willing love, not compulsion. This principle, that genuine Christian generosity must be voluntary, runs throughout Scripture and reflects how God Himself seeks a willing, not a coerced, obedience from His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Cor 9:7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
- 1 Chr 29:17I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.
- 1 Pet 5:2–3Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
- 1 Cor 9:17For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
- 2 Cor 8:12For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
- 2 Cor 9:5Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
- Phlm 1:8–9Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
- Ps 110:3Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
- 2 Cor 1:24Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
- 1 Cor 9:7Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
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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 1:14 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
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