For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good—
Parallel translations
- WEB For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever,
- KJV For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
- NKJV For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,
- NASB For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever,
- NLT It seems you lost Onesimus for a little while so that you could have him back forever.
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 suggests that Onesimus's departure, painful as it was, may have served God's good purpose: now Philemon can have him back forever. Even his running away may have worked toward eternal good.
Overview
Paul speaks cautiously ("perhaps"), not claiming to read God's hidden purposes with certainty. He hints that the temporary loss of a runaway slave led to Onesimus's conversion and thus to an eternal reunion as brothers in Christ. This reflects the biblical truth that God providentially works even sinful situations toward good for His people (compare Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28), without excusing the wrong itself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 50:20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
- Gen 45:5–8And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you.
- Isa 20:6And on that day the dwellers of this coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”
- Acts 4:28They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.
- Ps 76:10Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.
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 1:15 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.