There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
Parallel translations
- WEB Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
- BSB Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings,
- NKJV Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
- NASB Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
- NLT Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.
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 passes on greetings from Epaphras, called his fellow prisoner in Christ. The wider circle of believers is included in this personal letter.
Overview
Epaphras was associated with the Colossian church (Colossians 1:7; 4:12) and is here described as sharing Paul's imprisonment for the gospel. Such greetings remind Philemon that he belongs to a larger family of faith laboring and suffering together for Christ. The personal warmth of these closing greetings reflects the genuine bonds the gospel creates among believers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Col 1:7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
- Rom 16:7Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
- Col 4:12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
- Col 4:10Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)
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 1:23 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.