to call near · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
rather
μᾶλλονmallon
G3123
(adverbially) more (in a greater degree)) or rather · adverb
beseech
παρακαλέωparakaléō
G3870
to call near
being
ὤνṓn
G5607
being
one
τοιοῦτοςtoioutos
G5108
truly this · demonstrative pronoun — nominative singular masculine
as
ὡςhōs
G5613
which how · particle
Paul
ΠαῦλοςPaulos
G3972
(little · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
aged
πρεσβύτηςpresbutēs
G4246
an old man · noun — nominative singular masculine
and
δὲde
G1161
but · conjunction
now
νυνὶnuni
G3570
just now · adverb
also
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
prisoner
δέσμιοςdesmios
G1198
a captive (as bound) · noun — nominative singular masculine
Jesus
Ἰησοῦ·Iēsou
G2424
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — genitive singular masculine, a proper name
Christ
ΧριστοῦChristou
G5547
anointed · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which i…
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Philemon 1:1-25 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Psalms 71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
Psalms 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every…
Proverbs 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Philemon 1:8–end
We have here,
I. The main business of the epistle, which was to plead with Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, that he would receive him and be reconciled to him. Many arguments Paul urges for this purpose, Plm 1:8-21. The
1st Argument is taken from what was before noted, and is carried in the illative wherefore: "Seeing so much good is reported of thee and found in thee, especially thy love to all saints, now let me see it on a fresh and further occasion; refresh the bowels of Onesimus and mine also, in forgiving and receiving him, who is now a convert, and so a saint indeed, and meet for thy favour and love." Observe, A disposition to do good, together with past instances and expressions of it…
for love's sake--mine to thee, and (what ought to be) thine to Onesimus. Or, that Christian love of which thou showest so bright an example (Plm 1:7).
being such an one--Explain, Being such a one as thou knowest me to be, namely,
Paul--the founder of so many churches, and an apostle of Christ, and thy father in the faith.
the aged--a circumstance calculated to secure thy respect for anything I request.
and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ--the strongest claim I have on thy regard: if for no other reason, at least in consideration of this, through commiseration gratify me.
Adam Clarke on Philemon 1:9
Paul the aged - If we allow St. Paul to have been about 25 years of age at the utmost, in the year 31, when he was assisting at the martyrdom of Stephen, Act 7:58; as this epistle was written about a.d. 62, he could not have been at this time more than about 56 years old. This could not constitute him an aged man in our sense of the term; yet, when the whole length of his life is taken in, being martyred about four years after this, he may not improperly be considered an aged or elderly man, though it is generally allowed that his martyrdom took place in the 66th year of our Lord.
But the word πρεσβυς signifies, not only an old man, but also an ambassador; because old or elderly men were cho…
As much as reason required, it was fitting to command a disciple as a master by the authority of the apostolic faith: but because Philemon was a good man, he entices him through affection to obedience, as if he were a companion in age, and a prisoner of Jesus Christ, that is, bound by the affairs of the Lord, or subject to his name in chains, just as the apostles themselves were. For indeed, there were Judas and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers, being from the common people, they had committed themselves to the Lord's work (Acts 15:22 and following); so that they could work together with the apostles for the sake of faith in God. Hence, Silas is found to be a partner in the apostle's labors.
He is called younger still, who had not yet reached the mature age of the white-haired faith, who had not yet grown into a perfect man, into that full measure of the age of the fullness of Christ (Eph. IV, 13). Finally, he is only called young there (Acts VII, 57), where he was keeping the garments of those stoning Stephen. And for this reason, he desired Philemon to be like him not in his youth but in his old age, as he wrote: I beg you even more, now that I am old like Paul (Philem. 9). Therefore, he advises that younger widows should be avoided (I Tim. V, 11), not because of their age but because of a certain lasciviousness of youthful transgressions and immaturity of virtue. However, there is greater praise for chastity in a young person than in an old person.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Philemon 1:9
Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee,.... Either for the sake of the great love which the apostle bore to Philemon, being, as he calls him, his dearly beloved, he took this method; or because of Philemon's great love to all the saints before mentioned, he was encouraged to proceed in this manner, hoping on that account to have success; or it may be, it was for the sake of that love with which God had loved him, and which he puts him in mind of, to engage him to grant his request; that seeing God the Father had loved him, and chosen him in Christ; and Christ had loved him, and redeemed him by his blood; and the Holy Spirit had loved him, and sanctified him by his grace, that therefore he…
Philemon 1:8-14
8. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
8. Quapropter multam in Christo fiduciam habens imperandi tibi quod decet.
9. Yet, for love's sake, I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
9. Propter caritatem magis rogo, quum talis sim, nempe Paulus senex; nunc vero etiam vinctus Iesu Christi.
10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
10. Rogo autem to pro filio meo, quem genui in vinculis meis, Onesimo,
11. Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
11. Qui aliquando tibi inutilis fuit, nunc a…
The reason why Paul was asking a favor was Philemon’s reputation as a gracious, loving person (1:5-7). Paul could demand it by his authority as Christ’s apostle, but love leads Paul to request rather than demand. • Paul, an old man: Paul appeals to the respect due to older people as well as to his status as a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus, which would only increase a fellow Christian’s respect.
