Philemon 9-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
9 I rather urge you out of love, being as I am, Paul, an old man,[a] and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.(A) 10 I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment,(B) 11 who was once useless to you but is now useful[b] to [both] you and me.
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- 9 Old man: some editors conjecture that Paul here used a similar Greek word meaning “ambassador” (cf. Eph 6:20). This conjecture heightens the contrast with “prisoner” but is totally without manuscript support.
- 11 Useless…useful: here Paul plays on the name Onesimus, which means “useful” or “beneficial.” The verb translated “profit” in Phlm 20 is cognate.
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