Bible Strands
Philemon 1:17
So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you would receive me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul writes to Philemon, a Christian household leader, at the moment he returns Onesimus to restore their relationship. The instruction follows immediately after Paul’s declaration that Onesimus is now a beloved brother rather than a slave.
The words — κοινωνὸν (koinōnon) translates literally to "partner" or fellow sharer, while προσλαβοῦ (proslabou) is a command to "receive" or take hold of him. The conditional clause (εἰ... ἔχεις) ties the act of reception directly to Philemon’s own valuation of his partnership with Paul.
The thread — The appeal mirrors Matthew 10:40, where receiving a messenger equals receiving the sender, and uses the same "partner" terminology found in 2 Corinthians 8:23. It directly answers the logistical and relational setup in Philemon 1:12, where Paul formally sends back "him who is my very heart."
Why it lands — The text commands Philemon to extend to Onesimus the identical respect and trust Paul claims for himself. It requires a concrete action that treats relational partnership as binding, regardless of prior legal or social boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 8:23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.
- Matthew 10:40 He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
- Philemon 1:12 I am sending back to you him who is my very heart.
- Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me.
- Matthew 12:48 But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”
- Matthew 25:40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
- Acts 16:15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
- Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
- Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
- James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?