Philemon 1:12

Listen to Philemon 1:12
12 I'm sending him back to you, but it feels like I'm cutting off my right arm in doing so.

Philemon 1:12 Meaning and Commentary

Philemon 1:12

Whom I have sent again
From Rome to Colosse, or to Philemon, wherever he was, along with this epistle:

thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels;
meaning his son, who, in a spiritual sense, came out of his bowels, to whom he stood in the relation of a spiritual father; so the Syriac version renders it, as my son, so receive him; see ( Genesis 15:4 ) ( 2 Samuel 16:11 ) and for whom he had a most strong affection, and tender regard; his bowels yearned for him, and he suggests by this expression, that should he reject him, it would give him the utmost pain and uneasiness; and he should be obliged to cry out as the Prophet Jeremy did, "my bowels, my bowels, I am pained at the very heart"; ( Jeremiah 4:19 ) wherefore he entreats him to receive him again into his house and family, into his service, and into his heart and affections, where the apostle had received him.

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Philemon 1:12 In-Context

10 While here in jail, I've fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter - Onesimus!
11 He was useless to you before; now he's useful to both of us.
12 I'm sending him back to you, but it feels like I'm cutting off my right arm in doing so.
13 I wanted in the worst way to keep him here as your stand-in to help out while I'm in jail for the Message.
14 But I didn't want to do anything behind your back, make you do a good deed that you hadn't willingly agreed to.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.