What Is the Book of Philemon About? The Shortest and Most Awkward Letter

Philemon is the shortest of Paul's letters — twenty-five verses, one page. It is also the only one dealing with a private matter.

What happened

Onesimus was a slave in Philemon's household and he ran away, quite possibly having stolen something first (verse 18 hints at it).

In Rome he met Paul, who was in custody, and became a believer. Now Paul is sending him back.

Under Roman law of the time, a runaway slave could be executed. This letter is what Onesimus carried with him to hand to his owner.

Why Paul does not give an order

Verses 8-9 make the choice explicit:

"Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, 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."

He has the authority, he says so out loud — and then declines to use it. "For love's sake I rather beseech thee."

Much of what makes the letter worth reading is that choice: being able to command and not commanding is considerably harder than not being able to.

If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account.Philemon 18 (KJV)

The line about the account

Verses 18-19 are the peak of the letter:

"If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it."

Writing it in his own hand makes it a promissory note. And the next line is remarkable: "albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides."

He settles another man's debt while mentioning that the creditor also owes him — and does it lightly.

The thing he never asks for

Worth noticing: Paul never directly asks Philemon to free Onesimus.

He says "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved" (v16), and then "having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say" (v21).

He leaves the last step to the other man. The whole letter is doing one thing: refusing to use leverage to extract a decision that only means something if it is freely made.

Why it belongs to a season of gratitude

The lever in this letter is a debt already owed — Philemon's debt to Paul. And Paul does not call it in; he mentions it once.

Gratitude here is not an emotion. It is a person including what he was given when he works out what he owes. Paul is betting Philemon will do that arithmetic.

What happened next

Scripture does not record it. But the letter was kept, and it entered the canon.

A short note about a private matter is unlikely to be copied, circulated and preserved for two thousand years if the recipient refused. That may be the answer.

Read Philemon in the BiblePro app — twenty-five verses, three minutes, one sitting. And do look for a local church to read alongside others.