Philemon 1:6

Context

Philemon is a short letter that Paul wrote while in prison and sent, together with Timothy, to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and the church that met in Philemon's house (Philemon 1:1-2). The place of Paul's imprisonment has traditionally been identified as Rome, though some scholars suggest Ephesus or Caesarea.

The verse belongs to the paragraph of thanksgiving and prayer (1:4-7). Paul gives thanks upon hearing of the love and faith Philemon has shown toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints (1:5), and he commends him because "the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee" (1:7). Verse 6 sets out the content of the prayer placed within this thanksgiving. The main body of the letter is Paul's request that Philemon receive Onesimus, the slave who had left him, as a brother (1:8-21; see Philemon and Onesimus). Many interpreters hold that the vocabulary of verse 6 prepares the way for this request.

Interpretation

The key term is the Greek koinonia, rendered "communication" or "fellowship." The word broadly denotes sharing in common, participation, and partnership (working together). Interpretations differ according to how "the fellowship of thy faith" is read.

• As sharing and service: This reading takes the phrase to refer to Philemon's generous sharing and service flowing from his faith. It connects naturally with the commendation in verse 7, and many modern commentators follow this direction.
• As partnership: This reading understands the phrase as the partnership that Paul and Philemon share in the same faith. Its proponents point to verse 17, where Paul uses a word from the same root: "If thou count me therefore a partner."
• As communicating the faith: This reading understands the phrase as Philemon's passing on his faith to others, that is, evangelism. It became widespread after some English translations rendered the phrase "sharing your faith."

The phrase concerning the knowledge of every good thing is also interpreted in different ways. Some read it to mean that Philemon himself will come to understand more deeply the good things he has received in Christ; others read it to mean that Philemon's good deeds will be made evident and known to others. Some interpreters also see a link with Philemon's "good" (KJV "benefit") in verse 14, suggesting that receiving Onesimus could be precisely that "good."

Debates and Issues

The verse is not the subject of any significant doctrinal dispute between denominations. The issues lie chiefly in translation and the manuscript tradition.

• Compressed original text: The verse is often cited as one of the more difficult passages to translate in the Pauline epistles. Because genitive constructions and prepositions are stacked together, translations render its sentence structure in markedly different ways.
• Manuscript variants: Some manuscripts read "among you" instead of "among us." Some manuscripts are also reported to replace the word rendered "become effectual" with a similarly spelled word meaning "become evident."
• Concern about citation out of context: The verse is sometimes quoted as an exhortation to personal evangelism. Others respond that the flow of the letter as a whole centers on sharing among believers and the question of receiving Onesimus, so reading the verse as a command to evangelize departs from its original focus.

Related Passages

• Philemon 1:7
• Philemon 1:14
• Philemon 1:17
• Philippians 1:5
• Colossians 1:9-10