Yea, brother. May I enjoy thee in the Lord! Refresh my bowels in the Lord.
ναι αδελφε εγω σου οναιμην εν κυριω αναπαυσον μου τα σπλαγχνα εν κυριω
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
“Yea, brother.” What does “Yea, brother” mean? It means, receive him. This must be understood here.
Leaving intimacy aside, he again turns to the former matter, to the business itself. Yet what preceded also belonged to the matter, for among the saints even the expression of inward feeling is practical.
“Yea, brother, let me have profit from thee in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.” That is, show mercy to the Lord, not to me. “Heart” means my love for you.
“Yea, brother, let me have profit from thee in the Lord.” From heartfelt speech the Apostle again turns to what is more weighty, pleading, “let me have profit from thee.”
That is, let me enjoy your benefactions, not in worldly matters, but in those things which are in the Lord.
“Refresh my heart in Christ.” Refresh, he says, my love for you, or my heart, for Christ’s sake. For you are showing benefaction not to me, but to Christ.
In Slavonic it reads “in the Lord,” but all our interpreters read “in Christ.”
We are the inward parts of her, the Church, for there is also a spiritual heart of which Paul writes: “Yea, brother, let me have profit from thee in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.”
Therefore we are the inward parts of the Church, because we are members of her body (cf. Eph 5:30), of her flesh and of her bones.
That is, let me benefit from your progress in the Lord. Let me see you enriched with every spiritual good.
As the only reward for this, the Apostle asks that Philemon refresh his heart in the Lord on behalf of Onesimus. He expresses the hope that Philemon would do even far more for his teacher and enlightener.
The Apostle confirms with his own hand his obligation to pay Philemon Onesimus’s debt. That is, he gives, as it were, a bond.
But immediately he makes clear that this has an inward meaning.
If accounts are settled, it appears that Philemon owes Paul far more, for his eternal salvation through enlightenment by faith.
This is more than any losses Onesimus could have caused him, whether through his absence or even through taking his things, however great those losses were.
For nothing can be compared with the preciousness of the soul’s salvation and its eternal blessedness.
Here one may partly recall the parable of the rich creditor and his merciless debtor.
Philemon was being counseled not to be like that debtor, but to show obedience worthy of a beloved son.
Far greater hopes were placed upon him than those expressed in the epistle.
Finally, the peace of Paul’s loving heart concerning the fate and salvation of both persons had to move Philemon to fulfill the counsel and command of the great teacher.
“Paul says these words both sincerely and reprovingly, in case Philemon should refuse to receive the slave.
For St. Paul did not refuse to give a handwritten bond for him. Nothing is more ardent, more zealous, or more impetuous than this heart.
So that Philemon might not be offended that the Apostle, in asking him about a thieving slave, seemed not to hope to obtain what he asked, he corrects this also.
‘Not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self.’ That is, you owe me not what is yours, but yourself.
Give rest to my love for you. Having ascribed such great virtues to Philemon, the Apostle still did not cease justifying himself.
And he does not justify himself simply by commanding or demanding with authority, but says: ‘Trusting in your obedience, I have written to you.’
After this, Philemon had such renown before the Apostle, namely that he would do even more than Paul asked.
It was already shameful for him not to do, if nothing greater, at least as much as Paul asked” (Chrysostom).
In blessed Theophylact’s thought, the Apostle speaks to Philemon as though saying: “May I too enjoy your good deeds.
Not in worldly things, but in those things that are in the Lord, in the spirit of faith in the Lord, in the order of pleasing Him, and in salvation in Him.”
Having removed the thoughts that could arise in Philemon’s soul against his request and desire, the Apostle in verses 20 and 21 again begins to incline Philemon to give him joy by showing mercy to Onesimus.
Yet all that came before was directed to this same end.
St. Chrysostom understands it so: “Leaving sincere explanations, he turns again to the former matter, to the business itself, though what preceded also belonged to the business.
For among the saints, even that by which they express the dispositions of their souls belongs to the business.”
“Yes,” that is, yes, “brother,” do this. “That is, receive him. This must be additionally understood here” (St. Chrysostom).
“May I receive from you what I ask” is not a literal translation of the Greek text, but a paraphrase expressing the thought contained in it.
In Greek there stands an expression meaning to receive benefit from something, and then to rejoice in something, or to be gladdened by something.
The Apostle’s speech is either optative or conditional. The thought is this: yes, brother, do this; receive Onesimus.
I would wish to receive benefit from you in this very way, since you owe me even your own self.
Or else: if you do this, I myself would receive benefit from you, would be profited by you, comforted and gladdened by you.
Oecumenius writes: “May I enjoy, or, in that case, I would enjoy your good works in the Lord, or your corrections.”
Theophylact adds: “May I enjoy your benefactions, not in worldly things, but in those things that are in the Lord.”
“In the Lord” means in the spirit of faith in the Lord, in the order of pleasing Him, and of salvation in Him.
In the Apostle’s words there arises a pleasant consonance. Receive Onesimus, so that you yourself may be useful to me.
Or, so that I too may become Onesimus-like, benefited and gladdened by you.
“Refresh my heart in the Lord.” All our interpreters read: “in Christ.”
Above, in verse 12, the Apostle called Onesimus his heart. But here he speaks of his own heart.
He expresses such strong care for Onesimus that he has no rest and will have none until he sees him again in favorable circumstances.
By this he suggests to Philemon: if you love me, spare me, and care for the peace of my heart, receive him and so refresh my heart.
For without this it cannot be at peace. If you do not wish to do this for my sake, do it for Christ’s sake.
“Show mercy to the Lord, not to me” (St. Chrysostom).
St. Chrysostom interprets “heart” as “my love for you.” Oecumenius repeats the same.
Blessed Theophylact adds to this: “Refresh my love for you, or my heart, for Christ’s sake.”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 13 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS