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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Philemon 1:11

His name means "useful," and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me;

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Onesimus;   Philemon;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for April 5;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
King James Version (1611)
Which in time past was to thee vnprofitable: but now profitable to thee and to me:
King James Version
Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
English Standard Version
(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
New American Standard Bible
who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
New Century Version
In the past he was useless to you, but now he has become useful for both you and me.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
Legacy Standard Bible
who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.
Berean Standard Bible
Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Contemporary English Version
Before this, he was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
Darby Translation
once unserviceable to thee, but now serviceable to thee and to me:
Easy-to-Read Version
In the past he was useless to you. But now he has become useful for both you and me.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Which in times past was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable both to thee and to me,
George Lamsa Translation
But of whom in the past you could not make use, but now he is very useful both to you and to me.
Good News Translation
At one time he was of no use to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.
Lexham English Bible
Once he was useless to you, but now he is useful to you and to me,
Literal Translation
the one once worthless to you, but now useful to you and to me; whom I sent back to you.
Amplified Bible
Once he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you as well as to me.
American Standard Version
who once was unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:
Bible in Basic English
Who in the past was of no profit to you, but now is of profit to you and to me:
Hebrew Names Version
who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me;
International Standard Version
Once he was useless to you, but now he is very useful[fn] both to you and to me.
Etheridge Translation
who once was of no use to thee, but (who will) now to thee, as also to me, be greatly useful;
Murdock Translation
from whom formerly thou hadst no profit, but now very profitable will he be both to thee and to me; and whom I have sent to thee.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Which in tyme passed, was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable to thee and to me.
English Revised Version
who was aforetime unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:
World English Bible
who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me;
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
but now profitable to thee and me, Whom I have sent again:
Weymouth's New Testament
Formerly he was useless to you, but now--true to his name--he is of great use to you and to me.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
which sumtyme was vnprofitable to thee, but now profitable bothe to thee and to me; whom Y sente ayen to thee.
Update Bible Version
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable both to you and to me:
Webster's Bible Translation
Who in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
New English Translation
who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me.
New King James Version
who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.
New Living Translation
Onesimus hasn't been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us.
New Life Bible
At one time he was of no use to you. But now he is of use to you and to me.
New Revised Standard
Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Him who, at one time, was, unto thee, unserviceable, but, now, unto thee and unto me, serviceable;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who hath been heretofore unprofitable to thee but now is profitable both to me and thee:
Revised Standard Version
(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
which in tyme passed was to the vnproffetable: but now proffetable bothe to the and also to me
Young's Literal Translation
who once was to thee unprofitable, and now is profitable to me and to thee,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
which in tyme past was to the vnprofitable, but now profitable both to the and me.
Mace New Testament (1729)
'tis true he was formerly useless to you, but now he will be useful to us both:
Simplified Cowboy Version
Onesimus has been of little value to you in the past, but now he has become something great for the both of us.

Contextual Overview

8 Therefore, I would not hesitate, in union with the Messiah, to direct you to do the thing you ought to do. 9 But since I Sha'ul, am the kind of person I am, an old man and now for the Messiah Yeshua's sake a prisoner besides, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. 10 My request to you concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in prison, Onesimus. 11 His name means "useful," and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me; 12 so that in returning him to you I am sending a part of my very heart. 13 I would dearly have loved to keep him with me, in order for him to serve me in your place while I am in prison because of the Good News. 14 But I didn't want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do for me may be voluntary and not forced. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a brief period was so that you could have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. And that he is, especially to me. But how much dearer he must be to you, both humanly and in union with the Lord! 17 So if you are in fellowship with me, receive him as you would me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

unprofitable: Job 30:1, Job 30:2, Matthew 25:30, Luke 17:10, Romans 3:12, 1 Peter 2:10

profitable: Luke 15:24, Luke 15:32, 2 Timothy 4:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 49:8 - thy hand Jeremiah 13:7 - it was Luke 6:42 - cast Titus 3:8 - good

Cross-References

Genesis 1:9
God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear," and that is how it was.
Genesis 1:13
So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
Genesis 1:14
(A: ii) God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years;
Genesis 1:16
God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars.
Genesis 1:17
God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth,
Genesis 1:20
God said, "Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky."
Genesis 1:29
Then God said, "Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit.
Genesis 2:5
there was as yet no wild bush on the earth, and no wild plant had as yet sprung up; for Adonai , God, had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no one to cultivate the ground.
Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground Adonai , God, caused to grow every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:16
Adonai , God, gave the person this order: "You may freely eat from every tree in the garden

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable,.... Yea, injurious and hurtful; one that was an eye servant, that loitered away his time, and set an ill example to fellow servants; and not only so, but embezzled his master's goods, and robbed him, and run away from him. So every man, in his state of unregeneracy, is an unprofitable man, Romans 3:12 unprofitable to God, to men, and to themselves; their sins will not profit them, though they may promise them liberty and pleasure; nor will their riches, should they lose their own souls: nor their own righteousness, in the business of justification and salvation; nor even an outward profession of religion: yea, they are not only said to be unprofitable, but are represented as good for nothing; hence they are compared to dishonourable and unserviceable vessels; to briers and thorns, and the earth which brings them; to the salt that has lost its savour, and is fit neither for the land, nor for the dunghill; to rotten figs, to chaff, and dross of metals: yea, they are hurtful and injurious to themselves, on whom they bring ruin and destruction; to others, to wicked men, whom they more and more corrupt, and harden in sin; and to good men, whom they grieve; and also to the interest and glory of God, whose laws they transgress, and against whom they sin, affront his justice, and provoke the eyes of his glory.

But now profitable to thee and to me; that is, he was now likely to be so, to be profitable to Philemon, as a servant, and to the apostle as a ministering brother. Some think there is in this an allusion to his name Onesimus, which signifies "profitable"; before he did not answer to his name, but now he was a true Onesimus, really a profitable person; grace, of an unprofitable man, makes a profitable one. Such an one is profitable to himself; his godliness is gain unto him, it having both the promise of this life, and of that which is to come; and he is profitable to others, if he has gifts qualifying him for the public work of the ministry, as Onesimus seems to have had; then he is made and becomes very useful to many for conviction, conversion, comfort, and edification; and if only a private believer, he is often profitable to others, by relating the work of God upon his soul; he is serviceable to the interest of Christ, for the support of the ministry, and supply of the poor; he is useful by his good examples, and prayers, in the neighbourhood, town, city, or nation, in which he dwells. This argument from profit, the apostle knew would be an engaging one.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which in time past was to thee unprofitable - Either because he was indolent; because he had wronged him (compare the notes at Philemon 1:18), or because he had run away from him. It is possible that there may be an allusion here to the meaning of the name “Onesimus,” which denotes “profitable” (from ὀνίνημι oninēmi, future ὀνήσω onēsō, to be useful, to be profitable, to help), and that Paul means to say that he had hitherto not well answered to the meaning of his own name, but that now he would be found to do so.

But now profitable to thee - The Greek here is εὔχρηστον euchrēston, but the meaning is about the same as that of the word Onesimus. It denotes very useful. In 2 Timothy 2:21, it is rendered “meet for use;” in 2 Timothy 4:11, and here, profitable. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament.

And to me - Paul had doubtless found him useful to him as Christian brother in his bonds, and it is easy to conceive that, in his circumstances, he would greatly desire to retain him with him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Philemon 1:11. Was to thee unprofitable — Alluding to the meaning of Onesimus's name, as has been already noted; though the apostle uses a different Greek word to express the same idea.


 
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