Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Ver. 1. Paul a prisoner, &c.] This is a notable Epistle, and full of worth; each word having its weight, each syllable its substance. From an abject subject, the receiving of a runaway servant, St Paul soars like a heavenly eagle, and flies a high pitch of heavenly discourse. Elocutione tota gravis et brevis, densus sententiis, sanus iudiciis, &c., as Lipsius saith of Thucydides, may we say of our apostle, Plena roboris et lacertorum est tota epistola. (Lips.) This entire letter is full of strength and muscle.
Our dearly beloved] αγαπητω, diligibili. Or our lovely one, as Jerome renders it.
And fellow labourer] This shows, say some, that Philemon was a minister of the gospel. That he was a master of a family, is out of the question; and his name, which signifies a lover, suits well with his condition; as doth likewise his servant Onesimus, which signifieth profitable. They are not complete Christians that are not good at home as well as abroad; they walk not in a perfect way, that look not to do domestic duties,Psalms 101:2, by the careful performance whereof we are fitter to serve God or converse with men; as may appear by the situation of the fifth commandment, which stands between the two tables, and hath an influence upon both.