I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart — the act of sending (anapempō — to send back) returns Onesimus to his owner, but with transformed status. The phrase my very heart (ta ema splanchnoi) treats Onesimus as Paul's visceral self, his dearest possession. This emotional investment prepares Philemon for the moral claim: to receive Onesimus is to receive Paul's heart. The letter becomes a transportation of Paul's person toward reconciliation.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse