Philemon 1:1

PAUL'S LETTER TO PHILEMON

Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker,

Prisoner ... In his very first words, Paul stressed his bonds, an appealing and appropriate means of enlisting the sympathetic hearing of the appeal he was about to make. Although technically a prisoner of Rome, Paul always considered that he was actually imprisoned for the gospel, and therefore the prisoner of the Lord.

Timothy our brother ... If Timothy accompanied Paul on his campaign of evangelism in Phrygia, which is likely, then Timothy is mentioned here because he was well known to Philemon and other Christians in the city of Colossae.

Philemon ... See introduction. The word Philemon means "beloved," which might have prompted Paul's use of it in this manner.

And fellow-worker ... Paul used many words to describe his associates in the work of the gospel; and it is precarious to pursue the meaning of these words as if they were technical designations of various qualities and degrees of service. There is absolutely no evidence that Paul used such words as "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier" (Philemon 1:1:2), and "partner" (Philemon 1:1:17), etc., otherwise than as synonyms.