Philemon 1:10

I beseech thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,

See introduction for background material on Onesimus. Many conjectures have been made as to how he came in contact with Paul, but all of them are mere guesses. It should be remembered who Onesimus was. He was a runaway slave, and the heartless Roman law demanded the most awesome penalties. "For the smallest offense he might be scourged, mutilated, crucified or thrown to the wild beasts."[23] But Philemon was a Christian. Yes, but a Christian nevertheless influenced by the laws and customs of his day, and it was by no means certain that the spirit of the holy gospel would enable him to rise above it; hence the pleading, pathetic urgency of this precious intercession.

My child, whom I have begotten ... This was a metaphor well known to the Hebrews. "If one teaches the son of his neighbor the Law, the Scriptures reckon this the same as if he had begotten him" (quotation from the Jewish Talmud).[24] By such words as these Paul identified himself with the cause he was pleading upon behalf of the slave.

[23] J. B. Lightfoot, op. cit., p. 321.

[24] Newport J. D. White, op. cit., p. 214.