4:14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to correct you as my dear children.
4:1 One 1 should think about us this way – as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1:1 From James, 12 a slave 13 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 14 Greetings!
2:1 My brothers and sisters, 15 do not show prejudice 16 if you possess faith 17 in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 18
5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud 20 over the miseries that are coming on you.
1 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is both indefinite and general, “one”; “a person” (BDAG 81 s.v. 4.a.γ).
2 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
3 tn Grk “theirs and ours.”
4 tn Or “I am encouraging…”
5 tn Grk “my child whom I have begotten.” The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied before “father” in the translation to clarify for the modern reader that Paul did not literally father a child during his imprisonment. Paul’s point is that he was instrumental in Onesimus’ conversion while in prison.
6 sn During my imprisonment. Apparently Onesimus became a believer under Paul’s shepherding while he [Paul] was a prisoner in Rome.
7 tn Grk “I wrote” Here ἔγραψα (egraya) is functioning as an epistolary aorist. Paul puts it in the past tense because from Philemon’s perspective when he reads the letter it will, of course, already have been written.
8 tn The phrase “this letter” does not appear in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to clarify the meaning.
9 sn With my own hand. Paul may have considered this letter so delicate that he wrote the letter himself as opposed to using an amanuensis or secretary.
10 sn The statement you owe me your very self means that Paul was responsible for some sort of blessing in the life of Philemon; though a monetary idea may be in mind, it is perhaps better to understand Paul as referring to the spiritual truth (i.e., the gospel) he had taught Philemon.
11 tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”
12 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
13 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
14 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
15 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
16 tn Or “partiality.”
17 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
18 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
19 tn Grk “a law of freedom.”
20 tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”