Philemon
in Evangelical Exegetical Commentary
Publisher
Lexham Press
Published
9/11/2011
In Colossians & Philemon, Seth M. Ehorn takes the uncommon stance that slavery is not the central issue of Philemon; instead, God’s providential work is. According to Ehorn, this is seen in the themes that Paul addresses throughout his letter: reconciliation, forgiveness, love, and faithfulness—attributes that Christ exhibited. Ehorn adopts the view that Paul wrote to his friend, Philemon, on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave. As a “friend of the master,” Paul reminded Philemon of his Christian character, suggesting that he should continue to act accordingly. By using and interacting with various interpretive approaches (discourse, rhetorical, epistolary, sociological), Ehorn shows how Paul embodied Christ’s actions and how we can do the same.
N.B. Currently only available on Logos. The print edition is forthcoming from Lexham Press.
N.B. Currently only available on Logos. The print edition is forthcoming from Lexham Press.
Reviews
DavidH
August 10, 2026
August 10, 2026
For a dedicated contemporary exegetical commentary on Philemon, Ehorn is my first choice. The volume gives unusually concentrated attention to the Greek text, textual criticism, grammatical questions, the competing reconstructions of Onesimus’s situation and the theological significance of Paul’s appeal. Particularly noteworthy is Ehorn’s textual work, including his discussion of P87 and the possibility of a shorter textual ending, an issue that had received surprisingly little sustained attention in earlier commentaries. His handling of the runaway-slave and amicus domini scenarios is careful rather than sensational, and reconciliation, transformed relationships and new creation remain central. Its narrower compass means that it cannot compete with the combined Colossians-Philemon volumes as an all-purpose purchase, but within Philemon it is exceptionally useful. The best specialist technical commentary on Philemon in this collection.