Philemon 1:16

οὐκέτι. Not μηκέτι as though it would depend on the reception of him by Philemon. “The ‘no more as a slave’ is an absolute fact, whether Philemon chooses to recognise it or not” (Lightfoot).

ὡς. δοῦλος Onesimus is and will remain, but not ὡς δοῦλος.

δοῦλον. He has kept the word back till he has been able to put οὐκέτι ὡς before it, and until he has hinted that Onesimus and Philemon have entered into everlasting relations.

ἀλλὰ ὑπὲρ δοῦλον, “but beyond a slave.” Cf. Philemon 1:21; Matthew 10:24 bis, 37 bis. For the thought, but from the point of view of the slave, see 1 Timothy 6:2.

ἀδελφὸν�. See Colossians 4:7, note. The additional πιστός of Colossians 4:9 has been already implied in our epistle (e.g. Philemon 1:11).

μάλιστα ἐμοί. Doubtless referring to the compound thought “a brother beloved.” Many commentators have remarked on the oxymoron of μάλιστα … πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον, with which ἐλαχιστότερος (Ephesians 3:8) might be compared. But it is hypercriticism to insist that μάλιστα must have its full exclusive force. In all languages superlatives become weak. Here it is no more than “especially,” or even “very greatly,” cf. Acts 26:3.

πόσῳ δὲ μᾶλλον σοὶ. πόσ. μᾶλ. elsewhere in St Paul’s writings only Romans 11:12; Romans 11:24.

καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ. Of earthly as contrasted with spiritual relations (ἐν κυρίῳ), cf. Colossians 3:22.

καὶ ἐν κυρίῳ. Philemon 1:20, see Colossians 3:18; Colossians 3:20; Colossians 4:7; Colossians 4:17.