Person New Testament
Onesimus
Onesimus was a runaway slave who became a Christian through Paul's ministry and was the subject of Paul's letter to Philemon. Mentioned in 3 verses across 2 books, first at Colossians 4:9.
Why it matters. Runaway slave, convert of Paul
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Onesimus
Onesimus was a slave who belonged to Philemon, a Christian from Colossae (Col.4.9). He ran away from his master and, in some way, came into contact with the apostle Paul while Paul was in prison (Phm.1.10). Through Paul's ministry, Onesimus became a Christian and proved to be a valuable companion and helper to Paul (Phm.1.11-13). Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a personal letter, urging Philemon to receive Onesimus back, not as a slave, but as a beloved brother in Christ (Phm.1.16-17). Paul also offered to pay any debt that Onesimus might owe to Philemon (Phm.1.18-19). The letter to Philemon is a powerful example of Christian love, forgiveness, and the transforming power of the gospel in human relationships. Onesimus is also mentioned as a faithful and beloved brother in Paul's letter to the Colossians (Col.4.9).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.