Greek word · G3682

Ὀνήσιμος

onēsimos

Onesimus

A personal name formed from the verb oninēmi ('to benefit, profit'). It means 'useful, beneficial, profitable.'

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

Ὀνήσιμος, -ου, ὁ

(i.e. profitable, ὄνησις, profit),

Onesimus: Colossians 4:9, Phm 10 (a common name among slaves; see MM, iii, xviii).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Philemon 1:10

Range of meaning

A personal name formed from the verb oninēmi ('to benefit, profit'). It means 'useful, beneficial, profitable.'

Against the English

English versions transliterate the name, so readers miss that it was a meaning-name. BSB and most modern versions move the name forward to just after 'my child,' which loses the delay that Greek word order (and YLT) keeps.

Used elsewhere in the period

Very common as a slave name in Greek inscriptions and papyri. Owners often gave slaves names describing hoped-for qualities (Onesimus 'Useful', Chrestus 'Good/Useful', Felix 'Lucky'). Col 4:9 calls him 'the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you' (i.e. from Colossae). Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110, To the Ephesians 1.3) mentions a bishop of Ephesus named Onesimus. Whether he is the same man is debated.

Where it appears

Colossians · 1

  1. Colossians 4:9 Ὀνησίμῳ Onesimus

    With him I am sending Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

Philemon · 1

  1. Philemon 1:10 Ὀνήσιμον, Onesimus,

    I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains.

    Here: Paul holds the name back until the very end of the sentence. It was a common slave name meaning 'useful/profitable,' and it sets up the wordplay in v. 11 ('once useless to you, now useful').

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.