Philemon 1:20

New Century Version

So, my brother, I ask that you do this for me in the Lord: Refresh my heart in Christ.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Yes, brother, may I benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

King James Version (1611)
Yea, brother, let mee haue ioy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowles in the Lord.

King James Version
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

English Standard Version
Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

New American Standard Bible
Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ!

Berean Standard Bible
Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Contemporary English Version
My dear friend and follower of Christ our Lord, please cheer me up by doing this for me.

Complete Jewish Bible
Yes, brother, please do me this favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Messiah.

Darby Translation
Yea, brother, *I* would have profit of *thee* in [the] Lord: refresh my bowels in Christ.

Easy-to-Read Version
So, my brother, as a follower of the Lord please do this favor for me. It would be such a great encouragement to me as your brother in Christ.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Yea, brother, let mee obteine this pleasure of thee in the Lorde: comfort my bowels in the Lorde.

George Lamsa Translation
Indeed, my brother, let me have comfort through you in our LORD: refresh my heart in Christ.

Good News Translation
So, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake; as a brother in Christ, cheer me up!

Lexham English Bible
Yes, brother, I ought to have some benefit of you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Literal Translation
Yes, brother, that I may have your help in the Lord, refresh my heart in the Lord.

Amplified Bible
Yes, brother, let me have some benefit and joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

American Standard Version
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ.

Bible in Basic English
So brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: give new life to my heart in Christ.

Hebrew Names Version
Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

International Standard Version
Yes, brother, I desire this favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ![xr]

Etheridge Translation
Yes, my brother, I will be refreshed by thee in our Lord; refresh my bowels in the Meshiha.

Murdock Translation
Yes, my brother, let me be refreshed by thee in our Lord: refresh thou my bowels in the Messiah.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yea brother, let me enioy this pleasure of thee in the Lorde: Comfort my bowels in the Lorde.

English Revised Version
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ.

World English Bible
Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in Christ.

Weymouth's New Testament
Yes, brother, do me this favour for the Lord's sake. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
So, brothir, Y schal vse thee in the Lord; fille thou myn entrails in Crist.

Update Bible Version
Yes, brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ.

Webster's Bible Translation
Yes, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

New English Translation
Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

New King James Version
Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.

New Living Translation
Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ.

New Life Bible
Yes, Christian brother, I want you to be of use to me as a Christian. Give my heart new joy in Christ.

New Revised Standard
Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Yea! brother, I, would, from thee, have help, in the Lord: give rest unto my tender affections in Christ.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Yea, brother. May I enjoy thee in the Lord! Refresh my bowels in the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Even so brother let me enioye the in the Lorde. Comforte my bowels in the Lorde.

Young's Literal Translation
Yes, brother, may I have profit of thee in the Lord; refresh my bowels in the Lord;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Euen so brother, let me enioye the in the LORDE: refresh thou my hert in the LORDE.

Mace New Testament (1729)
for the Lord's sake, brother, let me have this satisfaction: refresh my heart for his sake.

Simplified Cowboy Version
This is the favor that I ask, brother. Do it for the Lord's sake. Don't let my heart be heavy in this matter.

Contextual Overview

⁸ So, in Christ, I could be bold and order you to do what is right. ⁹ But because I love you, I am pleading with you instead. I, Paul, an old man now and also a prisoner for Christ Jesus, ¹⁰ am pleading with you for my child Onesimus, who became my child while I was in prison. ¹¹ In the past he was useless to you, but now he has become useful for both you and me. ¹² I am sending him back to you, and with him I am sending my own heart. ¹³ I wanted to keep him with me so that in your place he might help me while I am in prison for the Good News. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything without asking you first so that any good you do for me will be because you want to do it, not because I forced you. ¹⁵ Maybe Onesimus was separated from you for a short time so you could have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a loved brother. I love him very much, but you will love him even more, both as a person and as a believer in the Lord. ¹⁷ So if you consider me your partner, welcome Onesimus as you would welcome me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let me: 2 Corinthians 2:2, 2 Corinthians 7:4-7, 2 Corinthians 7:13, Philippians 2:2, Philippians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Thessalonians 2:20, 1 Thessalonians 3:7-9, Hebrews 13:17, 3 John 1:4

refresh: Philemon 1:7, Philemon 1:12, Philippians 1:8, Philippians 2:1, 1 John 3:17

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 29:17 - joy thy people Proverbs 17:21 - hath Proverbs 23:24 - shall have Proverbs 27:11 - be wise Romans 15:32 - and may 2 Timothy 1:16 - refreshed

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
So God made the air and placed some of the water above the air and some below it.

Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night. These lights will be used for signs, seasons, days, and years.

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, "Have many young ones so that you may grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds grow in number on the earth."

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth be filled with animals, each producing more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals, and let each produce more of its kind." And it happened.

Genesis 1:25
So God made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling animals to produce more of their own kind. God saw that this was good.

Genesis 1:30
I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal." And it happened.

Genesis 2:19
From the ground God formed every wild animal and every bird in the sky, and he brought them to the man so the man could name them. Whatever the man called each living thing, that became its name.

Genesis 8:17
Bring every animal out of the boat with you—the birds, animals, and everything that crawls on the earth. Let them have many young ones so that they might grow in number."

1 Kings 4:33
He taught about many kinds of plants—everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the weeds that grow out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, crawling things, and fish.

Psalms 148:10
wild animals and all cattle, crawling animals and birds,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord,.... Through the apostle was his spiritual father, having been the instrument of his conversion, yet he calls him his brother, as being a partaker of the same grace, and a minister of the same Gospel; and intimates to him, that should he grant his request, and receive his servant again, it would give him great joy and pleasure, and that not of a carnal, but of a spiritual kind, even joy in the Lord; he should rejoice in the presence of the Lord, and before him, concerning him; he should rejoice in his faith in the Lord, and love for him, and obedience to him; all which would be discovered in such a conduct: the Syriac version renders it, as an assurance to himself,

I shall be refreshed by thee in our Lord; not doubting but that he would gratify him in the thing he asked of him, which would be a refreshment to him; the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "may I enjoy thee in the Lord": meaning not his company and presence, either in this world, or in the world to come; but that he might enjoy or receive the favour from him he had petitioned him for, for the Lord's sake; the Arabic version renders it, as a reason why he should do it, "I have been profitable to thee in the Lord"; confirming what he had said before, that he owed himself to him; he having been useful to him in bringing him to the knowledge of Christ, and faith in him; and the Ethiopic version refers it to a promise, "I will repay in our Lord"; in spiritual things in our Lord, if not in things temporal:

refresh my bowels in the Lord; or "in Christ"; as the Alexandrian copy, the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, read; and by his "bowels", he either means Onesimus, as in Philemon 1:12 who, in a spiritual sense, came forth out of his bowels; or else himself, his soul, his spirit, his inward parts; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "refresh my soul"; and the sense is, that he desired in the Lord, and for his sake, that he would receive Onesimus again, which would give him an inward pleasure, and refresh his spirit; and indeed he intimates, that nothing could be more cheering and reviving to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord - “By showing me this favor in receiving my friend and brother as I request.” The phrase “in the Lord,” here seems to mean that, if this request was granted, he would recognize the hand of the Lord in it, and would receive it as a favor from him.

Refresh my bowels in the Lord - The “bowels,” in the Scriptures, are uniformly spoken of as the seat of the affections - meaning commonly the upper viscera, embracing the heart and the lungs; compare the notes at Isaiah 16:11. The reason is, that in any deep emotion this part of our frame is peculiarly affected, or we feel it there. Compare Robinson’s Lex. on the word σπλάγχνον splangchnon See this illustrated at length in Sir Charles Bell’s” Anatomy of Expression,” p. 85, following Ed. London, 1844. The idea here is, that Paul had such a tender affection for Onesimus as to give him great concern and uneasiness. The word rendered “refresh” - ἀνάπαυσόν anapauson - means “to give rest to, to give repose, to free from sorrow or care;” and the sense is, that by receiving Onesimus, Philemon would cause the deep and anxious feelings of Paul to cease, and he would be calm and happy; compare the notes at Philemon 1:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Philemon 1:20. Yea, brother — It is even so, that thou art thus indebted to me. Let me have joy of thee, in forgiving Onesimus, and receiving him into thy favour. In the words εγε σου οναιμην, which we should translate, let me have PROFIT of thee, there is an evident paronomasia, or play on the name of Onesimus. See on Philemon 1:2; Philemon 1:11.

Refresh my bowels — Gratify the earnest longing of my soul in this. I ask neither thy money nor goods; I ask what will enrich, not impoverish, thee to give.