Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Philemon (English → Hebrew)
This glossary compiles every load-bearing theological and translation-risk-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering the entire book of Philemon (a single 25-verse chapter). Terms already present in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked [TM — reused exactly] and must not be altered. Newly identified terms are marked [NEW — proposed for TM addition] with a recommended risk tier consistent with the baseline’s risk framework (Critical / High / Medium / Low).
Doctrine tags reference the five curriculum doctrines:
- FR = Forgiveness and Reconciliation
- CB = Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
- SG = Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
- IA = Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
- GO = Grace-Motivated Obedience
Terms Reused Exactly from Baseline Romans Translation Memory
| English | Greek | Hebrew (TM) | Transliteration | Doctrine(s) | Risk (baseline) | Philemon-specific note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | הבשורה | ha-besorah | IA | Medium | v.13, “chains of the gospel”; no new risk |
| Grace | χάρις | חסד | chesed | GO, FR | High/Medium | Salutation (v.3), closing (v.22 χαρισθήσομαι); root must be visibly preserved in v.22 rendering |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | שלום | shalom | — | Medium | Salutation formula only |
| Faith | πίστις | אמונה | emunah | GO | High | v.5-6; Philemon’s faith expressed via generous partnership |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | קהילה | kehilah | CB | Critical | v.2, house-church; never עדה |
| Holy / Saints | ἅγιος / ἅγιοι | קדוש / קדושים | kadosh / kedoshim | CB | Medium/High | v.5, v.7; corporate believers, not an elite class |
| Fellowship | κοινωνία | שותפות | shutafut | CB, IA | Low | v.6, v.17 (κοινωνός); reused for κοινωνός/κοινωνία family |
| Thanksgiving | εὐχαριστῶ (vb. form) | הודיה (root) | hodayah | — | Low | v.4; verb rendered אֲנִי מוֹדֶה, same root |
| Lord | κύριος | אדון | Adon | CB, SG | Critical | v.16, v.20; deliberate master/Lord double-duty, see below |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | ישוע | Yeshua | — | Critical | Throughout; never ישו |
| Christ/Messiah | Χριστός | המשיח | ha-Mashiach | — | Critical | Throughout |
| God | θεός | אלוהים | Elohim | — | Critical | v.3-4 |
| Father | πατήρ | אבינו | Avinu | — | Medium | v.3 salutation formula |
| Exhort (root, context-dependent) | παρακαλέω family | (context-sensitive; see below) | — | IA | Low (baseline)/High (here) | See “New Terms” table — Philemon’s usage is entreaty, NOT the TM’s build-up sense |
New Terms Identified in Philemon (Proposed for Translation Memory Addition)
| English gloss | Greek | Transliteration | Proposed Hebrew | Transliteration | Doctrine(s) | Risk | Rationale summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slave / bondservant | δοῦλος | doulos | עֶבֶד | eved | SG, CB | High | Rich double resonance with Torah’s humane עֶבֶד עִבְרִי legislation AND with the honorific עֶבֶד ה’ (“servant of the LORD”); risk of conflating Greco-Roman chattel slavery with either OT category without explicit teaching |
| Beloved brother | ἀδελφὸς ἀγαπητός | adelphos agapētos | אָח אָהוּב | ach ahuv | CB, SG | Medium-High | The letter’s key status-reversal phrase (v.16), set directly against δοῦλος; risk of reading as generic affection rather than a deliberate kinship-status claim |
| To command | ἐπιτάσσειν | epitassein | לְצַוּוֹת | letzavot | IA, GO | Medium-High | Root shared with מִצְוָה; the verb Paul explicitly declines to use — central to appeal-not-command rhetoric |
| To appeal / entreat | παρακαλῶ (entreaty sense) | parakalō | מְבַקֵּשׁ / מַפְצִיר | mevakesh / maftzir | IA | High | Must NOT reuse TM’s לעודד (encouragement sense); distinct context per TM’s own context-sensitivity note; central rhetorical verb of the letter (vv.9-10) |
| Boldness / confidence (rhetorical) | παρρησία | parrēsia | בִּטָּחוֹן / אֹמֶץ | bitachon / omets | IA | Medium | Authority Paul possesses but declines to invoke (v.8); not to be confused with doctrinal “faith” |
| Old man / ambassador (textual variant) | πρεσβύτης / πρεσβευτής | presbytēs / presbeutēs | זָקֵן / שָׁלִיח | zaken / shaliach | IA | Medium | Manuscript variant affects appeal’s tone; flag for translator note regardless of choice |
| Prisoner / bonds | δέσμιος / δεσμός | desmios / desmos | אָסִיר / כֶּבֶל | asir / kevel | IA, SG | Medium | Paul’s self-designation instead of “apostle”; reframes imprisonment as gospel service |
| Spiritual child | τέκνον | teknon | בֵּן / בְּנִי | ben / beni | CB | Medium | Pastoral fatherhood language; must not be conflated with son_of_god or adoption TM entries |
| To beget (spiritual) | ἐγέννησα (γεννάω) | egennēsa | הוֹלַדְתִּי | holadti | CB | High | Echoes Genesis genealogical “toledot” language and Rabbinic convert-as-newborn imagery; must not be confused with incarnation (hitgalmut) TM entry |
| Useless / useful (wordplay w/ Onesimus) | ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος | achrēstos / euchrēstos | לֹא מוֹעִיל / מוֹעִיל | lo mo’il / mo’il | SG | Medium | Wordplay on Ὀνήσιμος’s name lost in Hebrew; requires footnote at v.10-11 |
| My very heart (visceral affection) | σπλάγχνα | splagchna | לִבִּי | libi | CB, FR | High | Occurs 3x (vv.7,12,20); requires consistent rendering across all three for structural/rhetorical coherence; possible reference-note to רַחֲמִים (compassion, from רֶחֶם/womb) as an illuminating parallel |
| To serve/minister | διακονέω | diakoneō | לְשָׁרֵת | le’sharet | SG | Medium | Root shared with tabernacle service vocabulary; elevates Onesimus’s role beyond mere slave-labor |
| Consent / one’s will | γνώμη | gnōmē | הַסְכָּמָה | haskamah | GO | Low-Medium | Philemon’s free consent central to the letter’s ethic |
| Compulsion / necessity | ἀνάγκη | anagkē | כְּפִיָּה / הֶכְרֵחַ | kfiyah / hechrech | GO | High | Directly contrasted with ἑκούσιον; core statement of grace-not-coercion ethic |
| Voluntary / of free will | ἑκούσιον | hekousion | מֵרָצוֹן / הִתְנַדְּבוּת | meratzon / hitnadvut | GO | High | Root shared with נְדָבָה (freewill offering, Leviticus); strong positive resource to be actively taught |
| Was separated (providential passive) | ἐχωρίσθη | echōristhē | נִפְרַד | nifrad | FR | Medium | Deliberately non-accusatory phrasing; touches provisionally on providence doctrine |
| Forever / permanently (relational) | αἰώνιον | aiōnion | לְעוֹלָם | le’olam | CB, FR | Medium | Ordinary relational “forever,” not to be over- or under-theologized |
| To have back in full | ἀπέχῃς (ἀπέχω) | apechēs | לְקַבֵּל בְּמָלוֹא | lekabel bemalo | FR | Low-Medium | Commercial “paid/received in full” register |
| Flesh (natural/social sphere) | σάρξ | sarx | בָּשָׂר | basar | CB, SG | High | Distinct sense from Romans 7-8’s fallen-nature sarx; requires disambiguating note |
| Partner / sharer | κοινωνός | koinōnos | שׁוּתָף | shutaf | CB, IA | Medium | Direct derivative of TM’s שותפות; reinforces cross-document coherence |
| To welcome/receive | προσλαμβάνω | proslambanō | קַבֵּל | kabel | CB, SG | Medium | The letter’s one positive command (v.17); parallels Romans 14:1/15:7 usage |
| Did wrong / wronged | ἀδικέω | adikeō | עָשָׂה עָוֶל | asah avel | FR | Medium | Root ע-ו-ל is direct conceptual opposite of TM’s צֶדֶק (righteousness) |
| Owes / is indebted | ὀφείλω | opheilō | חַיָּב | chayav | FR | Low-Medium | Resonant with Lord’s Prayer debt-forgiveness language |
| Charge to account | ἐλλογάω | ellogaō | זְקֹף עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹן | zekof al cheshbon | FR | High | Deliberately built on root ח-שׁ-ב to echo TM’s imputed_righteousness (נחשבת לו לצדקה); major typological teaching link — substitutionary debt-transfer |
| I will repay | ἀποτίνω | apotinō | אֲשַׁלֵּם | ashalem | FR | Low | Concretizes v.18’s imputation as real repayment |
| You owe besides | προσοφείλω | prosopheilō | חַיָּב לִי בְּנוֹסָף | chayav li benosaf | FR | Medium | Gentle ironic leverage; tone must stay warm, not accusatory |
| May I have joy/benefit (wordplay) | ὀνίνημι (ὀναίμην) | onaimēn | שֶׁאֶשָּׂא תוֹעֶלֶת/שִׂמְחָה | she’esa to’elet/simchah | CB, IA | Medium | Third and final wordplay on Onesimus’s name (v.20); requires footnote |
| Having confidence/trust (in a person) | πείθω (πεποιθώς) | pepoithōs | בּוֹטֵחַ | boteach | IA, GO | Medium | Note: TM rejected בִּטָּחוֹן as a rendering for doctrinal “faith” elsewhere — that rejection does NOT apply here; here it is the correct, intended sense |
| Obedience (situational, not soteriological) | ὑπακοή | hypakoē | צִיּוּת | tziyut | GO | High | Must be rendered WITHOUT the TM’s fixed “obedience of faith” qualifier (ציות האמונה); referent here is compliance with Paul’s specific request, a distinct sense from Romans 1:5/16:26 |
| Fellow worker | συνεργός | synergos | עָמִית | amit | IA | Low | vv.1, 24 |
| Fellow soldier | συστρατιώτης | systratiōtēs | אָח לַנֶּשֶׁק | ach laneshek | IA | Medium | Strong Israeli military-culture resonance; may overshadow pastoral sense if unqualified |
| Remembrance (in prayer) | μνεία | mneia | הַזְכָּרָה | hazkarah | IA | Medium | NOT אַזְכָּרָה (memorial service for the dead) — collision risk |
| Prayer | προσευχή | proseuchē | תְּפִלָּה | tefilah | IA | Low | Standard liturgical term |
| Love (general) | ἀγάπη | agapē | אַהֲבָה | ahavah | CB | Low | v.5, v.7, v.9 |
| Active/effective (of faith) | ἐνεργής | energēs | פְּעִילָה / פּוֹעֶלֶת בְּעֹצְמָה | pe’ilah / po’elet be-ozmah | GO | Low-Medium | Modifies κοινωνία τῆς πίστεως |
| Full knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις | epignōsis | דַּעַת / הַכָּרָה מְלֵאָה | da’at / hakarah melei’ah | — | Low-Medium | Positive OT relational-knowledge resonance |
| Joy | χαρά | chara | שִׂמְחָה | simchah | — | Low | v.7 |
| Comfort/consolation (NOT exhortation) | παράκλησις | paraklēsis | נֶחָמָה | nechamah | IA | Medium | Same root family as παρακαλῶ but distinct sense from vv.9-10; must not use TM’s לעודד |
| To give rest/refresh | ἀναπαύω | anapauō | הֵנִיחַ / הֵשִׁיב נֶפֶשׁ | heniach / heshiv nefesh | CB, FR | Medium | Root shared with שַׁבָּת/מְנוּחָה rest theology — positive resource, avoid literalizing as Sabbath |
| Hospitality / guest room | ξενία | xenia | חֶדֶר אֵרוּחַ / אַכְסַנְיָה | cheder eiruach / achsanyah | IA | Low | Resonant with הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים |
| I will be granted (grace-rooted) | χαρίζομαι (χαρισθήσομαι) | charisthēsomai | אוּשַׁב לָכֶם בְּחֶסֶד | ushav lachem be-chesed | GO | High | Deliberately built on חסד root to preserve wordplay with TM’s grace term; must not be rendered generically |
| Fellow prisoner-of-war | συναιχμάλωτος | synaichmalōtos | שָׁבוּי עִמּוֹ | shavuy imo | IA | Medium | Positive resonance with שְׁבִי/galut theology; do not overstate beyond literal shared imprisonment |
| Your spirit (anthropological, not Holy Spirit) | πνεῦμα (ὑμῶν) | pneuma (hymōn) | רוּחֲכֶם | ruchachem | — | Medium | Must NOT use TM’s fixed רוח הקודש; standard Pauline benediction formula |
| Proper name: Onesimus | Ὀνήσιμος | Onēsimos | אוֹנִיסִימוֹס | Onisimos | SG, CB | Medium | Meaning (“useful”) drives three wordplays (vv.10-11, 20); transliteration cannot carry the pun — mandatory footnoting |
Critical/High-Risk Terms Requiring Mandatory Human Theologian Review
Per the baseline’s escalation framework, the following Philemon-specific terms/passages require human theologian review before approval, in addition to any Critical/High terms already flagged by the baseline (Jesus, Christ, God, Lord, etc.):
- δοῦλος / עֶבֶד (slave) — v.16, and the letter’s overall slavery framing (doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power)
- κύριος / אדון double-duty (master vs. Lord) — v.16, v.20 (doctrine: Christian Brotherhood, Lordship overlap with baseline “lord” Critical entry)
- σάρξ / בָּשָׂר (natural-relational sense) — v.16 (must be disambiguated from Romans’ fallen-nature sarx)
- ἐλλόγα / זְקֹף עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹן (charge to account) — v.18 (imputation typology, doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation)
- ἀνάγκη / ἑκούσιον (compulsion vs. voluntary) — v.14 (doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience)
- ὑπακοή / צִיּוּת (situational obedience) — v.21 (must not be conflated with baseline’s fixed “obedience of faith” compound)
- σπλάγχνα / לִבִּי (visceral affection) — vv.7, 12, 20 (consistency across three occurrences)
- χαρισθήσομαι / אוּשַׁב…בְּחֶסֶד (grace-rooted return) — v.22 (root preservation with grace doctrine)
- ἐγέννησα / הוֹלַדְתִּי (spiritual begetting) — v.10 (disambiguation from incarnation/adoption doctrines)
- παρακαλῶ (entreaty sense) / מְבַקֵּשׁ (not לעודד) — vv.9-10 (context-sensitivity flag against baseline’s TM entry)
Medium-Risk Terms Requiring Native Speaker Review
All remaining “New Terms” table entries not listed above, plus baseline Medium-risk terms reused in this book (Gospel, Saints, Church contextual notes, Father, Peace).
Low-Risk Terms (Automated Review Sufficient)
ἀγάπη/אהבה, χαρά/שמחה, προσευχή/תפילה, εὐχαριστῶ/מודה, ἀποτίνω/אשלם, ὀφείλω/חייב, ἀπέχω/לקבל במלוא, ξενία/אכסניה, συνεργός/עמית, and other terms marked Low above.
Cross-Document Consistency Requirements
- עֶבֶד (slave) must be used consistently for δοῦλος throughout any Philemon curriculum materials; must never be softened to a euphemism that erases the real social stakes Paul is addressing.
- לִבִּי must be used identically for σπλάγχνα at all three occurrences (vv.7, 12, 20) within a single document/lesson set.
- צִיּוּת (bare) vs. ציות האמונה (baseline fixed compound) must remain visibly distinct renderings; any lesson cross-referencing Romans 1:5/16:26 alongside Philemon 1:21 must explicitly flag the difference in referent.
- אָדוֹן for κύριος must be reused exactly per baseline, with the v.16/v.20 master/Lord double-duty flagged every time this passage is taught.
- Any teaching material referencing both Philemon 1:18 and Romans 4:3 (imputed righteousness) should note the shared conceptual (though not identical lexical) structure between ἐλλόγα and λογίζομαι, both rendered through Hebrew’s ח-שׁ-ב root family, as a cross-curriculum teaching asset.
Critical Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: קהילה
Transliteration: kehilah
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: עדה
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:2, the church meeting in Philemon’s own house; never עדה. Israeli readers may lack cultural context for house-churches vs. synagogue worship — a brief clarifying note (parallel to a minyan gathering in a private home) aids comprehension without implying doctrinal equivalence.
Lord
Approved rendering: אדון
Transliteration: Adon
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL in Philemon 1:16 and 1:20: the word does double duty simultaneously as Philemon’s mundane ‘master’ over Onesimus and as Christ’s exclusive divine Lordship, within the same clause — the single clearest instance in this curriculum of this collision. Must NOT be resolved into two separate Hebrew words (as some Modern Hebrew NT editions do); retain the deliberate ambiguity, matching Delitzsch-tradition practice, with a mandatory translator’s note. Mandatory human theologian review.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ישוע
Transliteration: Yeshua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ישו, Yahshua (Hebrew Roots/Sacred Name variant)
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Never the truncated ישו, and never non-standard Sacred-Name-movement transliterations circulating in some Hebrew-language materials.
Messiah
Approved rendering: המשיח
Transliteration: ha-Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Philemon’s ‘in Christ Jesus’ / ‘in the Lord’ relational formulas (1:1, 1:9, 1:20, 1:23, 1:25); no new risk in this book.
God
Approved rendering: אלוהים
Transliteration: Elohim
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:3-4, salutation and thanksgiving; no new risk in this book.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: רוח הקודש
Transliteration: Ruach HaKodesh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon strictly as a disambiguation anchor: Philemon 1:25’s ‘your spirit’ (πνεῦμα ὑμῶν) is the ordinary human spirit of the letter’s recipients, NOT this term, and must never be substituted for it. See your_spirit_anthropological entry.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: בן האלוהים
Transliteration: ben ha-Elohim
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon strictly as a disambiguation anchor for spiritual_begetting (1:10) and spiritual_child (1:10): must not be confused with Christ’s unique, ontological, co-equal Sonship.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: התגלמות
Transliteration: hitgalmut
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: הגשמה
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon strictly as a disambiguation anchor for spiritual_begetting (1:10, ἐγέννησα/הוֹלַדְתִּי): Paul’s testimony of leading a convert to faith must not be read as a restatement of the Son’s unique assumption of human nature.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: נחשבת לו לצדקה
Transliteration: nechshevet lo li-tzedakah
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: צדק מוענק
Inherited from Romans package. Major cross-curriculum teaching link: Philemon 1:18’s ἐλλόγα (‘charge that to my account’) is deliberately rendered through the same ח-שׁ-ב root family as this entry, previewing substitutionary imputation in miniature. See charge_to_account entry; teaching materials cross-referencing both passages should make this shared-root (not shared-Greek-lexeme) connection explicit.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: צדק
Transliteration: tzedek
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: צדקה
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon as the conceptual anchor for wronged/עָוֶל (1:18): the root ע-ו-ל (injustice) is the direct conceptual opposite of this term, a useful bridge connecting Philemon’s forgiveness scene to Romans’ broader righteousness vocabulary.
Slave
Approved rendering: עֶבֶד
Transliteration: eved
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Slavery
NEW. No viable alternative; this is the standard, unavoidable Biblical and Modern Hebrew term. CRITICAL double-edged resonance: (1) evokes the Torah’s own humane, time-limited עֶבֶד עִבְרִי legislation (Exodus 21:2-11; Deuteronomy 15:12-18) — a positive resource, but must not be assumed to parallel Onesimus’s actual Greco-Roman chattel-slave status, which had no statutory seven-year release; (2) is simultaneously the OT’s most honored self-designation for God’s faithful (עֶבֶד ה’ — Moses, David, the Isaianic Suffering Servant) — a positive resonance that should be taught as earned through the letter’s own argument (v.16), not assumed as a starting point. Requires mandatory human theologian review with an explicit standing translator’s note at first occurrence (Philemon 1:16).
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: חסד
Transliteration: chesed
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: חן
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. The ח-ס-ד root must be visibly preserved in Philemon 1:22’s grace-rooted return wordplay (χαρισθήσομαι); see grace_rooted_return entry below. Salutation (1:3) uses the term in its standard baseline sense.
Faith
Approved rendering: אמונה
Transliteration: emunah
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ביטחון
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:5-6 describes Philemon’s faith expressed through active gospel partnership; consistent with baseline doctrinal sense, no new risk. Note: ביטחון remains rejected for THIS term but is the CORRECT rendering for the unrelated Philemon term trust_confidence_in_person (1:21) — the rejection is context-specific, not absolute.
Saints
Approved rendering: קדושים
Transliteration: kedoshim
Doctrine: Sainthood
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:7: ‘the hearts (splagchna) of the saints have been refreshed through you’; must not imply an elite Torah-observant class — refers to the ordinary corporate body of believers.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: ציות האמונה
Transliteration: tziyut ha-emunah
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon strictly as a disambiguation anchor: Philemon 1:21’s ὑπακοή (‘your obedience’) is Philemon’s situational compliance with Paul’s specific request regarding Onesimus, NOT this fixed soteriological compound, and must never be substituted for it. See situational_obedience entry.
Adoption
Approved rendering: אימוץ
Transliteration: imutz
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant to Philemon strictly as a disambiguation anchor for spiritual_begetting (1:10): Paul’s pastoral claim of spiritual fatherhood over Onesimus is a human minister’s relational claim, a distinct category from God’s own legal adoption of believers, and must not be conflated.
Beloved Brother
Approved rendering: אָח אָהוּב
Transliteration: ach ahuv
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: ἀδελφὸς ἀγαπητός
Category: Brotherhood
NEW. The letter’s key status-reversal phrase (Philemon 1:16), set directly against עֶבֶד. Individual words are low-risk, but Hebrew’s default associative field for אָח already carries strong ethnic-national peoplehood resonance (‘אחינו בני ישראל’) independent of any status-reversal claim; readers risk absorbing this phrase into that familiar peoplehood sense rather than hearing Paul’s radical claim that master and slave become the SAME order of covenant kinship. Requires a translator’s note tying it explicitly to Philemon 1:16’s structure.
Appeal
Approved rendering: מְבַקֵּשׁ אֲנִי
Transliteration: mevakesh ani
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: לעודד, מַפְצִיר אֲנִי (acceptable near-synonym, not the primary rendering)
Original: παρακαλῶ
Category: Intercession
NEW. The letter’s central rhetorical verb (παρακαλῶ, Philemon 1:9-10), substituting appeal for command. Must NOT reuse the baseline TM’s exhort entry (לעודד), fixed for a build-up/encouragement sense in Romans; that sense is categorically wrong here, where the usage is entreaty/petition. This is the single most important root-family disambiguation point in the letter. Requires mandatory human theologian review.
Spiritual Begetting
Approved rendering: הוֹלַדְתִּי
Transliteration: holadti
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood in the Gospel
Original: ἐγέννησα
Category: Family
NEW. ‘I fathered/begot’ (ἐγέννησα, Philemon 1:10), describing Onesimus’s conversion under Paul’s ministry. A Biblical Hebrew verb from the root י-ל-ד used throughout Genesis’s toledot genealogies — a genuine positive resource, but also echoes the Rabbinic teaching that a convert ‘is like a newborn child’ (Yevamot 22a). Readers must be guided to understand this as Paul’s personal testimony of spiritual fatherhood through gospel proclamation, not a restatement of incarnation (התגלמות) or Trinitarian sonship doctrine, nor of divine adoption (אימוץ). Requires mandatory human theologian review.
Heart Affection
Approved rendering: לִבִּי
Transliteration: libi
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Rejected alternatives: מֵעַי (literal ‘bowels/entrails’ — crude in Modern Hebrew register), רַחֲמִים (illuminating near-parallel, from רֶחֶם/womb, but not directly substitutable)
Original: σπλάγχνα
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. σπλάγχνα, occurring three times as the letter’s structural emotional marker (Philemon 1:7, 1:12, 1:20). Must be rendered IDENTICALLY as לִבִּי at all three occurrences — a stricter consistency requirement than any surveyed existing Hebrew translation currently applies. Risk lies in flattening to a bland pronoun (losing the identification with Onesimus) or over-literalizing (reading as crude). Requires mandatory human theologian review for cross-occurrence consistency.
Compulsion
Approved rendering: כְּפִיָּה
Transliteration: kfiyah
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἀνάγκη
Category: Ethics
NEW. ἀνάγκη (Philemon 1:14), directly contrasted with voluntary (below); this pairing is the letter’s clearest ethical thesis statement for Grace-Motivated Obedience. Must be held in careful contrastive tension with the voluntary entry — the pair must never be rendered independently of each other. Distinct from, though thematically resonant with, the baseline’s fixed soteriological compound ציות האמונה; this is a specific pastoral-social application, not that doctrinal category. Requires mandatory human theologian review.
Voluntary
Approved rendering: מֵרָצוֹן
Transliteration: meratzon
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: ἑκούσιον
Category: Ethics
NEW. ἑκούσιον (Philemon 1:14), the positive term Paul insists the resolution must arise from. The root נ-ד-ב is shared with נְדָבָה (‘freewill offering,’ Leviticus 7:16, 22:18-23) — a genuinely strong positive resource connecting Philemon’s expected response to the Levitical category of gifts given freely, beyond compulsion. Must be actively taught as an asset (not merely managed as risk), while not over-formalizing Onesimus’s release into a quasi-sacrificial act. Requires mandatory human theologian review to ensure the compulsion/voluntary contrast survives translation.
Flesh Natural Social
Approved rendering: בָּשָׂר
Transliteration: basar
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: σάρξ
Category: Brotherhood
NEW. σάρξ in Philemon 1:16 denotes the natural/social relational sphere (Philemon’s ordinary human relationship to Onesimus), contrasted with ‘in the Lord’ — a distinct sense from Romans 7-8’s fallen-nature sarx, which uses the identical Hebrew word בָּשָׂר. A disambiguating note is mandatory to prevent readers trained on Romans from importing sinful-nature theology into a verse that is actually contrasting social relationship with spiritual kinship. Requires mandatory human theologian review given its pairing with לורד/אדון in the same clause.
Charge To Account
Approved rendering: זְקֹף זֹאת עַל חֶשְׁבּוֹנִי
Transliteration: zekof zot al cheshboni
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Rejected alternatives: תשלם לי (generic ‘pay me’ — severs the imputation typology)
Original: ἐλλόγα
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ἐλλόγα (Philemon 1:18), a rare commercial/accounting term — to charge to an account. Deliberately built on the root ח-שׁ-ב (to reckon/count/impute) — the same conceptual family as the baseline TM’s imputed_righteousness entry (נחשבת לו לצדקה). This is the letter’s clearest picture of substitutionary, imputational reconciliation and a major cross-curriculum teaching link to Romans 4; a generic ‘I’ll pay for it’ rendering would sever that connection invisibly. Requires mandatory human theologian review.
Situational Obedience
Approved rendering: צִיּוּת
Transliteration: tziyut
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: ציות האמונה (baseline’s fixed soteriological compound — wrong referent here)
Original: ὑπακοή
Category: Ethics
NEW. ὑπακοή (Philemon 1:21), Philemon’s compliance with Paul’s specific request regarding Onesimus, categorically distinct from the soteriological obedience of Romans 1:5/16:26. Must be rendered as bare צִיּוּת, WITHOUT the qualifier האמונה. This is the single most important disambiguation point in the whole letter for cross-document consistency. Requires mandatory human theologian review and an explicit translator’s note.
Grace Rooted Return
Approved rendering: אוּשַׁב לָכֶם בְּחֶסֶד
Transliteration: ushav lachem be-chesed
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Rejected alternatives: אשתחרר / אוכל לבוא (generic ‘I will be released/able to come’ — severs the grace-root wordplay)
Original: χαρισθήσομαι
Category: Salvation
NEW. χαρισθήσομαι (Philemon 1:22), ‘I will be granted/given as a favor’ — Paul’s hoped-for release described using grace-vocabulary built directly on χάρις. Deliberately built on the root ח-ס-ד to preserve the connection to the baseline TM’s grace term (חסד), tying the letter’s opening and closing together. A generic, non-root-connected rendering would silently discard this intentional wordplay. Requires mandatory human theologian review.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: הבשורה
Transliteration: ha-besorah
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: חדשות טובות
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:13 describes Paul’s imprisonment as being ‘for the gospel’ (τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγελίου) — reused exactly; no new risk beyond baseline.
Holy
Approved rendering: קדוש
Transliteration: kadosh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Describes the character implied in ‘saints’ (Philemon 1:5, 1:7); no new risk.
Father
Approved rendering: אבינו
Transliteration: Avinu
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Standard Pauline salutation formula (Philemon 1:3); no new risk.
Peace
Approved rendering: שלום
Transliteration: shalom
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Salutation formula only (Philemon 1:3); no new risk beyond baseline’s dilution-through-familiarity note.
Providence
Approved rendering: השגחה פרטית
Transliteration: hashgachah pratit
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: השגחה
Inherited from Romans package. Philemon 1:15’s ‘perhaps for this reason he was separated’ touches on this doctrine as a brief pastoral aside embedded in a personal appeal, not a formal exposition as in Romans 8:28. See providential_separation entry; do not overstate the tentative ‘perhaps’ into a fully asserted doctrinal claim.
Command
Approved rendering: לְצַוּוֹת
Transliteration: letzavot
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: ἐπιτάσσειν
Category: Intercession
NEW. The verb Paul explicitly declines to use on Philemon (1:8). Shares its root צ-ו-ה with מִצְוָה (mitzvah, commandment) — a genuine asset for showing exactly what Paul is choosing not to invoke — but requires a note so readers do not infer Paul considers Torah-command language itself illegitimate; he simply declines to use his own apostolic authority that way in this specific pastoral case.
Boldness
Approved rendering: בִּטָּחוֹן
Transliteration: bitachon
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: παρρησία
Category: Intercession
NEW. The apostolic authority Paul possesses but voluntarily sets aside (Philemon 1:8, παρρησία). Note: the baseline TM lists בִּטָּחוֹן among rejected alternatives for the doctrinal term ‘faith’ (אמונה) because it is too praxis/confidence-oriented for that context; here, that very confidence-in-one’s-own-standing sense is exactly correct and intended, a different referent from the rejected doctrinal use elsewhere.
Elder Or Ambassador
Approved rendering: זָקֵן
Transliteration: zaken
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Rejected alternatives: שָׁלִיח / שַׂר (ambassador variant reading)
Original: πρεσβύτης / πρεσβευτής
Category: Intercession
NEW. Manuscript variant πρεσβύτης (‘old man,’ majority reading) vs. πρεσβευτής (‘ambassador,’ minority reading), Philemon 1:9. Follow the majority ‘old man’ reading for consistency with the Delitzsch-family Hebrew tradition and to avoid inadvertently overloading שליח’s existing doctrinal weight as the baseline’s ‘apostle’ term. A translator’s note flagging the textual variant is required regardless of which rendering is chosen.
Prisoner
Approved rendering: אָסִיר
Transliteration: asir
Doctrine: Intercession and Appeal on Behalf of Another
Original: δέσμιος / δεσμός
Category: Intercession
NEW. Paul’s chosen self-designation (δέσμιος) instead of ‘apostle,’ throughout the letter (1:1, 1:9-10, 1:13). Positive resonance with Exodus/exile bondage-and-deliverance typology fits the letter’s slavery-to-brotherhood theme; requires a note that this is imprisonment for the gospel, not legal guilt. ‘In my chains’ (δεσμοῖς) rendered כֶּבֶל/בְּכֵבְלַי, consistent with this entry.
Spiritual Child
Approved rendering: בְּנִי
Transliteration: beni
Doctrine: Spiritual Fatherhood in the Gospel
Original: τέκνον
Category: Family
NEW. Paul’s claim of spiritual paternity over Onesimus (τέκνον, Philemon 1:10). Must not be confused in teaching with the baseline’s fixed doctrinal terms son_of_god (בן האלוהים) or adoption (אימוץ); this is Paul’s personal, pastoral claim of spiritual fatherhood, not a soteriological category.
Useful Useless Wordplay
Approved rendering: לֹא מוֹעִיל / מוֹעִיל מְאֹד
Transliteration: lo mo’il / mo’il me’od
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ἄχρηστος / εὔχρηστος
Category: Slavery
NEW. ἄχρηστος/εὔχρηστος (Philemon 1:11), a direct wordplay on Ὀνήσιμος’s own name meaning ‘useful/profitable.’ The pun cannot be carried into Hebrew transliteration; a mandatory translator’s note connecting the name’s meaning (see onesimus_name entry) to this verse is required for the gospel-transformation argument to land.
Minister Serve
Approved rendering: לְשָׁרֵת
Transliteration: le’sharet
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: διακονέω
Category: Slavery
NEW. διακονέω (Philemon 1:13), describing Onesimus’s potential service to Paul in ministry terms rather than slave-labor terms. Shares its root שׁ-ר-ת with tabernacle/temple priestly service vocabulary (שֵׁרֵת בַּקֹּדֶשׁ) — a positive resonance elevating Onesimus’s role, but requires a note so readers do not read a literal cultic/priestly office into ordinary Christian service.
Providential Separation
Approved rendering: נִפְרַד
Transliteration: nifrad
Doctrine: Providence in Human Affairs
Original: ἐχωρίσθη
Category: Providence
NEW. ἐχωρίσθη (Philemon 1:15), a passive-voice, diplomatically softened description of Onesimus’s departure, implying divine providence beneath ordinary — even wrongful — human choices. A translator’s note should connect this to the baseline’s providence doctrine (השגחה פרטית) without overstating a formal doctrinal claim in this brief aside.
Forever Relational
Approved rendering: לְעוֹלָם
Transliteration: le’olam
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: αἰώνιον
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. αἰώνιον (Philemon 1:15), describing the permanence of the restored relationship, contrasted with ‘for a short time.’ Risk runs both directions: under-reading as bare secular ‘forever’ misses Paul’s likely deliberate eschatological echo; over-reading as a formal soteriological claim overstates the verse.
Partner
Approved rendering: שׁוּתָף
Transliteration: shutaf
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: κοινωνός
Category: Fellowship
NEW. κοινωνός (Philemon 1:17), directly derived from the baseline TM’s שותפות (fellowship). Paul stakes his own standing on how Onesimus is received; consistent reuse of this root strengthens, rather than risks, doctrinal coherence across documents.
Welcome Receive
Approved rendering: קַבֵּל אוֹתוֹ
Transliteration: kabel oto
Doctrine: Christian Brotherhood across Social Status
Original: προσλαμβάνω
Category: Fellowship
NEW. προσλαμβάνω (Philemon 1:17), the letter’s one direct positive command, deliberately contrasted with the declined ἐπιτάσσειν of 1:8. Consistent with the hospitality register elsewhere in the letter (1:22) and with the same verb’s use for receiving weaker/Gentile believers in Romans 14:1, 15:7.
Wronged
Approved rendering: עָשָׂה לְךָ עָוֶל
Transliteration: asah lecha avel
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἠδίκησέν
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ἀδικέω (Philemon 1:18), naming without minimizing whatever wrong Onesimus may have done. The root ע-ו-ל (injustice) is the direct conceptual opposite of the baseline TM’s צֶדֶק (righteousness) — a useful teaching bridge to Romans’ righteousness vocabulary.
Owe Besides
Approved rendering: אַתָּה חַיָּב לִי אֲפִלּוּ אֶת עַצְמְךָ
Transliteration: atah chayav li afilu et atzmecha
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: προσοφείλεις
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. προσοφείλεις (Philemon 1:19), Paul’s gentle reminder that Philemon’s own spiritual debt to Paul vastly exceeds Onesimus’s debt to Philemon. Risk lies in tone: must read as warm irony consistent with the letter’s gentleness, not as a heavy-handed guilt-trip.
Benefit Wordplay
Approved rendering: שֶׁאֶשָּׂא מִמְּךָ תוֹעֶלֶת/שִׂמְחָה בָּאָדוֹן
Transliteration: she’esa mimcha to’elet/simchah ba-Adon
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: ὀναίμην
Category: Slavery
NEW. ὀναίμην (Philemon 1:20), Paul’s third and climactic wordplay on Onesimus’s name. Must be footnoted, cross-referencing the name’s meaning established at 1:10-11, or the letter’s rhetorical climax reads as an arbitrary request rather than its intended culmination.
Trust Confidence In Person
Approved rendering: בּוֹטֵחַ
Transliteration: boteach
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: πεποιθώς
Category: Ethics
NEW. πεποιθώς (Philemon 1:21), personal confidence in another’s character, distinct from πίστις as saving faith. Important clarifying note: the baseline TM lists בִּטָּחוֹן among rejected alternatives for the doctrinal term ‘faith’ precisely because it is too praxis/confidence-oriented for that context; here, that very sense is exactly correct and must not be avoided merely because of its rejection elsewhere for a different purpose.
Fellow Soldier
Approved rendering: אָח לַנֶּשֶׁק
Transliteration: ach laneshek
Doctrine: Hospitality and Christian Fellowship
Original: συστρατιώτης
Category: Fellowship
NEW. συστρατιώτης (Philemon 1:2), describing Archippus. An existing, resonant Hebrew idiom from Israeli military culture, positive for conveying costly shared struggle, but its strong contemporary active-military connotation may overshadow the intended pastoral-ministry sense; a brief clarifying note is advised.
Remembrance In Prayer
Approved rendering: הַזְכָּרָה
Transliteration: hazkarah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Rejected alternatives: אַזְכָּרָה (memorial service for the deceased — false-friend collision)
Original: μνεία
Category: Prayer
NEW. μνεία (Philemon 1:4). Must NOT be confused with the visually and phonetically similar אַזְכָּרָה, which in contemporary Israeli usage denotes specifically a memorial service for the deceased — a serious potential collision requiring a proofreading checklist item, not merely a translator’s note.
Comfort Consolation
Approved rendering: נֶחָמָה
Transliteration: nechamah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Rejected alternatives: לעודד (wrong sense — build-up/encouragement, not consolation)
Original: παράκλησις
Category: Intercession
NEW. παράκλησις (Philemon 1:7), comfort/consolation Paul receives from Philemon’s love — distinct from the appeal-sense of the cognate verb παρακαλῶ used later (1:9-10). Must not default to the baseline TM’s לעודד entry, which fits neither sense used in this letter.
Give Rest
Approved rendering: הֵנִיחוּ
Transliteration: heniychu
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Original: ἀναπαύω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ἀναπαύω (Philemon 1:7), describing how the hearts (splagchna) of the saints have been refreshed through Philemon. Root shared with Hebrew מְנוּחָה/שַׁבָּת rest theology — a strong positive resource, but must not be over-read as a literal Sabbath reference in this relational context.
Fellow Prisoner
Approved rendering: שָׁבוּי עִמּוֹ
Transliteration: shavuy imo
Doctrine: Hospitality and Christian Fellowship
Original: συναιχμάλωτος
Category: Intercession
NEW. συναιχμάλωτος (Philemon 1:23), describing Epaphras’s literal shared imprisonment with Paul for gospel work. Positive resonance with Israel’s own exile/captivity theology (שְׁבִי, galut) is available but should not be overstated beyond the literal referent.
Your Spirit Anthropological
Approved rendering: רוּחֲכֶם
Transliteration: ruchachem
Doctrine: Doctrinal Disambiguation (Holy Spirit vs. human spirit)
Rejected alternatives: רוח הקודש (Holy Spirit — would introduce a false doctrinal claim)
Original: πνεῦμα (ὑμῶν)
Category: God
NEW. πνεῦμα ὑμῶν (Philemon 1:25), the human spirit of the letter’s recipients, in the standard Pauline benediction formula. Must NOT be rendered with the baseline TM’s fixed רוח הקודש; requires a clear translator’s note distinguishing this ordinary anthropological use of רוח from the doctrinal Holy Spirit term used elsewhere in the curriculum.
Onesimus Name
Approved rendering: אוֹנִיסִימוֹס
Transliteration: Onisimos
Doctrine: Slavery and the Gospel’s Transforming Power
Original: Ὀνήσιμος
Category: Slavery
NEW. Proper name meaning ‘useful/profitable,’ a common name for slaves in the Greco-Roman world; the basis of a sustained wordplay across the letter (1:10-11, 1:20). Transliterate; the wordplay cannot be reproduced and requires mandatory translator’s notes at 1:10-11 and 1:20.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: שותפות
Transliteration: shutafut
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: קהילה
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Root underlies κοινωνός/partner, Philemon 1:17 (see partner entry); kept distinct from קהילה (church) per baseline note to avoid conflating the two concepts.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: הודיה
Transliteration: hodayah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστῶ
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Verb form rendered אני מודה (Philemon 1:4), sharing the root י-ד-ה with the Amidah’s ‘Modim’ blessing — strong positive liturgical resonance, no new risk.
Exhort
Approved rendering: לעודד
Transliteration: le’oded
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Inherited from Romans package, fixed there for the build-up/encouragement sense of the παρακαλῶ root family. WARNING for Philemon: this rendering must NOT be reused for any of Philemon’s three distinct senses of the same root family — entreaty/petition (1:9-10, see appeal entry) or comfort/consolation (1:7, see comfort_consolation entry). Reusing לעודד in Philemon is a documented default-error risk.
Paul
Approved rendering: פאולוס
Transliteration: Paulos
Doctrine: Apostleship
Inherited naming convention from baseline Romans package. Prefer שָׁאוּל (Sha’ul) in narrative contexts introducing him; use פאולוס in the salutation line matching established epistolary convention (Philemon 1:1, 1:9, 1:19). Any framing that diminishes Paul’s full apostolic and pastoral authority in this, his most personal letter, must be avoided (see 05_translation_landscape.md §4.4 on fringe ‘Paul-rejecting’ materials).
Consent
Approved rendering: הַסְכָּמָה
Transliteration: haskamah
Doctrine: Grace-Motivated Obedience
Original: γνώμη
Category: Ethics
NEW. γνώμη (Philemon 1:14): Paul insists Philemon’s own free consent matters to the resolution, reinforcing the letter’s grace-not-compulsion structural argument.
Receive In Full
Approved rendering: תְּקַבְּלוֹ בַּחֲזָרָה בְּמָלוֹא
Transliteration: tekabelo bachazarah bemalo
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀπέχῃς
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ἀπέχῃς (Philemon 1:15), commercial ‘receipt in full’ register, framing the restored relationship as a completed transaction.
Owed Debt
Approved rendering: חַיָּב
Transliteration: chayav
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ὀφείλει
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ὀφείλει (Philemon 1:18), establishing the debt-cancellation metaphor of vv.18-19, directly resonant with the Lord’s Prayer’s debt-forgiveness language (Matthew 6:12).
Repay
Approved rendering: אֲשַׁלֵּם
Transliteration: ashalem
Doctrine: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Original: ἀποτίσω
Category: Reconciliation
NEW. ἀποτίσω (Philemon 1:19), concretizing the imputation of v.18 as real, not merely rhetorical, repayment.
Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: עָמִית
Transliteration: amit
Doctrine: Hospitality and Christian Fellowship
Original: συνεργός
Category: Fellowship
NEW. συνεργός, describing Philemon (1:1) and others (1:24). Standard, low-risk co-laborer vocabulary.
Prayer
Approved rendering: תְּפִלָּה
Transliteration: tefilah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Original: προσευχή
Category: Prayer
NEW. προσευχή (Philemon 1:4, 1:22). Standard, strong positive liturgical resonance.
Love
Approved rendering: אַהֲבָה
Transliteration: ahavah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Faith
NEW. ἀγάπη (Philemon 1:5, 1:7, 1:9), cited as evidence of Philemon’s character.
Active Effective Faith
Approved rendering: פְּעִילָה
Transliteration: pe’ilah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Original: ἐνεργής
Category: Faith
NEW. ἐνεργής (Philemon 1:6), modifying ‘the fellowship/partnership of your faith.‘
Full Knowledge
Approved rendering: דַּעַת
Transliteration: da’at
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Rejected alternatives: הַכָּרָה מְלֵאָה
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
NEW. ἐπίγνωσις (Philemon 1:6). דַּעַת carries positive OT relational-experiential resonance (Proverbs, Hosea).
Joy
Approved rendering: שִׂמְחָה
Transliteration: simchah
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Prayer
Original: χαρά
Category: Faith
NEW. χαρά (Philemon 1:7), joy Paul has on account of Philemon’s love.
Hospitality
Approved rendering: אַכְסַנְיָה
Transliteration: achsanyah
Doctrine: Hospitality and Christian Fellowship
Original: ξενία
Category: Fellowship
NEW. ξενία (Philemon 1:22), a guest room prepared in anticipation of Paul’s visit. Strong positive resonance with the Jewish virtue of הַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים (welcoming guests); no significant risk.
Referenced passages