Home › Glossary › Letter O

Onesimus

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Runaway slave converted by Paul and sent back to his master Philemon

Detailed Definition
Onesimus, whose name means “useful,” became a brother in Christ, prompting Paul’s letter advocating reconciliation (Philemon 10–16). In poetry, Onesimus embodies transformation through grace, the subversion of social hierarchies by the gospel, and how the least become beloved in the household of faith.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Philemon 1:10–16, Onesimus’s transformation inspires abolitionist poetry about human dignity; 19th-century verse depicts Onesimus as runaway slave made brother in Christ; Contemporary poems explore Onesimus’s journey from theft to trust; In poems about reconciliation, Onesimus embodies transformed relationships; Some liturgical works honor Onesimus as model of grace received and shared; Educational poems cite Onesimus to teach about Paul’s theology of kinship.
Additional Notes
Onesimus, a runaway slave converted by Paul, is the subject of the letter to Philemon; Paul appeals for his acceptance as a brother in Christ; Onesimus (“useful”) embodies transformation from “useless” to “useful” in grace—ideal for poems on reconciliation, identity, and radical equality in Christ.
Also Known As
Onesimus the Runaway Slave Onesimus the Beloved
Skip to main content