1. Philemon 1:10 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Was Onesimus Paul’s son?

Philemon 1:10 (ESV)

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.

Paul refers to Onesimus as his son not because he was his child, but on account of the strong bond that had developed between them. It is possible that Paul had an influential hand in his conversion or they simply worked well together.1