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He was formerly useless . . . , but now he is useful: Paul here describes the drastic change that took place in the life of Onesimus. This slave was “formerly useless”; he had run away from his owner, and even before that he may have been an unreliable worker. (See study note on Phm 18.) But now that he had embraced Christianity, he became “useful” to the apostle Paul and to Philemon as well.

useless . . . useful: The name Onesimus means “Profitable; Useful,” which according to some references was a common name in the first century C.E., especially among slaves. In this verse, Paul is apparently using a play on words; the word he uses for “useful” has a meaning similar to that of the name Onesimus. Paul is also using a play on the Greek words rendered “useless” (aʹkhre·stos) and “useful” (euʹkhre·stos). The one who was named “useful” had long been “useless,” but now he had truly become “useful.”​—See also study notes on Col 4:9; Phm 10.