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15. τάχα γὰρ. γὰρ states another reason for St Paul not retaining Onesimus, viz. that God in permitting his flight may have had Philemon’s own interests in view, τάχα (Rom 5:7†) shows that this is merely a suggestion. He could not pretend to see clearly into God’s counsels.
διὰ τοῦτο. Defined by the following ἵνα, 2Co 13:10; 1Ti 1:16.
ἐχωρίσθη, prob. “he departed.”
Chrysostom may be right in dwelling on the passive form and seeing in it the statement that Onesimus “was parted” from Philemon by the all-wise providence of God, and in comparing Joseph’s words (Gen 45:5) “God did send me,” but as there is no passage in the N.T. where χωρίζομαι certainly has a passive sense, and some where it indubitably only = depart (Act 1:4; Act 18:1-2), it is safer to understand it so here. In any case notice St Paul’s tact in avoiding a word which would immediately suggest “flight,” or lay stress on Onesimus’ self-determination in leaving Philemon; εὐφήμως δὲ καὶ τὴν φυγὴν χωρισμὸν καλεῖ, ἵνα μὴ τῷ ὀνόματι τῆς φυγῆς παροξύνῃ τὸν δεσπότην (Theoph.).
ἵνα αἰώνιον αὐτὸν. αἰώνιος predicating a person only here, where however its properly adverbial meaning has only taken the adjectival form. Compare the use of the Latin frequens. Bengel says aeternum in hâc vitâ, Exo 21:6, et in coelo, rightly feeling that the incident of the slave when his ear is bored belonging to his master “for ever” does not exhaust the connotation of the αἰώνιος to St Paul. To him it suggested eternal relationship, as he explains in Phm 1:16.
ἀπέχῃς. Wherever else in the N.T. ἀπέχω governs an accusative it = “have to the full,” Mat 6:2; Mat 6:5; Mat 6:16; Luk 6:24; Php 4:18†. And so probably here with the durative present (cf. Moulton op. cit. p. 110), that you may hold him for ever in full possession.