Φιλήμων
Philḗmōn
G5371 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name, meaning 'affectionate' or 'friendly,' derived from the idea of being loving or kindly disposed. Used as a personal name in the Greco-Roman world and appearing as the addressee of the Pauline letter in the New Testament. Its primary lexical sense is as a personal name, not as a common noun or adjective.
Semantic Range
personal name (Philemon), signifying 'affectionate,' 'friendly' (when parsed for meaning), not used as a common noun or adjective
Root / Etymology
Derived from the verb φιλέω ('to love,' 'to have affection for'), with the adjectival or agentive suffix -μων. The name thus denotes 'one who is affectionate' or 'one who loves.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Φιλήμων is attested as a Greek personal name prior to the New Testament era, most notably as the name of a 4th–3rd century BCE Athenian comic poet. In the New Testament, it is the name of a likely well-to-do early follower of Jesus in the city of Colossae, the recipient of the Pauline Epistle to Philemon. The semantic content of the name reflects positive social qualities but, as with most ancient Greek names, should not be mistaken for a title or virtue term. English translation traditions retain the Greek form as 'Philemon.' There is no evidence of broader use of Φιλήμων as a descriptive term or title within biblical or contemporaneous literature.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from φιλέω; friendly; Philemon, a Christian:--Philemon.
Root Family
φιλ- (kataphiléō) — to love, to kiss, to be fond of
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| G2705 | καταφιλέω | fervently kissing |
| G4375 | προσφιλής | affection-worthy things |
| G5368 | φιλέω | he kept showing affection |
| G5373 | φιλία | friendship |
| G5384 | φίλος | beloved women |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5371-01 |
Φιλήμονι | philemoni | N DAT M SG |
to Philemon | to Philemon | Philemon | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5371-01 |
Philemon 1:1 | Φιλήμονι | philemoni | N DAT M SG |
to Philemon | to Philemon | Philemon |