Which in time past was to you unprofitable, but now profitable to you and to me:
Which in time past was to you unprofitable, but now profitable to you and to me:
who once was unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:
Who in the past was of no profit to you, but now is of profit to you and to me:
Who in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.
who was aforetime unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:
Was to thee unprofitable - Alluding to the meaning of Onesimus's name, as has been already noted; though the apostle uses a different Greek word to express the same idea.
Which in time past was to thee unprofitable - Either because he was indolent; because he had wronged him (compare the notes at Plm 1:18), or because he had run away from him. It is possible that there may be an allusion here to the meaning of the name "Onesimus," which denotes "profitable" (from ὀνίνημι oninēmi, future ὀνήσω onēsō, to be useful, to be profitable, to help), and that Paul means to say that he had hitherto not well answered to the meaning of his own name, but that now he would be found to do so.
But now profitable to thee - The Greek here is εὔχρηστον euchrēston, but the meaning is about the same as that of the word Onesimus. It denotes very useful. In 2 Timothy 2:21, it is rendered "meet for use;" in 2 Timothy 4:11, and here, profitable. It does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament.
And to me - Paul had doubtless found him useful to him as Christian brother in his bonds, and it is easy to conceive that, in his circumstances, he would greatly desire to retain him with him.
1:11 Now profitable - None should be expected to be a good servant before he is a good man. He manifestly alludes to his name, Onesimus, which signifies profitable.