Onesimos is a personal name used for the man called a faithful and beloved brother and addressed in a plea.

The attested use is a personal name: in Colossians 4:9 it identifies the faithful and beloved brother accompanying another person, and in Philemon 1:10 it names the person concerning whom the plea is made.

1. Personal name in identification and appeal · dominant

   In Colossians 4:9, the dative singular masculine form occurs in the clause introducing the faithful and beloved brother who is one of the recipients; the APB renders this as “And with him is Onesimus.” In Philemon 1:10, the accusative singular masculine form identifies the person concerning whom the plea is made; the APB renders “I plead with you concerning my child, whom I begot in my chains—Onesimus—”.

   Colossians 4:9Philemon 1:10

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as “Onesimus” in both verses: as the brother accompanying another person in Colossians 4:9 and as the person named within a plea in Philemon 1:10. The verse is read as a whole.