Philemon 1:24

Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:23-25 Never have believers found more enjoyment of God, than when suffering together for him. Grace is the best wish for ourselves and others; with this the apostle begins and ends. All grace is from Christ; he purchased, and he bestows it. What need we more to make us happy, than to have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ with our spirit? Let us do that now, which we should do at the last breath. Then men are ready to renounce the world, and to prefer the least portion of grace and faith before a kingdom.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, and Lucas - see the notes at the Epistle to the Colossians, Colossians 4:10, Colossians 4:14.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. The same persons send salutations in the accompanying Epistle, except that "Jesus Justus" is not mentioned here.

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner—He had been sent by the Colossian Church to inquire after, and minister to, Paul, and possibly was cast into prison by the Roman authorities on suspicion. However, he is not mentioned as a prisoner in Col 4:12, so that "fellow prisoner" here may mean merely one who was a faithful companion to Paul in his imprisonment, and by his society put himself in the position of a prisoner. So also "Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner," Col 4:10, may mean. Benson conjectures the meaning to be that on some former occasion these two were Paul's "fellow prisoners," not at the time.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

All ministers of the gospel: they are also named, Colossians 4:10,12,14: they were all at this time at Rome with Paul: see Acts 12:12,25 15:37,39 19:29 20:4 27:2 2 Timothy 4:10.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas,.... Marcus was Barnabas's sister's son, the son of that Mary, in whose house the church met, and prayed for Peter when in prison; whose name was John Mark, whom Saul and Barnabas took along with them to Antioch, and from thence, in their travels, to other parts; but he leaving them at Pamphylia, was the occasion of a contention between Saul and Barnabas afterwards, when returned to Antioch; the latter insisting on his going with them again, and the former refusing it on account of his departure from them; which contention rose so high that they parted upon it, Acts 12:12 though after this the apostle was reconciled to him; he approving himself to be a faithful and useful minister of the Gospel; and therefore he desires Timothy to bring him along with him, 2 Timothy 4:11 and if this epistle was written after that, he was now come to him; however, he was now with him, whether before or after: Aristarchus was a Macedonian of Thessalonica; or very likely the apostle had been the instrument of converting him there, and who followed him from thence, and attended him wherever he went; he was with him in the uproar raised by Demetrius at Ephesus, and accompanied him into Asia; went with him in his voyage to Rome, and was now a fellow prisoner there, Acts 19:29. Demas is the same with him who is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:10 and if this epistle is later than that, it should seem that he was restored from his fall, and was returned to the apostle. Lucas is the same with Luke the Evangelist, the beloved physician, the brother whose praise was in all the churches, and a constant companion of the apostle, in his travels; and who wrote the book called, "The Acts of the Apostles": these the apostle styles, "my fellow labourers", being all ministers of the Gospel; and this shows the apostle's great humility, so to call them, when they were far from being on an equal foot with him in office, gifts, or usefulness: and the Christian salutations of these persons are sent to Philemon, with this view, to engage him the more to attend to the apostle's request, in which they all joined.

Geneva Study Bible

Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Philemon 1:24. Μάρκος: i.e., John Mark, cf. Acts 12:25; Acts 15:37, Php 4:10; he and Aristarchus were Jewish-Christians (Colossians 4:11).—Δημᾶς, Δουκᾶς: Gentile Christians (cf. Acts 16:10; Acts 20:5-6; Acts 21:15; Acts 27:2); the former name is a contraction of Δημήτριος (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

24. Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas] Cp. Colossians 4:10; Colossians 4:14, and notes.

This group of names (with the names of Archippus, Philemon 1:2 above, and Onesimus, Philemon 1:10) links this Epistle to that to Colossæ, in time and place of writing, and in destination.—See Paley’s acute remarks (Horœ Paulinœ, ch. 14) on the subtle tokens of independence in the two lists and so of literary genuineness. See also Salmon, Introd. to N. T., pp. 467. 468.

my fellowlabourers] A favourite word with St Paul; see above, Philemon 1:1.

Demas stands here among the faithful. But see on Colossians 4:14.

Bengel's Gnomen

Philemon 1:24. Λουκᾶς, Luke) He, who was most closely connected with Paul, is named after the others. There is a note in two Greek copies, in the possession of Mill and Kuster, intimating, that the blessed Onesimus died a martyr at Rome, having suffered the punishment of breaking the legs.[1]

[1] Bengel, J. A. (1860). Vol. 4: Gnomon of the New Testament (M. E. Bengel & J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (J. Bryce, Trans.) (327–331). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.

Philemon 1:24

Vincent's Word Studies

Mark

Probably John Mark the evangelist. He appears as the companion of Paul, Acts 12:25; Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11.

Aristarchus

A Thessalonian. Alluded to Acts 19:29; Acts 20:4; Acts 27:2. He was Paul's companion for a part of the way on the journey to Rome.

Demas

See Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10.

Luke

The physician and evangelist. See Introduction to Luke's Gospel.