4359. prosopheiló

Lexical Summary

prosopheiló: To owe in addition, to be additionally indebted

Original Word: προσοφείλω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: prosopheiló
Pronunciation: pros-o-fay'-lo
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-of-i'-lo)
KJV: over besides
NASB: owe, well
Word Origin: [from G4314 (πρός - against) and G3784 (ὀφείλω - ought)]

1. to be indebted additionally

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

still owe

From pros and opheilo; to be indebted additionally -- over besides.

see GREEK pros

see GREEK opheilo

HELPS Word-studies

4359 prosopheílō (from 4314 /prós, "towards" which intensifies 3784 /opheílō, "owe") – properly, owe towards, i.e. be indebted on a personal level (used only in Phm 19).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from pros and opheiló
Definition
to owe besides
NASB Translation
owe (1), well (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4359: προσοφείλω

προσοφείλω; to owe besides (see πρός, IV. 2): σεαυτόν, i. e. besides what I have just asked of thee thou owest to me even thine own self, since it was by my agency that thou wast brought to faith in Christ, Philemon 1:19. (Thucydides, Xenophon, Demosthenes, Polybius, Plutarch.)

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Nuance

Strong’s Greek 4359 conveys the idea of “owing in addition” or “owing besides what has been mentioned.” It pictures a debt piled on top of an already-acknowledged obligation, sharpening the sense of personal responsibility.

Canonical Occurrence and Immediate Context

Philemon 1:19 is the sole New Testament use:

“I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it — not to mention that you owe me your very self.”

Paul has pledged to settle any material loss caused by Onesimus, yet quietly reminds Philemon of a deeper, unpayable debt: the spiritual life he gained through Paul’s ministry. The verb underscores this added, intangible obligation.

Rhetorical Strategy in Philemon

1. Appeal, not coercion. By highlighting an extra debt, Paul gently nudges Philemon toward gracious action without issuing an apostolic command (Philemon 8-9).
2. Transformation of social norms. The language of “debt” moves the discussion from legal slavery to spiritual kinship, paving the way for Onesimus to be received “no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother” (Philemon 16).
3. Modeling Christ-like mediation. Paul assumes the cost, echoing the substitutionary work of Christ (cf. Galatians 3:13), and invites Philemon to live out the gospel by forgiving and restoring.

Theological Resonance with Broader New Testament Teaching

• The motif of indebtedness pervades Pauline thought: “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh…” (Romans 8:12). Strong’s 4359 enlarges that theme, stressing that believers possess layered obligations flowing from redemption.
• Spiritual debts are ultimately canceled at the cross (Colossians 2:14), yet they generate ongoing moral duties toward others, especially fellow believers.
• The word illumines Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), where grace received should result in grace extended.

Historical-Cultural Background

In the Greco-Roman world, debt language governed both finance and friendship. Benefaction created reciprocal obligations; to fail in reciprocity was socially shameful. Paul enters that cultural space, but recasts it in gospel terms: relationship to Christ supersedes all social IOUs, yet produces gratitude that energizes sacrificial love.

Implications for Christian Leadership and Pastoral Care

• Reminding others of gospel-rooted obligations can be done winsomely, combining firmness (“you owe”) with personal sacrifice (“I will repay”).
• Spiritual fathers and mothers, like Paul, may legitimately call their converts to higher standards grounded in shared history.
• Churches mediating conflicts should anchor reconciliation in the believer’s prior debt to Christ, thus motivating forgiveness and restoration.

Related Themes and Passages

• Spiritual indebtedness: Romans 1:14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
• Voluntary assumption of another’s debt: Isaiah 53:6; 2 Corinthians 8:9.
• Restitution and forgiveness: Exodus 22:1-15; Luke 19:8-10.

Summary

Strong’s 4359, though appearing only once, powerfully amplifies Paul’s appeal in Philemon. By spotlighting an additional debt, the apostle links personal reconciliation to the larger redemptive story, illustrating how believers transformed by the gospel are called to embody that same grace in their relationships.

Forms and Transliterations

προσοφειλεις προσοφείλεις prosopheileis prosopheíleis

Englishman's Concordance

Philemon 1:19 V-PIA-2S
GRK: σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις
NAS: it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even
KJV: even thine own self besides.
INT: yourself to me you owe also

Strong's Greek 4359
1 Occurrence

προσοφείλεις — 1 Occ.