“The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain” (2 Tim 1:16).
The name Onesiphorus comes from joining two words. The one means to “bring joy” or “be profitable,” as used in Philemon verse 20, there a play on the similar name “Onesimus.” The other, phoros, refers to a toll or “tax-load” to be paid on goods or travel. Thus the name is translated “profit-bearer.” Beautiful, isn’t it! Someone traveling through life bearing a load of spiritual profit to enrich others along the way. A purveyor of joy, a distributor of heart refreshment—“for he often refreshed me”—a wholesaler of mercy who knew how much he enjoyed receiving mercy himself.
And it wasn’t just this believer; it was his whole family! They were the local suppliers of imported goods from heaven’s storehouse. And on top of this, their kindness was not tainted by a superior attitude, often the toxicity in mere charity; they were “not ashamed of my chain.”