Rhetorical Strategies and Directions for Translation in the Letter to Philemon: Focusing on σπλάγχνα (splanchna) and ὀναίμην (onaimēn)

This study examines the rhetorical devices embedded in the Letter to Philemon, analyzing their functions within the process of persuasion and exploring how these features are either preserved or weakened during translation. Specifically, it focuses on two key lexical items— σπλάγχνα(splanchna) in verses 7, 12, and 20 and ὀναίμην(onaimēn) in verse 20 —to analyze their respective rhetorical functions and propose possible directions for their translation. This study combines epistolary and rhetorical analyses in order to identify the persuasive strategies emerging from the text itself. Rather than requiring a mechanical one-to-one correspondence between individual Greek words and Korean equivalents, it considers how rhetorical features such as repetition, wordplay, and lexical connections can be represented in translation. The analysis shows that σπλάγχνα(splanchna) in the Letter to Philemon functions not merely as an expression of emotion but as a key rhetorical device that contributes to Paul’s strategy of personal identification and relational persuasion. The repetition and strategic placement of this term play an important role in the persuasive flow of the letter. Existing Korean translations, however, often render the word with different expressions, thereby weakening the linguistic unity and rhetorical emphasis established by the original text. Similarly, ὀναίμην(onaimēn) functions as a form of wordplay that extends the meaning of the name Onesimus and reinforces the semantic parallelism and strategy of identification between verses 11 and 20. Many Korean translations, however, render the term according to its conventional sense, such as “joy” or “favor”, thereby making its rhetorical connection with the “useful” motif in verse 11 less apparent. Based on this analysis, this study argues that translations of the Letter to Philemon should consider not only the natural rendering of individual words but also rhetorical features such as repetition, wordplay, and lexical connections. It therefore proposes a translation approach that seeks, as far as the target language permits, to make visible the rhetorical relationships associated with splanchna and onaimēn in the letter.