The name Onesimus comes from the Greek adjective Ὀνήσιμος (Onēsimos), meaning "useful, profitable, beneficial." Descriptive words like this were often given to slaves, and that is exactly how we find this name in the New Testament. Onesimus is the name of a runaway slave that sought out Paul in an effort to resolve a conflict with his master, Philemon. Paul uses a pun with this name to explain how the slave has now become "useful" to him and his ministry since his conversion to the faith (Philemon 10–11). And while Paul sends Onesimus back to his master, he asks Philemon to forgive him for running away and to accept Onesimus "no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother" (16).