A believer from Ephesus who, alone against a general desertion, stood by Paul in his last imprisonment — 'he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; when he came to Rome he sought me out diligently and found me' (2 Timothy 1:16-17), no small risk beside a man awaiting execution. His name means 'profit-bringer'. ⚠ Paul blesses the man's HOUSEHOLD and prays that he himself may 'find mercy on that day', speaking of him only in the past tense — which has led many to conclude Onesiphorus had died, making 2 Timothy 1:18 one of the very few places in the New Testament that may show a prayer offered FOR the dead. The point is debated between traditions and the library reports it rather than settling it.