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Was Paul considering suicide?

Claim:

Some critics point out that Paul was considering suicide, while he was imprisoned. He was considering whether or not to “choose” death (v.22). By making this a choice, critics argue that this implies suicide. Is this the case?

Response:

The Greek word here is haireomai, which literally means to “prefer” or to “vote.” In other words, Paul was not thinking about choosing to end his own life. Instead, he is not sure, which one to prefer. Elsewhere, Paul writes, “I… prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Here, Paul uses another Greek word (eudokeo pronounced you-dock-AE-oh) to describe his preference for eternal life.

About The Author
James Rochford

James earned a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, graduating magna cum laude. He is the founder of Evidence Unseen and the author of several books. James enjoys serving as a pastor at Dwell Community Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and their two sons.