Arrived indicates that Onesiphorus did not reside in Rome but somewhere else, most probably Ephesus. Rome appears only here in the Pastoral Letters; its being mentioned indicates that it is in this city where Paul was held prisoner. The reason for Onesiphorus’ trip to Rome is not mentioned in the text; some have suggested that he went there for business reasons, others have directly related his trip to Paul’s trial and imprisonment. All of these are of course interesting speculations that may not affect the translation in any way, although such information can become part of the notes in a study edition of the Bible. In some languages it will be necessary to indicate that Rome is a city, as in “the city Rome.”

Searched suggests the idea of an intense effort to locate something or someone. The search is done eagerly, that is, with much diligence and earnestness. It is not surprising then that he succeeded in his search; he found what he was looking for. Contemporary English Version has an interesting model: “he searched everywhere until he found me.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .