Philemon 1:11 (ASV)

Passage

who once was unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:9 yet for love`s sake I rather beseech, being such a one as Paul the aged, and now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus:

Philemon 1:10 I beseech thee for my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,

Philemon 1:11 who once was unprofitable to thee, but now is profitable to thee and to me:

Philemon 1:12 whom I have sent back to thee in his own person, that is, my very heart:

Philemon 1:13 whom I would fain have kept with me, that in thy behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds of the gospel:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "once", "unprofitable", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "once" and "unprofitable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "I beseech thee for my child whom..." into verse 12's "whom I have sent back to thee...", so "once" and "unprofitable" belong inside that flow. In Philemon context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "once" and "unprofitable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.