Philemon 1:23 (ASV)

Passage

Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, saluteth thee;

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:21 Having confidence in thine obedience I write unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do even beyond what I say.

Philemon 1:22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted unto you.

Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, saluteth thee;

Philemon 1:24 [and so do] Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow-workers.

Philemon 1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "epaphras", "fellow-prisoner", "christ", "jesus", "saluteth", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "epaphras" and "fellow-prisoner", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "But withal prepare me also a lodging..." into verse 24's "and so do Mark Aristarchus Demas Luke...", so "epaphras" and "fellow-prisoner" 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 "epaphras" and "fellow-prisoner" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.