Philemon 1:10 (DBY)

Passage

I exhort thee for *my* child, whom I have begotten in [my] bonds, Onesimus,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:8 Wherefore having much boldness in Christ to enjoin thee what is fitting,

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

Philemon 1:10 I exhort thee for *my* child, whom I have begotten in [my] bonds, Onesimus,

Philemon 1:11 once unserviceable to thee, but now serviceable to thee and to me:

Philemon 1:12 whom I have sent back to thee: [but do *thou* receive] him, that is, *my* bowels:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "for love's sake I rather exhort being..." into verse 11's "once unserviceable to thee but now serviceable...", so "exhort" and "thee" 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 "exhort" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.