Philemon 1:13 (DBY)

Passage

whom *I* was desirous of keeping with myself, that for thee he might minister to me in the bonds of the glad tidings;

Nearby Context

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:

Philemon 1:13 whom *I* was desirous of keeping with myself, that for thee he might minister to me in the bonds of the glad tidings;

Philemon 1:14 but I have wished to do nothing without thy mind, that thy good might not be as of necessity but of willingness:

Philemon 1:15 for perhaps for this reason he has been separated [from thee] for a time, that thou mightest possess him fully for ever;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "desirous", "keeping", "myself", "thee", "might", "minister", "bonds", and "glad". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "desirous" and "keeping", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "whom I have sent back to thee..." into verse 14's "but I have wished to do nothing...", so "desirous" and "keeping" 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 "desirous" and "keeping" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.