Philemon 1:19 (DBY)

Passage

*I* Paul have written [it] with mine own hand; *I* will repay [it]: that I say not to thee that thou owest even thine own self also to me.

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:17 If therefore thou holdest me to be a partner [with thee], receive him as me;

Philemon 1:18 but if he have wronged thee anything or owe anything [to thee], put this to my account.

Philemon 1:19 *I* Paul have written [it] with mine own hand; *I* will repay [it]: that I say not to thee that thou owest even thine own self also to me.

Philemon 1:20 Yea, brother, *I* would have profit of *thee* in [the] Lord: refresh my bowels in Christ.

Philemon 1:21 Being confident of thine obedience, I have written to thee, knowing that thou wilt do even more than I say.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "paul", "written", "mine", "hand", "repay", "thee", "thou", and "owest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "paul" and "written", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "but if he have wronged thee anything..." into verse 20's "Yea brother I would have profit of...", so "paul" and "written" 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 "paul" and "written" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.