Philemon 1:21 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confident", "thine", "obedience", "written", "thee", "knowing", "thou", and "wilt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confident" and "thine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Yea brother I would have profit of..." into verse 22's "But withal prepare me also a lodging...", so "confident" and "thine" 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 "confident" and "thine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.