Philemon 1:4 (DBY)

Passage

I thank my God, always making mention of thee at my prayers,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:2 and to the sister Apphia and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the assembly which [is] in thine house.

Philemon 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and [the] Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, always making mention of thee at my prayers,

Philemon 1:5 hearing of thy love and the faith which thou hast towards the Lord Jesus, and towards all the saints,

Philemon 1:6 in such sort that thy participation in the faith should become operative in the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in us towards Christ [Jesus].

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thank", "always", "making", "mention", "thee", and "prayers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thank" and "always", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Grace to you and peace from God..." into verse 5's "hearing of thy love and the faith...", so "thank" and "always" 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 "thank" and "always" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.