Philemon 1:17 (DRB)

Passage

If therefore thou count me a partner, receive him as myself.

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season from thee that thou mightest receive him again for ever:

Philemon 1:16 Not now as a servant, but instead of a servant, a most dear brother, especially to me. But how much more to thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord?

Philemon 1:17 If therefore thou count me a partner, receive him as myself.

Philemon 1:18 And if he hath wronged thee in any thing or is in thy debt, put that to my account.

Philemon 1:19 I Paul have written it with my own hand: I will repay it: not to say to thee that thou owest me thy own self also.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "thou", "count", "partner", "receive", and "myself". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Not now as a servant but instead..." into verse 18's "And if he hath wronged thee in...", so "therefore" and "thou" 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 "therefore" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.