Philemon 1:7 (DRB)

Passage

For I have had great joy and consolation in thy charity, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed by thee, brother.

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:5 Hearing of thy charity and faith, which thou hast in the Lord Jesus and towards all the saints:

Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may be made evident in the acknowledgment of every good work that is in you in Christ Jesus.

Philemon 1:7 For I have had great joy and consolation in thy charity, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed by thee, brother.

Philemon 1:8 Wherefore, though I have much confidence in Christ Jesus to command thee that which is to the purpose:

Philemon 1:9 For charity sake I rather beseech, whereas thou art such a one, as Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also of Jesus Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "great", "consolation", "charity", "bowels", "saints", "been", "refreshed", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "great" and "consolation", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "That the communication of thy faith may..." into verse 8's "Wherefore though I have much confidence in...", so "great" and "consolation" 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 "great" and "consolation" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.