Philemon 1:9 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Philemon 1:10 I beseech thee for my son, whom I have begotten in my bands, Onesimus,

Philemon 1:11 Who hath been heretofore unprofitable to thee but now is profitable both to me and thee:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "charity", "sake", "rather", "beseech", "whereas", "thou", "such", and "paul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "charity" and "sake", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Wherefore though I have much confidence in..." into verse 10's "I beseech thee for my son whom...", so "charity" and "sake" 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 "charity" and "sake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.