Philemon 1:11 (GNV)

Passage

Which in times past was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable both to thee and to me,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:9 Yet for loues sake I rather beseeche thee, though I be as I am, euen Paul aged, and euen nowe a prisoner for Iesus Christ.

Philemon 1:10 I beseeche thee for my sonne Onesimus, whome I haue begotten in my bondes,

Philemon 1:11 Which in times past was to thee vnprofitable, but nowe profitable both to thee and to me,

Philemon 1:12 Whome I haue sent againe: thou therefore receiue him, that is mine owne bowels,

Philemon 1:13 Whom I woulde haue reteined with mee, that in thy steade he might haue ministred vnto me in the bondes of the Gospel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "times", "past", "thee", "vnprofitable", "nowe", and "both". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "times" and "past", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "I beseeche thee for my sonne Onesimus..." into verse 12's "Whome I haue sent againe thou therefore...", so "times" and "past" 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 "times" and "past" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.