Philemon 1:9 (GNV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:7 For we haue great ioy and consolation in thy loue, because by thee, brother, the Saintes bowels are comforted.

Philemon 1:8 Wherefore, though I bee very bolde in Christ to commaund thee that which is conuenient,

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,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "loues", "sake", "rather", "beseeche", "thee", "though", "euen", and "paul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "loues" 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 bee very bolde in..." into verse 10's "I beseeche thee for my sonne Onesimus...", so "loues" 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 "loues" and "sake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.