Philemon 1:17 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;

Philemon 1:16 Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?

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

Philemon 1:18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;

Philemon 1:19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "count", "therefore", "partner", "receive", and "myself". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "count", 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 above..." into verse 18's "If he hath wronged thee or oweth...", so "thou" and "count" 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 "thou" and "count" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.