Philemon 1:13 (WEB)

Passage

whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:11 who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me.

Philemon 1:12 I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,

Philemon 1:13 whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News.

Philemon 1:14 But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will.

Philemon 1:15 For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while, that you would have him forever,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "desired", "keep", "behalf", "might", "serve", "chains", "good", and "news". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "desired" and "keep", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "I am sending him back Therefore receive..." into verse 14's "But I was willing to do nothing...", so "desired" and "keep" 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 "desired" and "keep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.