Philemon 1:13 (YLT)

Passage

whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:11 who once was to thee unprofitable, and now is profitable to me and to thee,

Philemon 1:12 whom I did send again, and thou him (that is, my own bowels) receive,

Philemon 1:13 whom I did wish to retain to myself, that in thy behalf he might minister to me in the bonds of the good news,

Philemon 1:14 and apart from thy mind I willed to do nothing, that as of necessity thy good deed may not be, but of willingness,

Philemon 1:15 for perhaps because of this he did depart for an hour, that age-duringly thou mayest have him,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wish", "retain", "myself", "behalf", "might", "minister", "bonds", and "good". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wish" and "retain", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "whom I did send again and thou..." into verse 14's "and apart from thy mind I willed...", so "wish" and "retain" 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 "wish" and "retain" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.