Philemon 1:4 (YLT)

Passage

I give thanks to my God, always making mention of thee in my prayers,

Nearby Context

Philemon 1:2 and Apphia the beloved, and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and the assembly in thy house:

Philemon 1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philemon 1:4 I give thanks to my God, always making mention of thee in my prayers,

Philemon 1:5 hearing of thy love and faith that thou hast unto the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints,

Philemon 1:6 that the fellowship of thy faith may become working in the full knowledge of every good thing that <FI>is<Fi> in you toward Christ Jesus;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "thanks", "always", "making", "mention", "thee", and "prayers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "thanks", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Grace to you and peace from God..." into verse 5's "hearing of thy love and faith that...", so "give" and "thanks" 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 "give" and "thanks" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.