Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Parallel translations
- WEB Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say.
- KJV Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
- BSB Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
- NASB Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.
- NLT I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul writes confident that Philemon will obey and even do more than he asks. He trusts the depth of Philemon's Christian character.
Overview
Paul expresses warm assurance in Philemon's willing obedience, gently raising the bar by anticipating he will go "beyond" the request. Many readers see here a quiet hope that Philemon might even free Onesimus, though Paul leaves the specifics to Philemon's grace. Such trust both honors Philemon and lovingly calls forth the very generosity Paul desires.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Th 3:4We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command.
- 2 Cor 2:3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you.
- 2 Cor 7:16I rejoice that in everything I am confident concerning you.
- Gal 5:10I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
- 2 Cor 8:22We have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The plea to receive a runaway slave as a beloved brother, charging his debt to Paul's account, is a living picture of how Christ receives us and pays what we owe.
How Philemon 1:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.