“Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.”
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say — Paul's confidence (pepoitha) rests not on authority but on Philemon's character and faith. The obedience (hypakoē) is voluntary, rendered freely to the gospel's imperative. The phrase even more than I say (huperekteinō) suggests that Paul's implicit request for Onesimus's freedom may exceed his explicit words; Philemon, moved by grace, may choose the more radical reconciliation.
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