BIBLE VERSE STUDY
Philemon 1:22 — Paul's Request for a Guest Room
Paul closes his letter to Philemon with a personal request: prepare a guest room, because he hopes prayer will secure his release to visit them.
Scripture
22But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted unto you.
What this passage means
Verse 22 reads, "But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted unto you." The opening phrase, "but withal" or "at the same time," signals that this request stands alongside the main appeal of the letter (concerning Onesimus) rather than apart from it. Even as Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus back, he also asks Philemon to be ready to receive him. The two requests belong to the same pattern of mutual hospitality.
Paul's stated reason is the hope that prayer will obtain his release: "I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted unto you." The wording implies that Paul views his own freedom and travel plans as something granted in response to the prayers of the community, not simply as a matter of Roman legal process. He is currently "a prisoner of Christ Jesus" (verse 1, 9), and verse 22 looks forward to that situation changing. The phrase "granted unto you" expresses the joy of a personal visit — being given back to a friend.
The verse also marks a transition. Before it, Paul has just expressed confidence that Philemon will do "even beyond what I say" (verse 21), so the lodging request is concrete and practical, fitting the tone of a friend writing to a friend. After it, the letter shifts to greetings from fellow-workers (verses 23–24) and a final benediction (verse 25). Verse 22 therefore functions as the bridge between the appeal of the letter and its closing salutations.
Context
The surrounding verses show how personal and conversational the letter is. In verse 20 Paul writes, "let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ," and in verse 21 he adds, "Having confidence in thine obedience I write unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do even beyond what I say." The lodging request in verse 22 follows directly from this mutual affection — Paul is not making a formal demand but asking a friend to make practical preparations for a visit.
After verse 22, the letter closes in the same personal vein. Verses 23–24 send greetings from Epaphras ("my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus"), Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke ("my fellow-workers"), and verse 25 pronounces "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." The lodging request, the greetings, and the benediction together form a closing that frames the main appeal of the letter within a relationship of ongoing fellowship and shared prayer.
Common questions
Is Paul asking for a hotel or for hospitality in a home?
The letter is addressed to Philemon, and the church meets "in thy house" (verse 2). Paul's request is for a lodging to be prepared within that domestic setting, the kind of hospitality one friend extends to another. It is a practical request grounded in their personal relationship, not a commercial arrangement.
What does "I shall be granted unto you" mean?
Paul is in prison (verses 1, 9) and is hoping to be released. The phrase expresses his confidence that prayer will move God to set him free so that he can visit Philemon and the community in person. It treats his release as something granted in answer to their prayers, not merely as the outcome of a legal case.
How does verse 22 relate to the main appeal about Onesimus?