Philippians 1

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek douloi ('slaves, servants') denotes total allegiance. Paul identifies himself not by apostolic title but as a slave of Christ — unusual for his letter openings and perhaps reflecting the intimate tone of this letter. The term episkopoi ('overseers') is rendered 'overseers' rather than the KJV's 'bishops,' which carries later ecclesiastical connotations absent from the first-century context. Diakonoi ('deacons, servants') refers to recognized servants of the congregation.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's standard greeting fuses the Greek charis ('grace') with the Hebrew shalom-equivalent eirene ('peace'). The pairing of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as co-source of grace and peace is a high christological claim embedded in an ordinary salutation.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase epi pase tee mneia hymōn can mean either 'upon every remembrance of you' (each time Paul thinks of them) or 'for all your remembrance of me' (their remembering him through gifts). The former reading is more natural in context and is followed here.

Translator Notes

1. The repetition of pas ('all, every') is characteristic of Philippians — Paul uses the word more frequently here than in any other letter relative to length. Joy (chara) appears for the first time, establishing the letter's dominant theme.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek koinōnia ('partnership, fellowship, sharing') is richer than the English 'fellowship' suggests. It denotes active participation and mutual sharing — the Philippians were not passive recipients of the gospel but active partners in its advancement, including through their financial support of Paul's mission.

Translator Notes

1. The verb enarchomai ('to begin') and epiteleo ('to bring to completion') form a deliberate pair — what God initiated, God will finish. The 'day of Christ Jesus' (hemeras Christou Iesou) is an eschatological reference to Christ's return, adapted from the Old Testament 'day of the LORD' (yom YHWH).

Translator Notes

1. The phrase echein me en tee kardia hymas is ambiguous — it could mean 'I hold you in my heart' or 'you hold me in your heart.' Both are grammatically possible; we follow the former as the more natural subject-object order. The compound synkoinōnous ('co-partners, fellow-sharers') intensifies the koinōnia theme of verse 5.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek splanchna ('intestines, inner organs') was the ancient seat of deep emotion, equivalent to the modern 'heart.' The KJV's literal 'bowels' is misleading in modern English. Paul claims that his longing for the Philippians originates not from natural affection but from Christ's own love working through him.

Translator Notes

1. Paul prays not merely for love but for love informed by epignōsis ('full knowledge, deep understanding') and aisthēsis ('perception, discernment, moral insight'). This is not sentimentality but a love that sees clearly and acts wisely.

Translator Notes

1. The verb dokimazein ('to test, examine, approve') means to distinguish what truly matters from what merely appears important. The adjective eilikrineis ('pure, sincere') may derive from heilē ('sunlight') and krinō ('to judge') — that which is judged genuine when examined in full light.

Translator Notes

1. The singular 'fruit' (karpon) follows the SBLGNT against the KJV's plural 'fruits.' Righteousness here is both status and conduct — the right standing before God that produces right living, all mediated through Christ. The phrase 'to the glory and praise of God' marks the goal of all Christian ethics in Paul's thought.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek adelphoi ('brothers') is used inclusively here for the entire congregation, hence 'brothers and sisters.' The word prokopē ('advancement, progress') was a Stoic term for moral progress; Paul repurposes it for the spread of the gospel. His imprisonment, which might seem a setback, has paradoxically furthered the mission.

Translator Notes

1. The praitōrion ('praetorium') could refer to the praetorian guard in Rome, the governor's residence in Caesarea, or a provincial headquarters in Ephesus. If Rome, Paul's chains have become a witness to the imperial guard itself. The phrase en Christō ('in Christ') modifies the imprisonment — his bonds are recognized as being 'for Christ' rather than for criminal activity.

Translator Notes

1. Paul's suffering has had the opposite of its intended effect: rather than silencing the movement, his imprisonment has emboldened other believers. The verb tolmaō ('to dare, to be bold') suggests courage in the face of real danger — these believers preach knowing that imprisonment is a real possibility.

Translator Notes

1. Paul acknowledges a painful reality: not all who preach Christ do so with pure motives. The pair phthonon ('envy') and erin ('rivalry, strife') suggests personal antagonism toward Paul rather than doctrinal error — these preachers proclaim the true Christ but from corrupt motives.

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT reverses the order found in the KJV's underlying text (Textus Receptus), placing the love-motivated group in verse 16 and the rivalry-motivated group in verse 17. We follow the SBLGNT order. The verb keimai ('I am placed, I am appointed') suggests Paul views his imprisonment as a divine assignment rather than a misfortune.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek eritheia ('selfish ambition, self-seeking') originally referred to working for hire and came to mean partisan, self-interested maneuvering. These preachers aim to increase Paul's suffering by highlighting his confinement while they enjoy freedom. Despite their malice, Paul will rejoice that Christ is preached (v. 18).

Translator Notes

1. Paul's response to rivalrous preachers is astonishing generosity: as long as Christ is proclaimed, he rejoices regardless of the preacher's motives. The Greek prophasei ('pretext, false motive') contrasts with aletheia ('truth'). The shift from present chairō ('I rejoice') to future charēsomai ('I will rejoice') extends his joy from the present crisis into the future.

Translator Notes

1. Paul echoes Job 13:16 (LXX: touto moi apobēsetai eis sōtērian). The word sōtēria here may mean spiritual salvation, physical release from prison, or vindication at trial. The 'supply' (epichorēgia, 'generous provision') of the Spirit is not a meager trickle but an abundant provision.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Job 13:16. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The rare compound apokaradokia ('eager expectation') literally suggests craning the neck forward in anticipation. Paul's singular concern is not his own survival but that Christ be 'magnified' (megalynthēsetai) in his body — whether that body lives or dies. The phrase 'whether by life or by death' sets up the extraordinary meditation in verses 21-26.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. This is one of the most compressed and profound statements in the Pauline corpus. The Greek lacks a verb — literally 'to me the living Christ and the dying gain.' Life is not merely lived for Christ or with Christ but is Christ — existence itself is absorbed into Christ's person. If living is already Christ, then death can only bring more of him, hence 'gain' (kerdos). The logic is airtight: Paul cannot lose.

Translator Notes

1. The syntax is notoriously difficult. Paul seems to say: if continued life in the body means productive ministry ('fruit of labor'), then he genuinely does not know which to prefer — death with Christ or fruitful service. The verb hairēsomai ('I will choose') is striking, as if the choice were actually his to make.

Translator Notes

1. The verb synechomai ('I am pressed, constrained') conveys being squeezed from both sides. The verb analysai ('to depart, to break camp, to set sail') is a metaphor for death — either striking a tent (a soldier's image) or loosing a ship from its moorings. Paul's conviction that death means being 'with Christ' (syn Christō) reflects a personal eschatology of immediate presence with Christ after death.

Translator Notes

1. Paul resolves the tension of verses 21-23 in favor of continued life — not because life is better for him, but because it is more necessary (anangkaioteron) for the Philippians. His pastoral love overrides his personal preference. The shift from 'flesh' (sarx) to 'body' in our rendering avoids the negative connotations 'flesh' carries elsewhere in Paul.

Translator Notes

1. The verbs menō ('remain') and paramenō ('continue alongside') are nearly synonymous, creating emphasis through repetition. Paul expresses confidence in his release, though this is pastoral assurance rather than prophetic certainty. The pair prokopē ('progress') and chara ('joy') captures Paul's dual goal for the Philippians — growth and gladness.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek kauchēma ('boast, ground of boasting') is not sinful pride but legitimate exultation — and it is 'in Christ Jesus,' not in human achievement. Paul envisions his return to Philippi as occasion for the church to celebrate God's faithfulness in preserving his life.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb politeuesthe ('live as citizens, conduct yourselves as citizens') is loaded with meaning for the Philippians, who held Roman citizenship as residents of a Roman colony. Paul calls them to a higher citizenship — one defined by the gospel rather than by Rome. The athletic metaphor synathleō ('to contend together, to compete as teammates') pictures the church as a team striving in unified effort.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ptyromai ('to be frightened, startled') is used of horses shying at danger. The Philippians' fearless stand serves as a double sign: it signals the opponents' destruction (apōleia) and the believers' salvation (sōtēria). The final phrase 'and that from God' (kai touto apo theou) means that both the sign and the salvation originate from God.

Translator Notes

1. The verb echaristhē ('it has been graciously given') shares the root of charis ('grace'). Suffering, like faith, is presented as a gift — a startling claim that reframes persecution as divine privilege rather than misfortune. This theology of suffering as gift is distinctly Pauline.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek agōn ('struggle, contest, fight') is an athletic term for a competitive event. The Philippians witnessed Paul's struggle firsthand when he was beaten and imprisoned in their city (Acts 16:19-40), and now they hear of his continued imprisonment. Their own suffering mirrors his — they share the same contest.