This verse is introduced in Greek by a conjunction meaning “so then,” “therefore,” or “accordingly”; possible equivalents may be “as the result of what I have said” or “the purpose of what I have already said is that….” It is possible to regard this verse as forming the conclusion of the previous paragraph (Phillips La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée Jerusalem Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible UBS Greek text), but it is equally possible to make the verse as an introduction to what follows. The transition is made by referring back to the thoughts presented in the previous paragraph and using them as a basis for the exhortations that follow.
Paul addresses his Philippian brothers with a series of endearing terms, showing his deep affection for them. To capture this feeling Good News Translation transforms the adjectives and nouns into a series of exclamatory clauses, an effective way in English of indicating intense feeling. In some languages, however, such a series of exclamations would be disconcerting to the reader. It would be best, therefore, in certain instances to translate verse 1 as “My dear fellow believers, you are very dear to me, and I miss you greatly. You make me so happy, and I am very proud of you. In view of all that I have said to you, this is how you should stand firm in your life in the Lord…,” or “… what I am going to say to you now is how you should stand firm in your life in the Lord….” Note that in this restructuring of verse 1 brothers (“fellow believers”) is rendered only once since a repetition of the term might seem unnecessarily redundant. Note also that the exclamatory forms are altered so as to make them positive indicative statements.
How dear you are to me, an adjective in the Greek meaning “beloved,” is one of Paul’s favorite words used in reference to his friends. The same adjective, rendered dear brothers, is used again later in the verse to emphasize the deep affection he has toward his friends. How dear you are to me may be rendered as “I love you very much” or “I care about you greatly.”
How I miss you translates another adjective, which means literally “longed for” (King James Version). The word occurs only here in the New Testament, but its cognate verb and nouns appear elsewhere in Paul’s letters. It signifies an intense emotion, what might be called a “homesick tenderness.” In 1.8 its verbal form is rendered deep feeling … comes. How I miss you may be rendered as “how sorrowfully I feel when I am not with you.” In a number of languages a closer equivalent may be “I desire very much to be with you.”
How happy you make me renders another favorite word of Paul in this letter, literally “joy.” How happy you make me may be restructured as “you cause me to be very happy.”
How proud I am of you is literally “you are my crown.” This is not the word generally used for the crown (diadem) worn by a king or queen. It refers, rather, to the crown awarded to a victor in Greek athletic games or to the wreath placed on the head of a guest at a feast. It is a symbol of victory, pride, happiness, and honor (see Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “my crown of victory”). These words recall Paul’s tribute to the church at Thessalonica (cf. 1 Thes 2.19, 20). In some languages one may be able to preserve the figurative usage of “my crown” in a statement such as “you are like a crown for my head.” But this type of rendering has, in some instances, resulted in wrong interpretations; for example, it has been understood in the sense of “you are a weight upon my head,” and thus a mental burden. In some instances how proud I am of you! may be rendered as “I am always glad to tell people about you,” or “I am always boasting about you.”
The adverb rendered this … is how should be taken closely with the opening conjunction so, then. It carries the force of “in view of all that I have said to you” (Barclay).
The imperative rendered you should stand firm is the same word used in 1.27. With this word one can visualize a soldier standing firmly amidst the horrors of a battle. The idea is to remain faithful without giving way (Jerusalem Bible), or to demonstrate unswerving loyalty (Barclay) amidst attacks from without and false teachings within. As in other instances in which the metaphor stand firm is employed, one can sometimes express it better in negative terms, for example, “you should never run away,” “you should never give in,” or “you must never collapse.”
In your life in the Lord is literally “in the Lord.” There can be no closer relation possible than for one to be in another person’s life, “living in another person’s blood stream,” as some languages would phrase it. This thought is vividly expressed in 1.21 (see the discussion there). In your life in the Lord may be rendered in some instances as “as you live in the Lord.” In some instances a literal rendering of “in the Lord” may be rather meaningless, and so it may be better to say, “as you live joined in the Lord,” or “as you live like one person together with the Lord.”
In order to reproduce the proper force and to make it easier to follow the train of thought, this verse may have to be restructured in some languages. Thus, “So then, my brothers, in view of all that I have said to you, you should stand firm in your life in the Lord, dear brothers! How dear you are to me, and how I miss you! how happy you make me, and how proud I am of you!” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .