4:18

This verse connects to the previous one with a Greek particle, de, that often indicates a slight contrast or change of the direction of the thought. Many English versions omit any explicit connection here, but if you have a way in your language to show such a connection you may use it here.

4:18a

I have all I need and more: Paul continued his business metaphor by saying, in effect,

Here…is my receipt for everything (Good News Translation)

He meant that he had received their gift and it supplied all he needed.

and more: The Philippians’ gift was more than enough for what Paul needed.

4:18b

I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus: Epaphroditus was the one who brought the Philippians’ gift to Paul. See the note on 2:25c.

your gifts: The Greek literally means “the things you sent.” Apparently different people from Philippi sent things to help Paul, and this explains why the term gifts is in the plural.

General Comment on 4:18b

The three events in this part of the verse actually happened in this order:

(a) the Philippians sent Paul gifts;

(b) Epaphroditus handed them to Paul;

(c) Paul was amply supplied.

In some languages it will be necessary to reorder this verse so that the events are in the right order. For example:

You sent me gifts, and Epaphroditus has given them to me. So now I have all that I need.

4:18c

They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God: Paul again thought of the gifts from the Philippians in a collective sense, as a single large gift. He was saying that the help they sent was pleasing to God in the same way that the sort of sacrifice God required was pleasing to him.

a fragrant offering: This is literally “an odor of a sweet smell.” It refers to an offering to God that smells good. The Jewish people brought offerings to God as a way of worshiping him. When the priest burned these sacrifices, whether animals or grain and incense, God said that the smell was pleasing to him (See, for example, Leviticus 1:9, 2:1–2). Paul used these Jewish sacrifices as a metaphor for the gift the Philippians had sent. It may be necessary in some languages to translate this as a simile: “Your gift is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice….”

an acceptable sacrifice: Some sacrifices people made to God had something wrong with them or the people who offered them had the wrong attitude, and God did not accept those sacrifices. But God did accept the things the Philippians sent to Paul because they sent them lovingly.

well-pleasing to God: God approved of what the Philippians had done and the gifts they had sent to Paul. Their attitude and their gift were right.

Another way to translate 4:18c would be:

Your gifts to me are like the sweet-smelling offerings and sacrifices the priests offer to God. He accepts those offerings and they make him happy.

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