Not only does Timothy have Paul’s fullest confidence; he also has proved his worth to the Philippians. This verbal phrase is the translation of a Greek noun meaning literally “proof.” It is related to the verb used in 1.10, where Good News Bible renders “to choose.” It is used of gold or silver which has been tested and found genuine. Paul is not just saying that “Timothy’s record is known to you” (New English Bible), but that “you know how he has stood the test” (Moffatt). The Philippians know that Timothy is not a mediocre substitute, for he cooperated with Paul when the apostle first brought the gospel to their city (Acts 16). The verb “you know” should not be taken as an imperative but as an indicative; Timothy’s worth was something the Philippians already knew.

You yourselves know may be expressed in some languages as “you yourselves already know,” or “you yourselves surely know.”

It may be difficult to speak of Paul’s estimation of Timothy by using literally a term such as worth, for this might suggest in some languages a kind of commercial value rather than Timothy’s inherent qualities. How he has proved his worth may be rendered, therefore, as “how good he has proved to be,” or “how valuable he has been.”

What Paul goes on to say is somewhat cryptic; it is literally “how, as a child a father, he served with me….” The focus is not on the manner in which Timothy served Paul (like a son to his father), but on the very intimate relationship in which the two worked together for the advancement of the gospel. Accordingly, Good News Translation renders explicitly how he and I, like a son and his father, have worked together. The original meaning of the verb rendered worked is “to serve, or work, as a slave” (Goodspeed “he worked like a slave with me.” See also the discussion under 1.1).

How he and I, like a son and his father, have worked together for the sake of the gospel is an amplification of the first part of the verse, and it may be understood as an explanation of how Timothy proved his worth. However, in a number of languages it may be necessary to repeat here the verb “know,” for example, “You yourselves know how valuable he has proved to be, and how Timothy and I, like a son and his father, have worked….” In some languages it may even be necessary to show clearly that like a son and his father is to be understood in a figurative sense, for example, “he has worked with me just like a son would work with his own father,” or “… just like a man’s son would help his father.”

The phrase for the sake of the gospel can also be taken as meaning “for the advancement of the gospel” (Barclay). In several languages the most effective way of speaking about “the advancement of the gospel” would be to say “in order that more and more people would hear the good news,” or “… believe the good news.”

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 .