There seems to be no need to regard verses 18 and 19 as a digression (cf. King James Version), since they are an integral part of the section. In these two verses Paul gives his reason for the injunctions in verse 17, and his tone is sarcastic, as in 3.2.

Notice the contrast between before (implicit in the context) and now, and the word play on many times and many (people).

This (in I have told you this) and it (in I repeat it) both refer to the contrast in what Paul proceeds to say with tears. The phrase with tears translates a Greek participle, commonly used of loud expression of sorrow and pain. It signifies intense grief. It is essential to render this phrase in such a way as to indicate clearly that Paul is extremely sorry to have to say what he does. It may, therefore, be necessary to render with tears as “I am so sorry about this that I could cry,” or “this makes me so sorry that I am crying.” Note, however, that the pronouns this and it must refer to what follows in verses 18 and 19. Therefore it may be necessary to translate the first part of verse 18 as “What I am going to tell you I have already told you many times before, and now I am going to repeat it, but it makes me so sorry that I cry.”

The noun lives renders the same Greek word translated follow in verse 17. It is generally used in Paul’s letters in the sense of one’s practical conduct (New English Bible “way of life”; Barclay “conduct”). In some languages whose lives is best expressed in more concrete terms, while preserving the original component in Greek, for example, “whose walkings and doings.” It may be necessary in certain other languages to translate whose lives by means of a verb, for example, “there are many who live in such a way as to cause them to become enemies of Christ’s death on the cross,” or “… by means of the way in which they live they make themselves enemies….”

Enemies of Christ’s death on the cross is literally “the enemies of the cross of Christ.” The cross is not simply an abstract symbol, it points to Christ’s death. As a Christian symbol the cross would have no meaning without the death of Christ. Good News Translation makes this fact explicit (cf. Gal 3.13). It is not entirely clear who these enemies were. They could have been the Judaizers referred to in 3.2 ff., who held fast to the Law as an agent of salvation. More likely, however, there were Gentile Christians who were guilty of a relaxation of the moral law. In either case, the persons referred to were professed Christians whose lives disavowed the significance of Christ’s death.

It may be quite difficult to render effectively the expression enemies of Christ’s death on the cross. It would be easy enough to speak of being “an enemy of Christ,” but to be “an enemy of Christ’s death” is much more complex. One should, of course, avoid a translation which would merely imply “they are against the idea of Christ’s having died on the cross.” One may, however, say “There are many who, by the way in which they live, tend to destroy the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross.”

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 .