Verses 8-11 are a complicated long sentence in Greek. This sentence needs to be restructured into shorter sentences in order to preserve clarity of thought.
Paul uses a series of particles (“yes rather even”) as a forceful introduction for an important statement. The combined force of these particles indicates that his statement in verse 7 is inadequate, and he feels constrained to reinforce it. The force of these particles has been expressed in various ways: Jerusalem Bible “not only that”; New English Bible “I would say more”; Barclay “yes, and more than that”; Good News Translation not only those things. The Good News Translation translation makes explicit the fact that the things which Paul counts as loss are not limited to those already mentioned. “Nothing” can compete with the supreme gain of knowing Christ. The contrast between verses 7 and 8 is clearly brought out in the Good News Translation rendering: those things vs. everything, and loss vs. complete loss.
With the phrase not only those things, it may be necessary to add some verbal expression such as “I consider as a loss,” or “I consider as no advantage at all,” for example, “not only do I consider all these matters as no advantage at all, but I consider everything as nothing for the sake of what is so much more valuable.”
Good News Translation takes the preposition rendered “for” in both King James Version and American Standard Version to mean for the sake of, as in 3.7 above. It can also mean “because of” (Revised Standard Version), signifying that the supreme worth of knowing Christ surpasses all other gains. Since the idea of comparison is already implicit in the neuter participle (used as a noun) rendered what is so much more valuable, there seems to be no need to give the preposition the unusual meaning of “compared to” (Moffatt Goodspeed). The basic meaning of this neuter participle is “surpassing” (Goodspeed Jerusalem Bible; “supreme advantage”; Moffatt “supreme value”).
It may be necessary in some languages to make more specific the expression I reckon everything as complete loss, for example, “I count everything I used to do as a complete loss,” or “whatever I used to do is now completely valueless in my reckoning.”
If for the sake of is understood as cause, one may translate this phrase as “because of what is much more valuable.” It is also possible to interpret for the sake of as introducing a type of goal, for example, “in order to gain what is so much more valuable,” “in order to have what is so much more valuable,” or “… what is worth so much more.”
Paul further defines this “supreme advantage” as The knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. The noun translated knowledge is a difficult word. It was one of the key words in the pagan religions in Paul’s time, often used of a revealed knowledge of the mystery of salvation—a mystical knowledge, a communion with the deity. It is possible that this sense is used here also, but more likely Paul’s use of this word is rooted in an Old Testament concept of knowledge—God’s knowledge of his people in election and grace (Exo 33.12, 17; Amos 3.2) and his people’s knowledge of him in love and obedience (Jer 31.34; Hos 6.3; 8.2). Primarily, this knowledge is not intellectual but experiential. In this context, the knowledge of Christ is personal and intimate, as the expression my Lord shows, certainly more than an intellectual apprehension of truth about Christ. Rather, it is a personal appropriation of and communion with Christ himself. The knowledge of Christ Jesus no doubt does involve one’s thoughts, but in its distinctive biblical usage it may be said to involve primarily one’s heart. The knowledge of Christ Jesus means, not the knowledge Christ has, but my knowing Christ, and so one may restructure the phrase as “to know Christ Jesus as my Lord” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). In some languages the order of Christ Jesus my Lord has to be reversed, that is, “my Lord Christ Jesus.”
The knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord is an apposition to the preceding clause, what is so much more valuable, and this appositional relation may need to be made more specific, for example, “namely, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,” or “that is to say, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Since in this context knowledge is not a matter merely of “knowing about,” it may be essential in some languages to employ a rendering such as “experiencing Christ Jesus my Lord with me,” or “becoming associated with Christ Jesus my Lord.”
I have thrown everything away is literally “I suffered the loss of all things” (American Standard Version). The verb is related to the word rendered loss in both the previous and the present verses. The aorist tense looks back to a definite occasion, presumably at Paul’s conversion, when this great renunciation took place. It is obvious in the present context (and especially in what follows) that the act of renunciation is voluntary. Thus Good News Translation renders the passive verb as active, have thrown … away (New American Bible “have forfeited”; Barclay “have abandoned”).
For his sake may be rendered as “because of him” or, as in some languages, “in order to serve him.” I have thrown everything away should not be understood in merely a physical sense. One can translate this expression as “everything I used to do has become a complete loss,” or “… has become useless.” Or one may shift the figure somewhat by saying “I have abandoned everything I used to do.”
For the third time in this section Paul uses the same verb rendered consistently as “count” in Revised Standard Version. In the two previous occurrences Good News Translation renders it as reckon, but in this last instance as consider. The intention is no doubt to declare Paul’s considered decision to do away with his old life. In the light of this new evaluation, he now sees everything as mere garbage. The Greek word rendered garbage can mean either “excrement” (King James Version “dung”) or “that which is thrown to the dogs,” that is, “rubbish” (Jerusalem Bible New American Bible), “refuse” (Revised Standard Version), or “garbage” (New English Bible). In any case, the idea is that of utter worthlessness and disgust. I consider it all as mere garbage may be rendered as “I count all this as fit for the refuge heap,” or, expressed somewhat more idiomatically, “I throw all of it into the street.”
The motive of Paul’s revaluation is to gain Christ. The verb used here is a cognate of the noun rendered profit in verse 7. To gain Christ is best understood in the sense of gaining a profit by personal appropriation of Christ. It may be possible in some languages to translate literally so that I may gain Christ, for that might imply that Christ was an object which could be acquired by purchase. In certain instances the metaphor gain Christ may be modified into the form of a simile, for example, “I may, so to speak, gain Christ.” But this rendering could impair the significance of the phrase as a whole. It my be better in some cases to translate “so that I may have the advantage of being related to Christ,” or “so that I may have the value of belonging to Christ.”
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 .