In Greek this verse is introduced by a particle which is often not translated. The particle can be understood in two ways: it can mean “that,” introducing an object clause connected with you … know in verse 15; or it can mean “for,” introducing a justification for what the apostle has said in the preceding verse. The latter alternative seems to be more natural (cf. Revised Standard Version New English Bible). This connection indicates that verses 15 and 16 refer to the same gifts.

What Paul proceeds to say is literally “even in Thessalonica you sent to my need both once and twice.” The sentence can be rephrased as more than once when I needed help in Thessalonica, you sent it to me, or “even in Thessalonica you contributed to my needs more than once.” The word “even” points to the fact that the Philippians had sent help soon after the apostle’s departure from their city. Help refers probably to “money,” as the renderings of Goodspeed and Moffatt show (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). One can, therefore, translate “when I needed money in Thessalonica.”

The phrase “both once and twice,” occurring also in 1 Thes 2.18, is sometimes taken to mean “not once but twice” (Phillips New English Bible New American Bible) or, more specifically, “twice” (Jerusalem Bible). But it probably means simply more than once (Good News Translation Moffatt), with no indication of the exact number of times.

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 .