The expression all God’s people here would seem to indicate that Paul has a wide circle of Christians in mind, including those who belong to the Emperor’s palace, literally “Caesar’s household” (Revised Standard Version). The word “household” could refer to the Emperor’s immediate family, but that is not the likely meaning. The reference is probably to functionaries or servants in the palace who were Christian. Moffatt identifies them as “the Imperial slaves,” but a broader rendering like that of Good News Translation seems more suitable. Who belong to the Emperor’s palace may be difficult to translate literally, since in some languages people are not regarded as belonging to a place. One may need to say “those who work in the Emperor’s palace.”

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 .