Translation commentary on Philippians 4:19

The particle which connects this verse with the preceding can be rendered in two ways. (1) It can be taken as an adversative “but” (King James Version) with focus on the loss incurred in helping the apostle. The implication is that God will not fail to repay their need. If so, the force can be brought out with “in return” (Jerusalem Bible; “in turn” New American Bible). On the basis of this view, God’s supply to the Philippians is seen as an act of compensation. (2) Most modern translators, however, take it as a copulative “and,” with the possible meaning of “so” (Knox). In this case, God’s supply to the Philippians is considered a natural consequence of their generosity.

The phrase my God suggests an intimate relationship that Paul has with God, but this relationship should not be understood as “the God whom I possess” but as “the God whom I serve” (Knox Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). It can also have the sense of “God on my behalf.” Paul could not repay the debt, but God whom he serves would repay it on his behalf.

With all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus is literally “according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (American Standard Version Revised Standard Version). The preposition “according to” can be taken in several ways. (1) It can be understood in the sense of “in a worthy way of” (New American Bible), “according to the measure of,” or “on the scale of,” focusing on the extent to which God will supply his wealth (Jerusalem Bible “as lavishly as only God can”). (2) It can have the force of “from” (Moffatt Phillips New English Bible) or “out of” (Barclay), emphasizing God as the source of abundant wealth. (3) One can also render it as with (Good News Translation), highlighting the nature and quality of God as the one who has abundant wealth. On the whole, (3) and (2) appear to fit the context better than (1).

With all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus is best treated as a clause of cause or attendant circumstance, for example, “since my God has so much wealth through Christ Jesus,” or “in view of the fact that God is so very rich through Christ Jesus.” There is a difficulty, however, in rendering the phrase through Christ Jesus, for this might imply that it is Christ Jesus who made God wealthy. The meaning, of course, is that God’s wealth may be shared with others by means of Christ Jesus. In some languages it may be essential to combine the phrase through Christ Jesus with the expression will supply all your needs, or to make the phrase through Christ Jesus into a separate clause, for example, “wealth which God gives through Christ Jesus.”

The phrase “in glory” is also open to different interpretations. One can hardly give it a local sense, “in the realm of the heavenly.” Some persons want to give it a temporal sense, meaning “in the glorious life of the coming age.” This suggestion seems equally unsatisfactory, as it is not likely that Paul had in mind only the future heavenly reward of the Philippian believers. Another possibility is to take the phrase adverbially as qualifying the verb “supply.” The resultant meaning is “God will supply your needs in a glorious manner” (Goodspeed “gloriously supply”; cf. Jerusalem Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). But it is probably best to join the phrase closely to the word “wealth,” as the majority of modern translators do—thus abundant wealth, “magnificent riches” (New American Bible Bible en français courant), “glorious wealth” (Bruce), “glorious resources” (Phillips), etc.

The characteristic Pauline phrase “in Christ Jesus” should probably be taken with the verb supply. Accordingly, the preposition “in” would acquire an instrumental sense, thus through Christ Jesus (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch cf. Goodspeed), translated as “Jesus Christ caused this” or “Jesus Christ brought this about.”

The clause will supply all your needs does not tell us whether Paul has in mind here material needs or spiritual needs. He probably means both. The verb will supply (identical with the one rendered I have all I need in verse 18) can mean “will supply fully” (New American Bible), or “will fully meet every need” (Bruce).

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 1:15

Paul now speaks of two classes of preachers with different motives. Of course is used in the sense of “it is true” (Goodspeed Jerusalem Bible New American Bible) or “indeed” (Revised Standard Version New English Bible). Some of them seems to refer to a segment of most of the brothers mentioned in the previous verse (it may be useful to render this phrase as “some of the brothers” or “some of our fellow believers”). However, it is sometimes argued that Paul is here referring to preachers in general on the ground that jealous and quarrelsome motives can hardly be compatible with the attitude of confidence in the Lord which some of them apparently had. It is very difficult to determine who these preachers are. That they are Jewish Christians who insist on going back to Jewish ways seems unlikely, since Paul does not accuse them of any false teachings. In any case, they are “pro-Christ” but “anti-Paul” preachers.

The word translated preach is the standard New Testament word for the preaching of the gospel. It has substantially the same meaning as the word translated proclaim in verse 17 and as preached in verse 18. The latter is a compound verb which may signify “to proclaim with authority,” but the two words are used interchangeably in this context (cf. vv. 15, 17, 18). It may be impossible to translate preach Christ literally, since in many languages one can only “preach about Christ” or “tell people about Christ.” To indicate clearly that this is a proclamation of the good news about Christ, it may be useful to render preach Christ as “tell the good news about Christ.”

Because they are jealous and quarrelsome (literally, “on account of envy and strife”) explains the motives of the preachers (New American Bible “from the motives of envy and rivalry”; New English Bible “in a jealous and quarrelsome spirit”). One may find it necessary to indicate the so-called “object” of jealous, in which case it is probably best to say “because they are jealous of me.” Yet one must be cautious in the use of a term such as “jealous,” for it may imply meanings which do not fit this context. Hence one may need to use such an expression as “they are unhappy because of what I have been able to do,” or “they are envious because of my success.” Quarrelsome may be rendered as “they quarrel with others,” “they habitually quarrel with people,” or “they quarrel with me.” In some languages “to quarrel” is “to fight with words.”

The meaning of the biblical word translated good will varies greatly according to the context. It is used of God’s “choice and pleasure” in Matt 11.26; Luke 10.21; and Eph 1.5. It is sometimes used in the sense of a person’s “wish” or “desire” (e.g. Rom 10.1). In the present context it means “good will” or, as Jerusalem Bible renders it, “right intention” (Phillips “good faith”). It is possible that the meaning here refers to good will toward Paul, since Paul is speaking of the preachers’ attitude toward him in the context. “Good will” toward the gospel which he proclaims is, of course, presupposed.

If good will is understood to refer to the attitude of these preachers toward the gospel, then one may translate from genuine good will as “because they like the gospel,” or “because they are fully in favor of the gospel.” Similarly, if one understands that the good will is directed toward Paul, one may translate “because they are favorably disposed toward me.” One may, however, wish to emphasize, in rendering good will, the concept of “right intentions,” in which case one may translate from genuine good will as “because their purposes are altogether good” or “because what they want to accomplish is perfectly right.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 2:17

The scene shifts here from the athletic stadium to the altar and sacrificial rites.

The verse begins with a series of particles, literally, “but if also.” “But” functions here as an introductory particle, not as an adversative. “If also” is not an improbable supposition as the rendering “even if” (Revised Standard Version) appears to suggest; the possibility of martyrdom is apparently in Paul’s mind (cf. 2 Tim 4.6). Good News Translation expresses this possibility by perhaps … if that is so. In some languages perhaps may be expressed as “it is possible that” or “it may happen that.”

My life’s blood is to be poured out like an offering translates a single Greek verb, which means literally “I am poured out” (that is, as a libation or drink offering). The drink offering was usually a cup of wine poured out on the ground to honor a deity. When used of a person, the verb denotes a violent or bloody death. This kind of offering was common in both pagan and Jewish worship (cf. Num 15.3-10). In talking about the possibility of his martyrdom, Paul likens his life’s blood to a drink offering poured out to honor God (cf. Rom 15.16; 2 Tim 4.6).

My life’s blood is in some languages equivalent to “the blood which causes me to live,” but my life’s blood is to be poured out may not indicate in some languages the meaning of “death.” It may be necessary to change the idiom or to employ a nonidiomatic expression, for example, “it is possible that I will be killed like a sacrifice,” “perhaps I will be sacrificed,” or “… caused to die, as it were, like a sacrifice.” The difficulty with this type of expression, however, is that Paul’s death would be regarded as a kind of sacrifice, but the faith of the Philippians is itself regarded as a sacrifice offered to God. It may, therefore, be preferable to translate the beginning of verse 17 as “Perhaps I will be killed and in this way be like an offering of blood which is poured out on the sacrifice that your own faith offers to God.”

Literally, the offering is poured out “upon the sacrifice and service of your faith” (King James Version). The exact meaning of this phrase is much debated. The difficulty involves first the precise meaning of the preposition “upon” (epi); secondly, the relation of the coordinate construction “sacrifice and service”; and, thirdly, the sense of the genitive construction “service of your faith.”

The meaning of the preposition “upon” is conditioned by Paul’s allusion to the sacrificial system. If the allusion is to Jewish usage, the meaning is “in addition to,” since the Jews poured the drink offering, not over the sacrifice, but beside or around the altar. New English Bible favors this view by rendering “to crown that sacrifice.” On the other hand, if the allusion is to pagan ritual, the meaning is “upon” or “on,” since the pagans poured the drink offering on the sacrifice that was on the altar. This interpretation is adopted by the majority of translations, including Good News Translation, on the sacrifice. In view of the fact that most of the Philippian Christians were converts from paganism, it is more likely that Paul would draw his illustration from the pagan sacrificial system (cf. 2 Cor 2.14 ff).

The noun rendered “service” in King James Version is the Greek word from which the English word “liturgy” is derived. In secular usage, it meant a service to the public or the state. In both the Septuagint and the New Testament, it is sometimes used in the general sense of service to men, but more frequently in reference to priestly functions. Here the noun is used metaphorically in the latter sense, denoting the offering up of the sacrifice. “Service” in this context is thus best understood in the sense of “offering.” Since in Greek two nouns often share one article, this coordinate construction is probably to be taken, not as referring to two things, but as forming one event. The “sacrifice” is the semantic goal of the “offering,” and God is the implied recipient of the “sacrifice.” Now, by making this information explicit and restructuring the construction into a verbal phrase, we have the Good News Translation rendering the sacrifice that … offers to God.

The identification of the subject of the offering depends on the analysis of the genitive construction “offering of your faith.” The ambiguity of this construction is reflected in the various translations. It is interpreted by some as “the offering is your faith”; thus Jerusalem Bible has “offering—which is your faith” (cf. New English Bible “that sacrifice which is the offering up of your faith”). Moffatt provides a variation of this interpretation by identifying the agent as “you,” thus “the sacred sacrifice of faith you are offering to God.” These renderings regard “faith” as the thing offered. Another possibility, adopted by Good News Translation, is to take the construction in the sense of “your faith offers something (sacrifice).” The context makes it clear that it is not Paul who is offering the sacrifice, but the Philippians. Furthermore, what the Philippians offer is not their faith; rather their new-found faith is the source or the impulse for that offering. The sacrifice which their faith offers is probably their gifts to Paul, for these constitute a sacrifice on their part (cf. 2.30 and especially 4.18).

It may be difficult to speak of the sacrifice that your faith offers to God, since in many languages the event implied in faith cannot be regarded as an agent which would offer a sacrifice. It is much simpler to speak of “your faith” as being a “sacrifice” or “an offering.” But even this interpretation may be difficult to express in a receptor language in which faith must be regarded as a verb, not as a noun. If one assumes the interpretation that “the offering is your faith,” it may be possible to say “that which you offer to God is the fact that you trust him,” or “… is your trusting him.” On the other hand, if one understands faith as being the motivation or impulse for an offering to God, one may speak of “the sacrifice that you offer to God as the result of your trusting him,” or “… which your trusting him causes you to offer.”

The possibility of death is for Paul not a cause for grief, but of joy. This joy is based on the confidence that death will be a gain, because by it Christ will be glorified and the gospel proclaimed. Here again we have the characteristic refrain of this letter, “joy” and “you all.” In this verse and the following, Paul employs the verb “to rejoice” twice, and also its compound “to rejoice with” twice. Here he says I am glad and share my joy with you all.

If that is so refers, not to the sacrifice that your faith offers to God, but to the possibility of Paul’s death. Therefore if that is so may by rendered as “if that turns out to be the case,” or “if I die.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 3:19

Paul now describes the fate and character of these enemies. They are going to end up in hell is literally, “whose end is destruction” (Revised Standard Version). Here the “end” is more than a mere point of termination; it means the inevitable outcome (Goodspeed Barclay “they are doomed to destruction”). The noun “destruction” is Paul’s usual word to express the opposite of “salvation” (Phil 1.28; cf. 1 Cor 1.18; 2 Cor 2.15); it is equivalent to eternal punishment. They are going to end up in hell may, of course, be translated simply as “they will finally be destroyed,” or “… suffer destruction.” One may also say “they will finally go to hell,” or “… will be sent to hell.” In this type of context hell may be rendered in some languages as “the place of punishment” or “the place of suffering.”

Their god is their bodily desires is literally “whose god is the belly” (American Standard Version). The expression bodily desires is used also in Rom 16.18, where most translations, including Good News Translation, render it as “appetites.” Some commentators understand it in the sense of unnecessary concern with laws about clean and unclean foods. Taken in this sense, the reference is to the Judaizers. Others take it to mean “greediness,” referring to those Christians who were excessively greedy for food (Jerusalem Bible “they make foods into their god”). But it is probably best to interpret it, along with Good News Translation and some commentators, in the general and wider sense of bodily desires. In some languages a literal rendering of “belly” may be able to convey the right meaning. In this clause the focus is on their god, and in some languages this focus can best be brought out by reversing the clause order, thus “their bodily desires are their god” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

It may not be possible to translate literally their god is their bodily desires or even to say “what they desire for their body is their god,” because such a rendering might be taken to refer to an idol or fetish. One can, however, make very good sense of this clause by saying in some languages “the only thing they worship is what they themselves want for their bodies,” or “their only real concern is for what their own bodies desire.”

These enemies are further described as “whose glory is in their shame” (King James Version). The noun “glory” here is equivalent to “pride” (Know) or “boast.” The somewhat abstract noun phrase “their shame” really means conduct which should be considered shameful. Good News Translation rephrases the statement as they are proud of what they should be ashamed of. It is possible to take “shame” as an allusion to the nakedness involved in the act of circumcision (3.2), but the immediate context appears to indicate that Paul is thinking of immoral conduct in general (see the expressions bodily desires and things that belong to this world). They are proud of what they should be ashamed of may be expressed as “they are proud of doing certain things, but these things are what they should be ashamed of,” or “they are proud of what they do, but they should be ashamed of what they do.”

The last element in the description of these enemies of Christ’s death prepares the way for the sharp contrast which follows in verses 20-21. They think only of things that belong to this world translates a Greek participial phrase, literally “who think earthly things.” Some commentators interpret the sudden change in the Greek construction as a return to the primary construction in verse 18, thus summing up what has just been said (New American Bible “I am talking about those who are set upon the things of this world”). This is grammatically possible. The majority, however, regard this as a kind of apposition with the preceding clauses. The word “think,” which appears twice in verse 15, means more than mere intellectual perception; it denotes one’s inward disposition, state of mind, or attitude (see the discussion under 3.15). In some languages the clause is best rendered as “their hearts are set on the things of this world.” Things that belong to this world means things that are not of divine origin, that have no eternal quality or value (cf. Rom 6.5-6). This statement is a damaging indictment of certain people who are considered to be citizens of heaven (v. 20).

The phrase things that belong to this world can be easily misunderstood as a reference to objects which are simply here in this world. Paul, however, is not thinking particularly of material things; in fact, the object of the thinking of the persons he is speaking about is not an assortment of things, but a series of activities. One may, therefore, translate the final clause of this verse as “they are only thinking about doing what people of this world do,” “they only think like people who are typical people in this world,” or “… like most people think.” In this way the contrast with citizens of heaven (v. 20) may be clearly marked.

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 1:26

So that (or “in order that”) marks the ultimate end of Paul’s staying on with his Philippian friends. Because of the rather complex relation of the clauses, it may be necessary to introduce verse 26 with a separate sentence, for example, “The purpose of all this is that when I am with you again…” or “I will do this so that when I am with you again….”

When I am with you again is literally “by means of my coming to you again.” “Coming” is the very word which Paul uses of the coming of Christ at the day of judgment (1 Cor 15.23; 1 Thes 2.19; 3.13; 4.15; 5.23; 2 Thes 2.1, 8). In this context it refers to Paul’s visiting again with his friends (Knox “when I come once again to visit you”; Phillips “when I come to see you again”).

Since the Greek here is somewhat obscure (literally, “that your pride may abound in Christ Jesus in me”), interpreters differ as to whether Christ or Paul is the object of “pride.” Some translators understand the object to be Christ: “so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus” (Revised Standard Version); “and so you will have another reason to give praise to Christ Jesus on my account” (Jerusalem Bible); “thus you will have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus over me” (Moffatt). Others, however, regard the immediate cause of pride as being Paul himself. This is the position taken by Good News Translation: you will have even more reason to be proud of me (New English Bible “your pride in me may be unbounded”; cf. Goodspeed Phillips). If one follows the first interpretation, one may translate “in this way you will have every reason to honor Christ Jesus,” or “… some give praise to Christ Jesus.” If, on the other hand, one follows the second interpretation, the rendering may be “you will have even more reason to be proud because of what I have done.”

In your life in union with Christ Jesus is an attempt to bring out the meaning of a characteristic Pauline expression, “in Christ Jesus” (cf. 1.1). Even a glance at various translations will show how difficult it is to translate this formula adequately. Goodspeed makes it an adjectival expression, “Christian exultation.” Phillips takes it to mean “as your minister in Christ.” Apparently Paul is saying that the Philippian Christians’ pride in him is developed in the sphere of Christ Jesus. The basic meaning is one’s intimate union or fellowship with Christ.

It is not easy to relate clearly the expression in your life in union with Christ Jesus to what precedes. Furthermore, in many languages life must be expressed by a verb. Therefore, the final phrase may be rendered in some languages as “as you live your life joined to Christ Jesus,” or “… as one with Christ Jesus.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 2:28

I am all the more eager, then, to send him is literally “I sent him, therefore, the more eagerly.” Here “I sent” is probably to be taken as an epistolary aorist (cf. 2.25). The Greek comparative adverb rendered all the more eager should not be taken in the sense of “more hastily.” It is used, rather, in the sense of “more eagerly,” referring to the spirit in which Paul dispatches his fellow-worker, not to outward haste. Paul’s eagerness may be expressed as a type of desire, for example, “I want all the more, therefore, to send him to you,” or “that is why I want so much to send him to you.”

The Greek word order seems to suggest that the adverb again is best taken with glad, and in Good News Translation (cf. New American Bible), rather than with see, as in Revised Standard Version and New English Bible. The Philippians’ cheerfulness had been clouded by Epaphroditus’ sickness; they would certainly regain their cheerfulness at his safe return.

The apostle identifies himself so closely with his readers that their sorrow and anxiety are his own. If Epaphroditus’ safe return will mean the restoration of their happiness, then, he says, my own sorrow will disappear (literally, “I might be the less sorrowful”). The adjective “less sorrowful” appears only here in the New Testament. It means “to be free from sorrow” or “to be relieved of anxiety.” My own sorrow will disappear is part of the purpose introduced by the conjunctive phrase so that. It may be necessary to repeat the expression of purpose, for example, “so that you will be glad again when you see him, and so that my own sorrow will disappear,” or “… so that I will not have sorrow any longer.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 4:9

Not only must the Philippians take into account all that is generally considered good and worthy, they must put into practice what the apostle has exemplified in his words and deeds.

There are considerable differences of opinion as to the connection and arrangement of this verse. There are four verbs (“learned … received … heard … saw”), each preceded by the conjunction normally translated “and.” We must decide first how to translate the conjunctions. Grammatically, they can be taken in two basic ways. First, the obvious one is to take them as a series of conjunctions. But since the first one cannot be taken as “and” (as it does not stand between grammatical elements of the same type), it can be left untranslated (Revised Standard Version) or be rendered “also” (Moffatt). Secondly, it is possible to take the four conjunctions as forming two pairs of “both … and.” Variation of this basic pattern can be seen in dropping either the first “both” (Good News Translation Phillips) or in dropping both of them (New American Bible Bruce). In either case the underlying meaning remains the same.

The second question, related to the first, has to do with understanding the relation of the four verbs. It is possible to leave the question open by stringing all the verbs together (King James Version Revised Standard Version). However, one can understand the first three verbs as referring specifically to Paul’s teaching and the last to his example in life—thus Goodspeed: “Do the things that you learned, received, and heard from me, and that you saw me do” (cf. also La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). For translations that understand the conjunctions as consisting of “both … and” pairs, two possible renderings are possible. The first is to take the first pair as referring to Paul’s teachings and the second pair to his example, thus: “You must keep putting into practice the lessons you have learned from me, the instruction you have received from me, and the example I have given you in speech and in action” (Barclay). The second possibility is suggested by Good News Translation, that is, to take what the Philippians heard and saw as the content of what they learned and received, thus what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions (cf. also Phillips Bruce New American Bible).

Notice again the word order. In Greek the order is “what you learned and received from me … these things put into practice.” However, since the main verb and therefore the focus is on “put into practice,” a number of translations, including Good News Translation, restructure the order by beginning the sentence with the main verb.

The verb rendered put into practice is in the present imperative and indicates continuous action, so it can be rendered “you must keep putting into practice” (Barclay).

The verb rendered received is a technical term used for receiving a tradition (1 Cor 11.23; 15.3). Before the writing of the New Testament books and their acceptance by the church as authoritative Scripture, the teachings were handed down from a teacher to his disciples. Christian tradition in the New Testament generally consists of certain facts about Christ, interpretations of them, and ascribed Christian conduct based on them (1 Cor 11.23; 15.3 ff.; Gal 1.9; 2 Thes 2.15).

Put into practice is often rendered simply as “do,” and the verbal doublet learned and received may be best rendered in some languages simply as “learned,” since in this type of context received can only refer to what was actually learned from Paul. It is possible to render received in such a way as to suggest an implied tradition, for example, “what you learned, that I passed on to you.” In other languages it may be more natural to restructure the whole clause as “what I taught you and passed on to you” (cf. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The words from me are not in the Greek, but are understood from the phrase “in me” in the following clause.

Both from my words and from my actions (literally, “you both heard and saw in me”) is another way of saying “what you heard me say and what you saw me do” (Moffatt).

And the God who gives us peace will be with you is literally “and the God of peace will be with you.” As in 4.7, the conjunction and again points to what follows, and can therefore be rendered “and so” or “as a result.” “God of peace” obviously does not mean a peaceful God. In the Bible the emphasis in not upon the qualities of God but upon his acts. In this case, God is the one who gives us peace (cf. Rom 15.33; 16.20; 1 Thes 5.23). Us here is inclusive. The focus here is on “God who gives peace,” not on “peace which comes from God” as in 4.7 (see the discussion there). In this context it would seem appropriate to understand this phrase in the sense of “the God who causes us to rest in our hearts,” “… who frees us from anxieties,” or “… erases our worries.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Philippians 1:5

Paul now gives the reasons for his “joy” (not for his “thanksgiving” in verse 3, as Revised Standard Version suggests). The way in which you have helped me translates a Greek noun phrase “your partnership” (Revised Standard Version) or “your fellowship” (King James Version [King James Version]). The basic meaning of the word translated “partnership” is “participation in something with someone,” but it can have a more restricted meaning, that of “contributions” or “gifts” (cf. Rom 15.26; 2 Cor 9.13; Moffatt “what you have contributed to the gospel”). For this reason some commentators suggest that Paul is here referring to the Philippians’ tangible expression of Christian partnership, their gift of money. This interpretation may well be true, but the context seems to indicate that Paul is using “partnership” in a wider sense and hence refers to all the cooperation and share in the work of the gospel which the Philippians have shown, whether it be in the spreading of the gospel, in sympathy, in suffering, or in generosity.

Because of the way in which you have helped me may be rendered in some languages as “because of how you helped me,” “… how you made it easier for me,” or “… how you made it possible for me.”

In the work of the gospel is literally “into the gospel.” The word “gospel” originally meant a reward for bringing good news, but later it came to be used for good news itself, often the joyous news of victory in war. In the New Testament it always means good news itself and refers to the salvation that God has made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word appears nine times in Philippians and is used in a variety of ways. It is the message about Jesus Christ that is proclaimed (1.5; 4.15), defended (1.7, 16), promoted, spread, and advanced (4.3; 1.12; 2.22). It is also the standard of Christian living and basis of faith (1.27). The phrase in this context is not a reference to the Philippians’ sharing in accepting Paul’s preaching, but rather to their active participation in the work of the gospel. It may therefore be expressed as “in proclaiming the good news to others,” or “in the telling of the good news to others.”

The phrase from the very first day is obviously a reference to the beginning of Paul’s mission to Philippi (cf. Acts 16.12 ff.), and it may be essential to indicate this temporal relation. It may be rendered in some languages as “from the first day I was in Philippi until now,” or, perhaps better, “from the very first day you believed until now.”

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 .