SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002 – Page 10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:8

2:8a

Some possible translations for the clause in 2:8a are:

After he became a human being…
-or-
While he was a human being…
-or-
While he lived here on the earth as a man….

Some versions place this phrase (2:8a) at the end of 2:7. However, it is recommended that you place it at the beginning of 2:8 as the Berean Standard Bible has done. 2:8 then begins by repeating the same idea in different words with which 2:7 ended:

7b…being made in human likeness.
-or-
8a…being found in appearance as a man….

And being found in appearance as a man: This does not mean that Christ was found by someone. It means that people could see that he looked like a man.

appearance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appearance refers to the outward or external shape of something. But Christ did not just look like a man, he really was a man.

2:8b

He humbled Himself: In the context of 2:7–8 this means that Christ gave up even more of his own rights and advantages. He took the next step of humbling himself. He had lived as a human, and now he also died as a human.

2:8c

became obedient to death: This does not mean that Jesus obeyed death. It means that he obeyed God completely, even though this led to his death. There are several ways you could translate this. For example:

He did what God wanted to the extent that he was willing to die.
-or-
He obeyed God even though it resulted in people killing him.

death: In many languages translators must render this as a verb. For example: “he died” or “people killed him.”

2:8d

even death on a cross: Dying on a cross was the most shaming and painful kind of punishment the Romans gave. It was the kind of punishment they used only for dangerous criminals and slaves. So the phrase even death on a cross shows how far Jesus was willing to humble himself.

Possible translations are:

even dying ⌊in a disgraceful way⌋ on a cross
-or-
dying ⌊like a criminal⌋ on a cross

© 2002 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:19

3:19a

end: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as end refers to the conclusion or end result of their lives.

destruction: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as destruction also means “ruin.” It is the opposite of “salvation.” In some languages it may be necessary to translate this as a verb and say, “they will be ruined/destroyed.” In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb and provide a subject. It is God who will destroy them.

3:19b

their god is their belly: This Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as their belly could have one of two meanings:

(1) It is a figure of speech referring to the desires of their bodies, including desires for food and sex and other earthly pleasures. For example:

their bodily desires (Good News Translation)
-or-
what their bodies want (New Century Version)

(2) It refers to their literal stomachs. Food and drink was what they were most concerned about. (New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

Most English versions use “stomach” or belly, which can be take either literally or as a figure of speech. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In the context of the rest of 3:19 (the more general ideas of shameful things and earthly things), it seems that 3:19b also refers to the more general idea of the desires of the body rather than just the desire for food.

By saying that the desires of their bodies were their god, Paul meant that they obeyed these desires as they would a god.

One way to translate this is:

They care only about the things they want here on earth.

3:19c

their glory: This means that these people glory in something or are proud of something.

their shame: This refers to the shameful things these people do. For example, it refers to the sort of things Paul talked about in 3:19b.

The things they did were shameful and they ought to have been ashamed of them, but they were not. In fact, they were even proud of the way they behaved. The whole phrase then means that they were proud of the things they did, things of which they ought to have been ashamed.

In many languages it will not be possible to use nouns like “glory” and shame, but it will be necessary to use verbs. For example:

They are proud of what they should be ashamed of (Good News Translation)
-or-
They…brag about the disgusting things they do (Contemporary English Version)

3:19d

Their minds are set on earthly things: These people constantly thought about the things on earth. In fact, the only things they paid attention to were things on the earth, things like food, clothes, pleasure. One way to translate this is:

They only ever think about the things on earth.

General Comment on 3:19

In some languages it seems better to place 3:19a at the end of the verse, because it gives the result of the other things Paul talked about in this verse. For example:

So ⌊as a result of this God⌋ will finally destroy them.

However, if you think this might be helpful in your language, consider carefully how you will then maintain the contrast Paul made by putting “earth” (3:19d) and “heaven” (3:20a) close together.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:17

1:17a

The former, however: This refers back to the group of people Paul was talking about in 1:15a, that is, those who preached about Christ because they envied him and were his rivals. See comments on chiasmus at the beginning of this paragraph.

out of: This is the same Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “in” in 1:16 and indicates the cause of these people’s preaching.

selfish ambition: The Greek word translated by the Berean Standard Bible as selfish ambition is also found in Romans 2:8; Galatians 5:20 and 2 Corinthians 12:20. Here Paul meant that these people wanted to be important. They wanted people to respect them and obey them rather than Paul, so they tried to get more people to follow them than Paul had.

not sincerely: These people preached for the wrong reason, selfishly, for their own advancement rather than for the good of others and the glory of God.

It some languages it may be clearer to reverse the ideas of not sincerely and “selfish ambition.” For example:

They do not proclaim the message about Christ sincerely, but they preach about him with selfish ambition.

1:17b

supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains: The Greek literally says “thinking to raise up affliction.” This means that these jealous believers intended to cause trouble for Paul. However, it is implied that what they thought was wrong. Paul continued to rejoice because the gospel was preached.

they can add to the distress of my chains: This refers not to physical suffering but to inward suffering. These rival preachers probably thought that their success would make Paul jealous of them.

of my chains: As in 1:7, this means “in prison.”

General Comment on 1:15–17

These verses form a chiasmus, as explained in the introductory note to this paragraph. If your language does not naturally use chiasmus, you should use what is a natural order in you language. For example:

15a Some preach about Christ out of envy. 17a They do so because they have selfish ambition…. 15b Others ⌊preach about Christ⌋ out of goodwill. 16 They preach because they love me….

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:28

2:28a

Therefore: You could translate this as “So…” or “For this reason…” or “That is why…” In 2:27 Paul gave his reason for wanting to send Epaphroditus back.

I am all the more eager to send him: Probably Paul already wanted to send Epaphroditus back to thank the Philippian believers for their gifts and to let them know how he was doing. But after Epaphroditus got sick and then recovered, Paul wanted even more eagerly to send him back so that the Philippians would know that he was no longer sick. Therefore, Paul said here that he was all the more eager to send him.

send him: It may be necessary to supply the implied information of where Paul was sending Epaphroditus:

send him ⌊back to you⌋

2:28b

so that when you see him again you may rejoice: Paul wanted to send Epaphroditus back in order to make the Philippian believers happy. Presumably they would be happy to see Epaphroditus again. And they would also be happy and relieved to know that he was no longer sick.

again: Translations differ in how they understand the word again :

(1) again goes with the verb “see.” The Philippians would see Epaphroditus again after his absence in Rome. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

(2) again goes with the verb “rejoice.” When they saw Epaphroditus safe and well, the Philippians would be happy once more. (Good News Translation)

Although both interpretations are possible from the order of the Greek words, there is no reason why Paul would have spoken of the Philippians rejoicing again when he had not mentioned them rejoicing before in this letter. So it is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).

2:28c

and I may be less anxious: Paul was sending Epaphroditus back to relieve two problems. It would mean that the Philippians would no longer worry about Epaphroditus. And it would also mean that Paul would no longer be anxious about the Philippians because they were worrying about Epaphroditus.

less anxious: The normal meaning of the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as less anxious is “without pain.” In this context, it does not refer to physical pain, but anxiety or sorrow. Most commentators agree that this form of the Greek word does not mean that Paul would have no sorrow/anxiety, but that his sorrow/anxiety would be lessened.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:9

4:9

Scholars do not agree about how the first four verbs in 4:9 (“learned,” “received,” “heard,” “seen”) connect together. There are three possibilities:

(1) There are two pairs of verbs. The first two verbs refer to the instructions Paul gave the Philippians when he was away from them. The last two verbs may refer to what the Philippians learned from Paul when he was with them. (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version)

(2) The four verbs are all separate and do not fit into any smaller group. (King James Version, Revised Standard Version)

(3) The first three verbs go together, and the last one is by itself. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first option as it has the strongest support from commentaries (1).

4:9a

Whatever you have learned or received: This refers to the things the Philippians had learned and accepted from Paul. Some versions have combined this into one phrase, for example:

the teachings I gave you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
all you learned from me (New Living Translation (2004))

4:9b

heard from me, or seen in me: This refers to the messages the Philippians heard Paul preach and the things they saw him do while he was with them.

in me: Paul was telling the believers at Philippi how he had acted when he was among them. They saw in what he did an example of each of the qualities he described in 4:8. The phrase in me is thus related in meaning to all four verbs “learned,” “received,” “heard,” and “seen,” but grammatically it is connected just to “seen.” It may be necessary to supply “from me” with the other three verbs, as the Berean Standard Bible has done.

put it into practice: Paul was asking them to follow his example, to obey his teaching and to imitate how he had acted.

4:9c

And: That is, “as a result of doing all this.”

the God of peace will be with you: God would give the Philippian believers peace of heart and peace with one another if they would follow the instructions that Paul had been giving them.

the God of peace: This means “the God who gives peace” (Good News Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:28

1:28a

without being frightened: It may be helpful to translate this as a command. For example:

Do not have [any] fear [of those who oppose you.]
-or-
Do not [let your enemies] frighten you [at all.]

in any way: The phrase in any way gives emphasis. The Good News Translation shows this emphasis by using two verbs:

don’t be afraid…always be courageous (Good News Translation)

Two translation suggestions that express this emphasis are:

Do not let your enemies find any way to frighten you.
-or-
Do not be afraid of them at all.

those who oppose you: This refers to people who were enemies of the gospel and therefore opposed those who believed in Christ. Possible translations are:

those who persecute you
-or-
those who cause you trouble

The enemies mentioned here in 1:27–28 were probably non-Christians who were persecuting the believers in Philippi as they had persecuted Paul when he was in Philippi (Acts 16).

1:28b

This is a clear sign: In other words: “This is proof to your enemies.” The word This refers back to the phrase “without being frightened” in 1:28a. The believers were not afraid to be faithful to God even though they suffered. This fearlessness was a sign that God controlled their lives and therefore that those who opposed the believers were opposing God.

their destruction: This implies that God would eternally destroy them. The word destruction refers to spiritual ruin. It means that they would not live eternally with God.

of your salvation: This implies that God would give the Philippians eternal life.

It may be more natural in your language to reverse these last two clauses. For example:

God will save you but he will destroy them.

1:28c

and it is from God: This can be understood in three main ways:

(1) God was the one who caused all this to happen. In this case the word it (Greek touto) refers in a general way to all of 1:28, to the courage of the believers and what their courage proved. God caused them not to be afraid and so gave evidence that he would destroy the enemies and save the believers. (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version)

(2) God is the one who gave the sign. The Greek word touto specifically refers back to the word “sign”. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word)

(3) God is the one who will save the believers and destroy their enemies. (New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version and New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:9

3:9a

and: This is a further purpose for which Paul considered everything as if it were rubbish.

be found in Him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be found was used idiomatically to refer to someone being in a certain place or situation. The meaning is “be in fact in him,” “prove to be in him” or “turn out to be in him.” It did not refer to someone else finding Paul in some way.

Some translation ideas for this part of the verse are:

so that I might belong to him
-or-
so that I might live in unity with him
-or-
so that I might be joined together with him

3:9b

not having my own righteousness: Paul had learned that nothing he could do as a good Jew could make him truly righteous as far as God was concerned, even if he appeared “righteous” to other people. So he no longer wanted this kind of false righteousness.

righteousness: In the context of 3:9b, this refers to Paul’s attempt to earn a right relationship to God by behaving in a morally upright manner. Before he became a Christian, Paul had thought that his own efforts would make him acceptable to God. See “righteousness”, under “just”, sense C4 in Key Biblical Terms.

from the law: Paul was referring to the time in the past when he tried to be right with God by keeping the Jewish laws. Notice in 3:6b he used a similar phrase “righteousness in the law” (that is, “what is right in terms of the law”). In that verse Paul claimed that he was faultless in that kind of righteousness. But here in 3:9b he stated that he had rejected that righteousness. Then in 3:9c–d he contrasted it with the righteousness that a person receives by trusting in Christ.

Some translation ideas for “my own righteousness from the law” are:

my own righteousness that comes from ⌊obeying⌋ the law
-or-
for ⌊God to consider⌋ me righteous because ⌊I did⌋ what the law says

3:9c

that which is through faith in Christ: This refers to that true righteousness, which a person receives by trusting in Christ. Paul explained this further in 3:9d.

3:9d

the righteousness from God on the basis of faith: Here Paul made it clear what kind of righteousness he had been talking about in 3:9c. It is the righteousness that God gives to those who trust in Christ. A person is not righteous because of how he behaves or because people consider him good or right. He is truly righteous when God declares him so because he trusts in Christ.

on the basis of faith: You could translate this as “for those who believe.” It refers to those who trust Christ to save them. Notice that this is very similar to 3:9c.

General Comment on 3:9c–d

As 3:9c and 3:9d overlap in meaning, in some languages it may be better to combine them. For example:

God gives me a right relationship with him that is for those who believe in Christ.
-or-
God declares me righteous because I trust in Christ.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:20

4:20

To our God and Father be glory: This phrase is like a prayer. It expresses the desire that people would glorify God, that is, praise him and acknowledge that he is great and glorious. See the note on 1:11c.

our God and Father: The word our modifies both God and Father. It means that God is the God we worship and that he is like a father to us. See the note on 1:2 on “our Father.”

forever and ever: God’s people should praise him forever, without end, for all ages to come.

Amen: This is from a Hebrew word which means to approve and confirm as true what someone has just said. In many languages people will already be familiar with it and so it is possible to transliterate it. Otherwise it can be translated “This is true” or “Let it be so.”

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002