SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002 – Page 11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:3

Section 1:3–11

Paul thanked God for the Philippians and prayed for them

In 1:3–11 Paul thanked God for the Philippian believers. He told them that he prayed for them and loved them very much.

Paragraph 1:3–8

Paul told the Philippians that he often thanked God for them and prayed for them. They were a great help to him in preaching the gospel, and Paul loved them deeply.

1:3

I thank my God: In some languages it is not possible to say “I thank God.” What a person says to God must be in direct speech. For example:

I say ‘thank you’ to God.

I: If you used “we” as the subject of any verbs in 1:1 and 1:2, make sure that it is clear that the subject of this verse is Paul alone.

my God: This refers to the God Paul worshiped, the God to whom he belonged. In many languages it is not possible to say my God, as if a person could own God. Possible ways of translating this are “the God I worship” and “God, my Lord.”

every time I remember you: The word remember here does not mean for someone to remember someone he had forgotten. It means to think about someone again.

© 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 2:5

Paragraph 2:5–8

Believers should think as Jesus did when he gave up his special place with God and humbled himself by becoming a man and dying on the cross.

Paul here turned the attention of his readers to Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is the supreme example of being humble and considering the needs of others more than his own.

2:5

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: There are two ways to understand this:

(1) Paul was saying that the Philippians should have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) Paul was saying that the Philippians should have this attitude among them, which is appropriate for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Revised Standard Version)

The following verses (2:6–11) describe the attitude that Christ Jesus had. Interpretation (1) fits better in this context. So it is recommended that you follow it in your translation.

Let this mind be in you: A person’s mind is the way he thinks about something. A person with a proud attitude is someone who thinks that he is more important than others. Someone with a humble attitude is one who does not think proudly about himself. Instead, he thinks about how important others are. 2:6–8 show that Jesus’ attitude was humble.

Christ Jesus: See note on 1:1a.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:16

3:16

Nevertheless: The word Nevertheless implies that Paul was emphasizing an important point. In English it could be expressed as “In any case…” or “However…” or “The important thing is…”

we must live up to what we have already attained: Paul was saying, “Let each of us act consistently with the level we have reached as Christians.” This means that believers should obey what they already know God wants them to do and to be. One way to translate this would be to follow the SSA:

we(incl.) must act/live according to what God has already revealed to us(incl.) (SSA)

Another possibility is:

let us(incl.) obey what we(incl.) know ⌊God has already revealed to us (incl.)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:14

1:14a

In the Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that could be translated as “and”. This verse tells another good thing that happened because Paul was in prison. If you need to make this connection clear, you could begin with a phrase like: “And that is not all.”

the brothers: See note on 1:12a.

1:14b

confident: This comes from the Greek word peithō. The form of the verb used here means “to be confident” or “to trust.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this same Greek word as “confident” in 1:6 and “trust” in 2:24, and as “convinced” in 1:25. It is recommended that you translate it with a term meaning “have been made confident” or “have been given confidence.”

in the Lord: It is not clear in the Greek text which part of the verse this phrase connects to. There are two possibilities:

(1) It should be connected to what follows it in the Greek text, that is, the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “confident.” In this case the phrase “confident in the Lord” would mean “the Lord has caused them to be confident.” The brothers were more bold to tell about Christ because of this confidence that the Lord had given them. The majority of commentators support this interpretation. (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version)

(2) It should be connected to what precedes it in the Greek text, that is, “the brothers.” This would then mean “believing brothers” or “Christians.” (New International Version, King James Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

by my chains: Paul said that his chains had given the other Christians courage, but he did not say how this was done. He may have meant that they gained courage by seeing the way God had helped him while he was in prison.

1:14c

more greatly: In the Greek this is a verb form, literally “much more to dare.” The believers became much bolder/braver than they had been before. They knew some people were against the Christian message. That is why Paul was in prison. But when they saw Paul continue to speak about his Savior even though he was in prison, this increased their courage. If you have a verb meaning “to be brave,” you may use it here. In some languages it will be necessary to use an adjective meaning “bold, courageous” or an adverb meaning “boldly, courageously.”

the word: Some Greek texts have the full phrase “the word of God” and other Greek texts have simply the word. However, these two phrases clearly refer to the same thing, that is, “the message from God.” Therefore, it is recommended that you include the words “of God.”

without fear: This describes the way in which the believers preached. You may need to translate this as a separate sentence at the end of the verse. For example:

They are not afraid.

In some languages it may be necessary to provide an object specifying of whom the brothers were not afraid. If this is the case in your language, you may supply an object such as “unbelievers.”

General Comment on 1:14

In some languages it may be best to give the reason (1:14b) at the end of the verse. For example:

The Lord has caused the brothers to be more confident and to preach the word of God more boldly and without fear. This has happened because I have been in prison.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:16

2:16a

hold forth the word of life: There are two ways to understand this phrase:

(1) It means to hold forth the word of life, to proclaim it so that others can know God. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, King James Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It means to hold on to the word of life, to continue believing it so that the believer will not fail to trust God. (Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

Interpretation (1) fits better in this context, and it is recommended that you follow it.

the word of life: This means the message that brings/gives eternal life.

2:16b

This clause refers back generally to all the things Paul taught in 2:14–16a.

in order that I may boast: The notes on 2:16c explain what Paul would boast about. Two ways to show how this clause joins to 2:16a could be:

⌊ Do this⌋so that I can be proud.
-or-

⌊ If you do this⌋then I can boast.

boast: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as boast here means “to be proud of someone or something” or “to be very happy and confident about something or someone.” This Greek word occurs also in 1:26, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “exultation,” and in its root form in 3:3, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “glory.”

Some languages may have more than one word for boast. People may use a different word depending on whether they think boasting is a good thing or a bad thing to do. For example, in English, the word boast usually has a negative meaning, but the phrase “be proud of” is more positive. Paul obviously felt that it was good for him to boast here. Therefore, if your language has more than one word for boasting, choose the one with the positive meaning.

the day of Christ: See note on 1:6b.

2:16c

Paul told here what he would boast about. If the Philippian believers remained faithful to God, he would be able to boast that his work among them had made a difference in how they thought and acted. In some languages the translator may need to use a direct quote. For example:

I will not have to say, “I taught them in vain.”

that I did not run or labor in vain: Paul meant that he would be proud that his hard work had proved useful or profitable. It had not been a waste of effort.

run: This does not literally mean run. Paul was using the metaphor of a person running a race in order to receive a prize (see also Hebrews 12:1 and Philippians 3:12–14). He meant making great efforts to faithfully teach the good news. Paul would be proud when he knew that the ones he taught had been faithful to Christ.

labor: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as labor means “to work hard, toil.” It implies that Paul struggled and suffered and became weary while he was taking the gospel to the Philippians.

in vain: The phrase in vain means “in vain, with no good results.”

General Comment on 2:16c

Notice that Paul used two negatives in the same phrase (“not…in vain”). This is not possible in every language. Sometimes it is necessary to restate the phrase a positive way. The second meaning line in the Display for 2:16c gives one example of how to do this. Another way could be:

…that I finished the race and that my work was successful.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:6

4:6a

Be anxious for nothing: Paul was saying, “Do not worry about anything.” He did not mean the believers should not be concerned about serious problems or important things. But he did not want them to worry habitually as unbelievers did because they did not trust in God to help them.

4:6b

but in everything: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase which the Berean Standard Bible translates as in everything :

(1) It refers to every situation or problem. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, God’s Word)

(2) It refers to every prayer and petition. (Good News Translation, NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1), which is supported by the great majority of commentaries and translations. Whatever problem the believers were having, they should pray to God and not worry.

by prayer: This refers to praying to God in a general sense.

and petition: This refers to a specific kind of prayer: when a person asks God for something.

with thanksgiving: This also is how believers should pray—thanking God. It implies that whenever the believer prays to God, he should thank God. Paul did not say what the Philippians should thank God for, but it could include his goodness and love to them, previous prayers he had answered and many other things.

present your requests to God: This means:

ask God for what you need (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:25

1:25a

Convinced of this: Paul meant “Since I am sure of this….” Most commentators think that the word this refers to Paul’s conclusion in 1:24. The phrase would then mean “Since I am sure that it is more important for your sake that I continue to live.” See 1:25a in the Display.

1:25b

will remain and will continue: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as remain and continue are from the same basic Greek word. Some commentators think that the word continue only adds emphasis to the word remain. But there are two main ideas here: Paul expected to remain alive and Paul expected to be able to remain with the Philippian believers. So in most languages this phrase is translated using two separate verbs. Some ways to do this are:

…my life will not end yet and I will still be with you
-or-
…I will continue living and I will still be able to help you.

1:25c

for your progress and joy in the faith: This means “[I shall remain with you ] in order that your faith and your joy in the faith will progress.” Paul believed that he would continue living in order to help the Philippian believers believe more and be more joyful as they trusted Christ. Another way you could express this is:

⌊ I shall continue to live⌋to help you believe more strongly and to help you rejoice because of your believing.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:6

3:6a

zeal: The word zeal means “a strong feeling in favor of something.” Here it means that Paul strongly desired to be religious and to encourage people to honor God. This was an attitude that the Jews highly respected. You could translate the word zeal (or the phrase “as for zeal”) as:

I strongly desired to honor God.

persecuting the church: Before Paul became a believer, he had greatly harmed those who followed Christ. He beat some, put others in prison and caused others to die (Acts 8:1–3, 9:1–2). He did this because he thought they were against the Jewish laws and the Jewish religion. He thought the best way he could serve God was to get rid of Jesus’ disciples.

the church: This refers to Christ’s followers, not to any building they met in. You could translate this as “those who believed in Jesus” or “the people who followed Jesus.”

3:6b

righteousness in the law: This is literally “righteousness that is in law.” This law refers to the law of Moses, found in the first five books of the Old Testament. Paul meant that he did what was right according to the Jewish laws. He was righteous in an external or legal sense. But this is different from being righteous according to God’s standard, which is based on what people think and desire, not just what they do.

faultless: When Paul wrote this letter, he knew he was a sinner. But here in 3:6 he was thinking about the time before he believed in Christ. He claimed that at that previous time he had obeyed all the Jewish laws. No one could have blamed him or said he was at fault for disobeying any of the Jewish laws. You could translate the word faultless here as “no one could find one law that I disobeyed.” In some languages it may be helpful to reverse the order in this phrase. For example:

There is no one who can accuse me of disobeying the law, because I obeyed it all.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002