SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002 – Page 11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:19

1:19b

through your prayers: This refers to the fact that the Philippians had been praying for Paul. So you could also translate this as:

because you are asking God to help me

the Spirit of Jesus Christ: Commentators agree that the Spirit of Jesus Christ refers to the Holy Spirit. Similar expressions occur in Acts 16:9; Romans 8:9 and 1 Peter 1:11. Your translation should be clear enough that those who read your translation do not think that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is different from the Holy Spirit. They are two names for the same Spirit. You could translate the Spirit of Jesus Christ as “the Spirit who comes from Jesus Christ” or as “the Spirit sent by Jesus Christ.”

1:19c

my distress will turn out for my deliverance: These words are a quotation from Job 13:16 in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

my distress: The Greek word touto, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as my distress, literally means “this.” Paul probably had the whole situation in mind. “This” refers to what was happening to Paul at the time he was writing the letter, that is, the fact that he was in prison and waiting for a court trial, and also to the fact that people were preaching about Christ.

will turn out for: This is an idiom meaning “will lead to” or “will result in.”

my deliverance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates deliverance is sōtēria, the word often translated “salvation.” So there are two ways to interpret sōtēria here:

(1) It means “salvation.” Paul was saying that the result of what was happening would be that God would save him. Paul would persevere in the faith and would be saved from sin, evil, Satan’s attacks and final spiritual death. Whether he lived or died, the enemies of the gospel would not destroy him. Many commentaries follow this option. (King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means deliverance. Paul was confident that the authorities would release him from prison. So he would be delivered or set free from his imprisonment and would not be put to death (at least at that time). (Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

Interpretation (1) seems to fit better here because of the context of 1:20. Paul was determined to honor Christ, whether it was by the way he lived or the way he died. Paul evidently considered death a genuine possibility, and interpretation (2) does not appear to allow for this. Therefore, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul believed that the result of what was happening to him (being in prison and facing a court trial) would be that God would bring him safely through both life and death to complete salvation in the presence of Jesus.

General Comment on 1:19b–c

In some languages it may be better to reorder 1:19 by putting 1:19c before 1:19b. You could translate it as:

a I know that c this will result in God saving me b because of your prayers and the help of the Spirit who comes from Jesus Christ.

© 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 2:30

2:30a

because: The Greek word could also be translated “since.” This verse explains why the Philippians should honor Epaphroditus.

for the work of Christ: That is, Epaphroditus was serving Christ when he went to help Paul.

risking his life: This repeats the same idea as “he almost died.” A person is risking his life when he does something that might cause him to die. Paul did not say what this was, but it was probably whatever caused Epaphroditus to become sick.

It may be necessary in some languages to reverse these two phrases. See the second Meaning Line in the Display.

2:30b

to make up for your deficit of service to me: The Philippian believers wanted to help Paul, but they could not all go to Rome. So they had sent Epaphroditus with their gifts to help Paul. He represented them as he helped Paul. One way you could translate this more clearly is:

He helped me as you would have if you had been here.

Be sure your translation does not sound as if Paul were complaining that the Philippians had not done enough for him.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:11

4:11a

I am not saying this out of need: By the word this, Paul was referring to what he had just said in 4:10. Paul did not want to imply, by the fact he rejoiced at the gift the Philippians had sent, that he needed or did not need anything.

out of need: This could refer to:

(1) material, financial need—poverty; (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, King James Version)

(2) a feeling of neglect. For example:

because I feel neglected (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).

4:11b

I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances: Paul meant that Christ (4:13) had taught him how to be satisfied no matter what happened to him. In 4:12 he gave specific examples.

I have learned: Paul meant that he had discovered through what he had experienced how to be content whatever the circumstances.

regardless of my circumstances: The Greek is literally “in which [things] I am.” This can be understood in two ways:

(1) It means “in whatever circumstances I am”. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, NET Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word)

(2) It means “with the possessions which I have”. (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). 4:12 makes it clear that Paul had learned to be content in whatever situation God put him.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:30

1:30a–b

the same struggle you saw I had: People were persecuting the Philippian believers because of what they as Christians believed. This was similar to the way they had persecuted Paul when he had been in Philippi. See Acts 16:19–24.

struggle: The Greek word used here refers to a conflict, a contest or a fight. This includes the idea of suffering.

you saw I had: The Philippians had witnessed what Paul had suffered for Christ in Philippi. He was beaten and put in prison.

hear that I still have: Here Paul was referring to the suffering he was experiencing while in prison in Rome. The Philippians would have heard about this from Epaphroditus, who carried the letter to them. In both Philippi and Rome Paul continued preaching the good news about Jesus, even though this was why the authorities put him in prison in both of those cities.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:11

3:11

and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead: The Greek phrase ei pōs that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so, somehow can be understood in three ways:

(1) It means “so that in some way….” It therefore shows purpose. Paul wanted these things (3:10) in order that he could be among those whom God would cause to live again after they died. For example:

so that somehow I also may be raised to life (Contemporary English Version)

(2) It means “in the hope of somehow….” It therefore shows hope. Paul wanted these things (3:10) because he hoped and expected that God would cause him to live again after he died. For example:

in the hope that I myself will be raised from the dead (Good News Translation)

(3) It means “that if possible….” It therefore shows doubt about whether Paul would reach the resurrection. For example:

that if possible I might reach the resurrection from the dead (Revised Standard Version)

The first interpretation is recommended (1).

to attain: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to attain refers to reaching a place one was aiming for. Here it is used as a metaphor and it refers to reaching an objective or obtaining something one was working for. In some languages it may be necessary to remove the metaphor. Then this phrase could be translated:

that I may be among those whom God will raise from the dead

the resurrection from the dead: This refers to the time when God will make everyone come alive again.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:22

4:22a

All the saints send you greetings: The phrase All the saints apparently represents the larger group of believers in Rome, all those who were followers of Christ in that city.

4:22b

especially those from the household of Caesar: The phrase household of Caesar refers to those believers who in some way worked for the Roman emperor.

those from the household of Caesar: It is not likely that Paul was referring to the emperor’s relatives. He probably meant people who worked in the emperor’s palace as slaves or other servants as well as those who worked for the emperor as scribes, soldiers or administrators throughout the city of Rome.

Caesar: This was originally the proper name of the Roman emperor, but it came to be used as the title of the emperor or leader of the Roman Empire. It is better, therefore, to translate it as “Roman emperor” or “Roman king” than to transliterate it as a proper name.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:9

Paragraph 1:9–11

Paul prayed that the Philippians would love one another more and more, and would be pure and blameless so that other people would honor and praise God.

1:9a

And this is my prayer: In 1:4 Paul said he prayed for the Philippians. Here in 1:9–11 he told them specifically what he was praying. If in your language it is necessary to translate prayer with a verb, use a verb tense that gives the idea of habitual action in the present: “I pray (regularly, habitually, repeatedly)….”

that your love may abound more and more: Some languages have a special way to mark the content of a wish or a prayer. For example, in English we use the auxiliary verb may. If you have such a marker, you should use it here.

love: The Greek text, like most English translations, does not make it clear whom the Philippians were to love. The text could refer to loving one another or it could refer to loving God. Paul was probably including both ideas. Therefore, if possible you should not say in your translation whom the Philippians were to love. Then your readers will understand that it includes both these ideas. However, if you must provide an object, it is recommended that you say that the Philippians were to love one another.

abound more and more: The verb abound here means “grow” or “increase.” In some languages love cannot “grow,” but there may be another idiom for love becoming stronger or more intense. Or, if you cannot use an idiom, you could try expressing this meaning as

You already love each other a little, now love each other a lot.

Paul used the phrase abound more and more to emphasize that he desired the Philippians’ love to grow.

1:9b

knowledge and depth of insight: Commentators understand this phrase in two main ways:

(1) The phrase knowledge and depth of insight refers to two things that Paul wanted to see increase along with the Philippians’ love.

(2) The phrase knowledge and depth of insight shows the way in which their love needed to grow, that is, the Philippians were to grow in love that had knowledge and depth of insight.

Either interpretation is possible. The Display follows the first interpretation (1). However, if you prefer to follow the second (2), you could say:

that you will continue loving more and more in a way that is wise and discerning

knowledge: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as knowledge is related to a verb that means “to know something truly or completely.” Paul did not specify what sort of knowledge he was talking about. It could refer to:

(1) understanding God and how he wants us to behave. For example:

that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices (1:9b-10a, Contemporary English Version)

(2) knowledge of the truth in general. For example:

true knowledge (Good News Translation)

If you must be explicit, then choose the first option (1), that is, Paul was referring to knowing God and what God wants us to do.

depth of insight: This is literally “all judgment/discernment.” This phrase means to understand all kinds of things in a spiritual sense, to know what is true and right in every situation. This idea continues in 1:10.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:11

2:11a

every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord: 2:11a repeats the same basic meaning that is in 2:10a but uses a different figure of speech. It means that everyone will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the supreme Lord over all creation. In order to honor Jesus two things will happen: everyone will bow to Jesus Christ as Lord and everyone will say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In some languages this requires a direct quote. For example:

everybody will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord of all”
-or-
everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is the one who rules us(incl.).”

every tongue: The phrase every tongue is a figure of speech that represents every created being that is able to think and speak. It is parallel to the phrase “every knee” in 2:10a.

confess: Here confess means “to say something openly and publicly.” It means to acknowledge something that is true, or to tell others something you know that is true. The word confess here does not mean to confess sin.

This does not mean that everyone will happily or gladly acknowledge Jesus as Lord. But God will force Satan and all who previously have refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord to admit that Jesus is Lord.

2:11b

to the glory of God the Father: People will say “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and by saying this they will give glory to God, the Father of Jesus Christ. The statement “Jesus Christ is Lord” will not mean that Jesus is taking glory away from the Father. He has the lordship (authority) that the Father has given him. Jesus will be Lord of all creation but will still be under the authority of his Father, God. This is God’s plan, and so this will glorify God the Father.

There are several possible ways to translate the phrase to the glory of God the Father. For example:

…and therefore all people will praise our(incl.) Father, God.
-or-
…and ⌊this will result in⌋ people saying that God the Father is very, very great.
-or-
…and his Father, God, will receive honor when this happens.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002