4:3a

Yes: This particle here is used to strengthen or emphasize Paul’s request. It is not necessary to translate it with the same word you use to indicate agreement (the normal use of the English word Yes). Other English versions have used “indeed” or “moreover.”

you: The word you is singular here. This is the only time in the letter to Philippians that Paul addressed just one person.

my true: This refers to what is true or genuine. Paul was referring to a person who was not false but true to his claim of being a faithful disciple of Christ. People could depend on him.

yokefellow: The Greek word suzugos here means “fellow worker” or “partner.” There are two ways to interpret this term:

(1) It is a common noun, not a name. Paul very likely was referring to someone in the church who could help the two women agree. But Paul did not say who that person was. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, NET Bible, Good News Translation, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It is a name. The person Paul was talking to was a member of the church at Philippi and his name was Syzygos. Paul was using both the name and its meaning, as he did with the name “Onesimus” in Philemon 11. (New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word)

Interpretation (1) has strong commentary support. Also the name Syzygos is not known elsewhere in Greek literature. So it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

to help these women: In some languages it may be necessary to say explicitly what Paul wanted this man to help the women to do. If you need to do this in your language, you could say “help these women to live in peace with each other” or “…to agree with one another.”

4:3b

who have labored with me for the gospel: Paul reminded his “yokefellow” that Euodia and Syntyche had worked hard with Paul to defend the gospel and to tell people about Christ.

who: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as who has been understood in several ways:

(1) It introduces a reason: “for they, since they…” (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It defines the women: “[the women] who…” (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version)

(3) It begins a new clause that comments on the women’s work: “they [contended]…” (NET Bible, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

The first interpretation has the strongest commentary support and is recommended (1).

labored with me: The Greek word that Berean Standard Bible translates as labored is the same word that Paul used in 1:27 (see note on 1:27c–d). It means to join someone else in a struggle to do something. It means to work hard together to overcome something.

for the gospel: This is literally “in the gospel.” You may need to supply a verb such as “spreading” or “defending.”

4:3c

along with Clement: These women were not the only people who had helped Paul to defend and spread the gospel of Christ. Clement and others had also helped Paul in this way.

Clement: This is a man’s name. We know nothing else about him except that he was a believer and a co-worker of Paul’s.

and the rest of my fellow workers: Other believers had also worked with Paul to help people know what was true about Jesus Christ.

So in 4:3, Paul mentioned three groups of people who had helped him spread the gospel: the two women (Euodia and Syntyche), Clement and the rest of his fellow workers.

4:3d

whose names are in the Book of Life: Although this may appear to relate only to the phrase “the rest of my fellow workers,” it does not exclude the other people mentioned in 4:3. The names of Euodia, Syntyche and Clement are also in the book of life.

the Book of Life: The phrase the Book of Life refers to God’s record of true believers who will live forever.

© 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.

3:3a

we: The word we in this verse includes the Philippians as well as Paul. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that the word does not include the Judaizers. For example:

It is we(incl.), not them, who are the circumcision….

the circumcision: When Paul was referred to himself and the Philippians as the circumcision, he meant that they were the true people of God.

3:3b

worship by the Spirit of God: There is a textual problem with this part of the verse. The two possibilities are:

(1) “worship by/in the Spirit of God”; (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version)

(2) “worship God by/in the Spirit/spirit”; (Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New Living Translation (2004); probably Good News Translation, New Century Version)

There is no real difference in meaning. It is recommended that you follow the first option (1). Paul was saying that true believers worship with the help of God’s Spirit. However, in some languages it will be necessary to supply an object for worship. If this is true in your language, you should use “God” as the object of worship.

Some ideas for translating 3:3b are:

We worship ⌊God⌋ because his Spirit helps us.
-or-
God’s Spirit is the one who helps us to worship ⌊God/him⌋.

the Spirit of God: This refers to the Holy Spirit.

General Comment on 3:3a–b

One way to translate 3:3a–b is:

We are the true people of God, for by means of God’s ⌊Holy⌋ Spirit we worship ⌊God⌋.

3:3c

who glory in Christ Jesus: Here Paul was saying that true believers are proud only of Christ Jesus, and depend only on Christ Jesus to save them.

glory: In this context the Greek word kauchaomai, that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory, means “to be proud of something,” “to boast about something” or “to rejoice about something.” The same Greek word was used in 2:16 though the form and context are slightly different.

Some ways to translate the whole phrase are:

We boast because Christ Jesus ⌊is the one who saves us⌋.
-or-
Christ Jesus is the one we are proud of.

and who put no confidence in the flesh: This says the same thing as the previous clause but in a negative way. The believer cannot depend on anything but Christ. He cannot trust traditional ceremonies, such as circumcision, or any achievements of his own.

put…confidence: In Greek this is one word, a verb that means “to trust ⌊in something⌋, to rely/depend ⌊on something or someone⌋.”

flesh: The Berean Standard Bible translates this from the Greek word sarx, which literally means flesh. This word sarx is an important term in the New Testament. However, it is used in different ways in different contexts. It is important, therefore, to make the meaning clear in each passage and not just translate it literally.

In this passage (3:3–6), sarx refers to human tradition, human effort, things to do with the earthly life, and more specifically, things that are outward or external. Paul made a clear contrast between the earthly (3:3–6) and the spiritual (3:7–11). See “flesh” in Key Biblical Terms.

Here are some ideas for how to translate the phrase “who put no confidence in the flesh”:

We do not depend on earthly/physical things.
-or-
We do not believe ⌊God will save us⌋ because of the things we do as humans.
-or-
We do not depend on earthly behavior ⌊like circumcision to save us⌋.

General Comment on 3:2–3

Some translations have avoided using the idea of “circumcision” in 3:2–3. See 3:2c and 3:3a in the Display. However, circumcision is a very important term in the Bible and at some point you will have to decide how to translate it. Some translations say “cutting ritual,” “cutting ceremony” or “body-cutting ceremony.” Others have tried to follow the Greek and use a word that means circular cutting or cutting around. If you have a glossary in your translation, make sure that you explain the term clearly there.

© 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.

Section 1:1–2

Paul began his letter to the Christians in Philippi

In New Testament times it was the custom for writers to put their names at the beginning of a letter. Then they put the name of the person or group they were writing to. They usually included some kind of blessing. All of these are in the first two verses of this letter to the Philippians. In some languages the recipients are always mentioned first. If it is not polite to put the author’s name first, it may be necessary to reorder this introduction so that the Philippians are mentioned first, and then Paul and Timothy. However, try to maintain the original order if possible in order to accurately reflect how Paul actually began his letter.

Paragraph 1:1–2

1:1a

Paul and Timothy: Commentators agree that only Paul was the author of the letter to the Philippians. The reason is that the author used the first person singular “I” and “me,” not “we,” throughout the rest of the letter, and he referred to Timothy in the third person as “he” or “him” or “Timothy.”

The fact that Paul mentioned Timothy’s name here may imply that Paul consulted Timothy when he wrote the letter. Or perhaps Timothy wrote the letter while Paul told him what to write. Certainly Timothy was with Paul and agreed with what Paul said in the letter. Two ways of showing this in the translation are:

Timothy joins me in writing to you.
-or-
I and Timothy are sending this letter to you.

Timothy: In some languages it is necessary to introduce a new participant such as a secondary author with a short phrase such as “our brother Timothy.”

servants: The Greek word doulos means “slave.” Most English versions translate it here as “servant,” but the term refers to a worker who was not paid and who was not free to leave his employment. It may therefore be better to use your word for “slave” here. Paul was not saying that he and Timothy were servants or slaves of people. He meant that they belonged to Jesus and served him as their master. This was not degrading to them but was a position of honor and dignity.

Christ Jesus: There are seven Greek forms of Jesus’ name or title in Philippians. A literal translation of these is:

(a) Christ Jesus,
(b) Jesus Christ,
(c) Lord Jesus,
(d) Lord Jesus Christ,
(e) Jesus,
(f) Lord, and
Christ.

You need to decide how you will translate each of these seven names or titles so you can use them consistently throughout the New Testament. The two phrases “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” mean the same thing. However, the New Testament writer may have had a reason to put one name first in each case, perhaps for emphasis. However, there is no way to be sure this is what the authors meant. The Translator’s Notes on Philippians follows the literal order of the Greek in such phrases. But in your language, you must decide whether to translate the phrase Christ Jesus literally as “Christ Jesus” or whether to translate it as “Jesus Christ.”

Christ: The word Christ is used in two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels it is used as a title for Jesus. It was the Greek equivalent of “Messiah,” which literally means “the person who has been anointed.” However, by the time Paul was writing his letters, it had become a name for Jesus rather than a title. So here and in the other New Testament letters, you should simply spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

1:1b

To: The Greek does not have a verb here, and in some languages it is necessary to supply one. For example: “Paul and Timothy…write to all the saints…” Another possible verb is “send,” implying “send this letter.” In the context of the whole letter, it seems most likely that “write” is the implied verb here. If a verb is supplied, it may also be necessary to supply a first person pronoun (“I” or “we”) as the subject.

the saints: This is literally “the holy ones” or “the holy people.” It refers to those whom God has set apart for himself. Some versions avoid the word saints because this word has come to be used only for a few special people. But the word saints in the New Testament in fact refers to all Christians. See “holy”, sense A3a in Key Biblical Terms. Possible translations are “God’s people,” “God’s chosen people,” “Christians,” “people who belong to God” or “people whom God has set apart for himself.” This word appears again in 4:21–22.

in Christ Jesus: The phrase in Christ Jesus and similar phrases such as “in the Lord” and “in him” occur twenty-two times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Most English translations keep the literal wording in Christ Jesus here, and this is also possible in many other languages. This phrase means to be united with Christ, to personally relate to him and to belong to him. A book that Hale wrote (1991) specifically about this topic is helpful (see Bibliography).

1:1c

together with: Paul probably meant that he was including the overseers and deacons among “the saints” to whom he was writing.

overseers and deacons: Most commentators agree that at the time Paul wrote this letter, the church did not yet have clearly defined leadership positions or titles, but they did have leaders. Although their exact duties are not certain, it is clear that overseers and deacons were the recognized leaders within the church.

overseers: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as overseers is translated by some English versions as “bishops.” It refers to teachers, leaders and others in positions of authority. In some languages it can be translated by an expression meaning “leaders,” “those who watch over the believers,” or “church elders.”

deacons: The word deacons refers to people who served as assistants to the overseers and managed practical matters. You could translate the word deacons as “helpers,” “those who work for God among the believers,” or “those who help the believers.” In some languages there is already an accepted church term for “deacon,” so the translator must decide whether he will use that term or another term.

In some languages the Berean Standard Bible order (“saints,” “overseers,” deacons) might imply that the elders and deacons were not among the saints. If this is true in your language, you could reverse the order and translate it as:

to the overseers and deacons and to all the other saints.

© 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.

3:14a

I press on: This is the same Greek word as Paul used in 3:12c. See note there. In terms of the race metaphor here, the phrase press on means to keep on running. Paul was comparing himself to a determined runner, going toward his goal and not looking back. What he meant was that he continued trying, to work hard to become more like Christ.

goal: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as goal means the “aim, end, object” of something. In the race metaphor, it refers to the finish line which each runner is trying to be the first to cross. But here Paul was probably referring to the thing he had been talking about in 3:10–13. His aim or goal was to become completely like Christ. This would include knowing him completely.

prize: A prize is a reward for winning a race or doing something well. The next note discusses what this prize was.

3:14b

of God’s heavenly calling: It is not clear how this clause connects back to “the prize” mentioned in 3:14a. There are two main possibilities:

(1) It identifies the prize. The prize was that God called Paul heavenwards to make him completely like Christ. For example:

the prize, which is God’s call…to the life above (Good News Translation)

(2) The prize that God called Paul heavenwards to receive. Paul did not identify the prize itself. (New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

The first interpretation fits the context better here. So it is recommended that you follow it (1).

heavenly: The Greek word here literally means “upwards.”

in Christ Jesus: God can call or invite people to be with him in heaven because of what Christ has done for them. So you could translate 3:14b as:

God calls me to heaven ⌊to be with him⌋ because of ⌊what⌋ Christ Jesus ⌊has done for me⌋.

General Comment on 3:14

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse. One way to do this would be:

I continue trying hard until God calls me to heaven because of Christ Jesus. In doing this I am ⌊like a runner⌋ racing toward the finish line to receive a prize.

© 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.