SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002 – Page 5

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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:17

4:17

In this verse Paul one again used business language. He used the metaphor of a bank account. The good things the Philippian believers were doing to help Paul preach the good news were like adding interest to their bank account (that is, putting more money into their account). He implied that God was keeping a record of these things they were doing for his kingdom and would reward them.

4:17a

Not that I am seeking a gift: Paul was not telling the Philippians that he appreciated their help so that they would continue to send him gifts. Even though he needed it, the money was not what he was mainly concerned about. You could translate this as:

The thing I am mainly concerned about is not the gifts ⌊that you send⌋.

seeking: Paul was referring to how he was thinking, not to the physical action of seeking or looking. He meant that he was not hoping and expecting that the Philippians would send him another gift.

a gift: It may be helpful to translate this as “another gift,” to indicate that Paul was referring to possible future gifts.

4:17b

I am looking for the fruit that may be credited to your account: Paul meant that the main thing he wanted was to see them continue serving the kingdom of God, which would result in God rewarding them.

the fruit that may be credited to your account: This is a financial expression referring to profit or interest building up in a bank account. Paul was using it in a spiritual sense here to mean that their generosity to Paul pleased God. Do not keep this financial metaphor, unless it has the same meaning in your language. Use a term or expression in your language that would make clear what Paul was really referring to here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:4

1:4

In 1:3–4 Paul strongly emphasized that he was happy and thankful for the Philippians. In Greek emphasis could be shown by repetition, and in these verses Paul repeated the idea of “all” (every time, all my prayers, all of you, always) and the idea of “prayer.” Try to find a natural way to show this emphasis in your language.

In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy: Paul meant that whenever he prayed for the Philippians, he prayed for all of them with joy. The emphasis of the verse is on Paul’s joy. Make sure your translation does not imply that sometimes Paul only prayed for some of the Philippians and then he was not joyful. It may be necessary to make the meaning clear by saying something like:

Every time I pray for you, I ask God to help all of you and I always rejoice.

In every prayer: This is literally “in every prayer of mine.” It could be translated as “every time I pray.” It may indicate that Paul prayed for the Philippians at each of his set times of prayer.

prayer…pray: In Greek these are both the noun meaning “supplication.” It may be necessary to translate both of them with a verb meaning “to pray, beg, ask God for help.” Paul was asking God to help the Philippians. The word you use for prayer should include the concept of asking God for something.

Although the word for prayer occurs twice in the original Greek, in your language it may be unnatural to repeat the word. If that is the case, perhaps the same meaning can be obtained by using one verb or two synonyms (see Display).

with joy: This means “with happiness,” “joyfully” or “because I am happy.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:6

2:6

This passage is often called a Christ hymn, and it may have been an early Christian hymn or poem, used in the early church. Paul then used it at this point because it was appropriate to his message. Or Paul may have composed it himself when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. Try to translate these verses not as a prose description but as a hymn or as a poem. Some of the English versions print these verses in lines like a poem (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation). If you have a special way of printing poetry in your language, you could use it here.

2:6a

existing in the form of God: This could be literally translated as “being in the form of God.” The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as form is morphē. It refers to a form that accurately reflects the essential qualities of someone or something. Christ has always had the same nature as God (see the Good News Translation).

2:6b

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped: There are two main ways to understand this clause. The difference is in the interpretation of the rare Greek word harpagmos that the Berean Standard Bible translates as something to be grasped.

(1) The word harpagmos refers to a person holding on to something he already has. This would mean that, before he was born as a human, Christ was equal with God. But in order to become man, he did not try to hold on to the privileges that came with being equal with God. He was willing to give them up. This is probably the most common interpretation of 2:6b. (Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) The word harpagmos refers to a person snatching or taking by force something he does not yet have. This interpretation would mean that Jesus as a man was not equal with God, but he did not use force to try and become equal with God while he was a man.

Most English translations, like the Berean Standard Bible, are ambiguous, though they most likely follow the first interpretation. The context of 2:6 is Christ’s preparation for becoming man. So interpretation (1) fits better with this context.

In some languages it may be necessary to use a direct quote here. For example:

He didn’t say, “I must hold on to my equal status with God.”

Try to make it clear in your translation that this was the attitude that Jesus Christ had.

equality with God: This means “being equal with God” or “having the same power and privileges that God has.” It probably refers to outward status and the display of greatness. When he became man, Christ remained truly God, but he gave up the outward display of his power and glory.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:17

Paragraph 3:17–21

Paul wanted the Philippians to act like citizens of heaven, as he did, and not to act like those who were proud of doing wrong.

3:17a

Join one another in following my example: Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to follow the same principles that he lived by. The phrase he used here literally means “become joint imitators of me.” This can be interpreted in several ways:

(1) The believers should unite with one another in imitating Paul. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

(2) They should join with others who imitated Paul. (New International Version, Revised English Bible)

(3) The command just means “imitate me.” The prefix sun – on the verb “imitate,” which the Berean Standard Bible has translated as Join one another, has no significance and can be ignored. (New International Version, Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word)

There is strongest commentary support for meaning (1), and it is recommended that you follow this in your translation. Paul wanted the Philippians to unite together in imitating his Christian way of thinking and acting.

brothers: The term brothers here refers to other Christians, fellow believers, not to literal brothers. You might translate this as “brothers and sisters,” “older and younger siblings” or “relatives.” The term brothers also occurs in 1:12, 3:13, 3:17, 4:1, 4:8. See the note on 1:12a.

3:17b

carefully observe: This means to watch something carefully.

those who walk according to the pattern we set for you: Other believers were following Paul’s example and his companions’ example of how Christians should behave. Paul wanted the rest of the Philippians to watch how those believers acted, and to imitate them.

walk: The word walk here refers to acting or behaving in a certain way.

we: This probably refers to Paul and some other apostles or teachers who had gone to teach in Philippi with him (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Revised English Bible). It does not include the Philippians.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:15

Paragraph 1:15–18d

Some Christians were jealous of Paul, but this caused them to proclaim the good news more, and so he was rejoicing.

1:15–17 contains a figure of speech called a “chiasmus.” A chiasmus is the ordering of information in a mirror image, like the pattern a-b-b-a. The chiasmus in 1:15–17 refers to two groups of people. The first part of the passage refers to the same people as the fourth part does, and the second part refers to the same people as the third part does. Here is an example using summary statements:

┌ 15a Some preach about Christ out of envy

│┌ 15b Others ⌊preach about Christ⌋ out of goodwill

│└ 16 The latter do so in love

└ 17a The former preach about Christ out of selfish ambition

See “General Comment” on 1:15–17 regarding the possible need to reorder this section in your translation.

1:15a

It is true that: This translates a Greek particle used at the beginning of a contrast. Another such particle is used in 1:15b for the other half of the contrast (see “but”). Together they mean “on the one hand…on the other hand.” Do not try to translate this statement as referring to the truth of Paul’s words. Instead, use an expression that indicates the first half of a contrast.

some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry: Paul referred here and in 1:17 to certain Christians who were causing him trouble. These are probably some of the same people mentioned in 1:15. Apparently they wanted to have more followers than Paul.

preach Christ: This means to preach about Christ. Despite their wrong motives these people were believers who were announcing the message about Jesus Christ. Since Paul rejoiced that they were preaching, it appears that what they were saying about Christ was true (1:18d).

out of: This means “because of, motivated by” and introduces the reasons why some people were preaching about Christ.

envy: This refers to feeling ill-will toward someone because of his good fortune. These people were jealous of what Paul had done and that he had been more successful than they were.

rivalry: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates rivalry refers to the strife that envy causes. These people wanted to gain more disciples than Paul had. They wanted to surpass him and appear to others as more successful and important.

1:15b

but: This represents the second of two Greek particles that indicate the contrast between the two groups of people. See the “It is true that” note in 1:15a.

out of: This again means “because of, motivated by.” The reason for their preaching was these believers’ goodwill toward Paul.

goodwill: The word goodwill means that these believers liked Paul and wanted to help him spread the gospel. They were preaching with good intentions.

One way you could translate 1:15b is:

Others preach about Christ to help ⌊me and the work of the gospel⌋.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:17

Paragraph 2:17–18

Even though Paul’s work caused him to suffer, he was rejoicing and so should the Philippians.

2:17a

But: There are two ways to interpret how 2:16 and 2:17 connect, depending on the meaning of the Greek word alla, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as But.

(1) The word alla introduces an additional thought. The main clause in 2:17 (“I am glad and rejoice with all of you”) agrees with what the author said or implied in 2:16. It does not indicate a contrast to 2:16. Many commentaries support this interpretation. (King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) The word alla means “but,” showing a contrast to the text preceding 2:17. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you translate 2:17 as a continuation of rather than a contrast to 2:16. This may mean that you do not need to translate alla explicitly. Many English translations have left it implicit, as English does not always need a conjunction to indicate a further thought. Or you may need to use a “Yes” or a “No” at the beginning of 2:17 in your translation. This will depend on what part of 2:16 the main idea of 2:17 is adding to and agreeing with. The New Jerusalem Bible uses “indeed” to indicate how the two verses relate.

even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith: Here Paul used a figure of speech to describe his situation. He referred to two different kinds of offerings. The Jewish priests killed animals on the altar as sacrifices. To accompany this they also poured wine out on the ground or on the dead animal (Numbers 15:1–12). This was called a drink offering. Paul compared the Philippians to the animal sacrifice, and he compared himself to the drink offering that completed their sacrifice.

Unbelievers were persecuting the Philippians because they chose to worship God and obey the good news of Jesus Christ. So their lives were like a sacrifice offered to God. Paul was suffering in prison and was in danger of death because he had preached the good news to many people. So he was like the drink offering that the priest poured on top of another offering. This does not mean that either Paul or the Philippians were about to die, though the drink offering could mean that Paul’s blood would soon to be poured out when he was executed.

If in your culture people do not sacrifice animals or make drink offerings, this metaphor may be very difficult for your readers to understand. If so, it will be important to make the comparison very clear in your translation. Or you may need to leave out the metaphor altogether and translate only the meaning behind it.

even if I am being poured out: The Greek verb here is in the present tense, but there are two ways in which that tense is understood here:

(1) It should be translated as “even if I am to be poured out….” Paul used the present tense to refer to the future. He knew that the Romans might execute him. He was comparing the “pouring out” with the possibility of his death. (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It should be translated as “even if I am being poured out….” Paul was referring to the suffering that he was already experiencing. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible)

There is stronger support in commentaries and English versions for interpretation (1). Also see 2 Timothy 4:6, where Paul used the same verb to speak of his approaching death.

2:26b

ill: Epaphroditus had been sick. The next verse shows that he had been seriously ill.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002