SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002 – Page 8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:5

1:5a

because of your partnership in the gospel: This phrase has been understood in two ways:

(1) It gives the reason why Paul prayed with joy. (Berean Standard Bible)

(2) It gives the reason why Paul thanked God (in 1:3). Many commentaries follow this interpretation. (Revised Standard Version)

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

Commentators agree that the phrase your partnership in the gospel refers to the Philippians helping Paul to proclaim the gospel through giving money, praying, encouraging others and by proclaiming it themselves. See “fellowship”, sense A2 in Key Biblical Terms.

gospel: The Greek word translated as gospel means “good news.” See “gospel” in Key Biblical Terms. Look for a common phrase in your language that means “good news.” Other ways to translate it are:

God’s good news
-or-
the good message

1:5b

from the first day until now: This means “from the first time ⌊you heard the gospel and believed it⌋ until now.” There is a similar reference in 4:15b (literally, “in the beginning of the gospel”). The two phrases both mean that as soon as they had accepted the gospel, the Philippians immediately began to cooperate with Paul in spreading the gospel to others. It will probably be helpful for you to make explicit in your translation the implied information that the first day means the time the Philippians first believed the gospel. For example:

from the first day you believed (New Century Version)

until now: This means “you are still doing it.” It does not mean they stopped helping Paul at the time when he wrote the letter. They were continuing to help him at that time.

General Comment on 1:5

In some languages it may be better to reverse 1:5a and 1:5b, and put the time phrase earlier in the verse. For example:

⌊ I pray with joy⌋because ever since you first ⌊accepted the gospel⌋ and until now, you have been partners with me in spreading the gospel.

© 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.
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SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:7

2:7–8

There are six verbs in 2:7–8 (underlined below). These verbs can relate to each other in several ways. This is how they would appear in a literal translation of the Greek:

(a) He emptied himself,

(b) taking the form of a slave,

(d) being found in form as a man,

(e) he humbled himself,

(f) becoming obedient unto death.

(a) and (e) are the main verbs and the others depend on these two. The second meaning line in the Display arranges this passage in two sentences: A-B-C (2:7) and D-E-F (2:8), with the second sentence following chronologically after the first. First Christ humbled himself by becoming like a slave (that is, he became a man), and then he humbled himself further by dying.

Some translations have divided this into three sentences, A-B, C-D and E-F. Look at the Good News Translation for one example of this.

2:7a

emptied Himself: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek literally as emptied Himself. It means he humbled himself. Christ was still truly God in his character, attributes and nature. But he willingly gave up the power and privileges that were rightfully his and completely humbled himself in order to become human.

2:7b

taking the form of a servant: As Christ before his incarnation was truly God, now he became truly man as well. He took the form of a servant, that is, he became the same as a servant. This includes the implied meaning “he came to earth.” For example:

He ⌊came to earth and⌋ became the same as a servant/slave.

form: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as form is morphē, the same Greek word that Paul used in 2:6a when referring to Christ having the same nature as God. See the note there. When Jesus became a man, he submitted himself to other people and experienced pain, hunger and thirst. If in your translation you can use the same word to speak about Jesus being in the form of God and Jesus taking the form of a servant, you should do so. However, if it is not possible to use the same word, try to still keep the parallelism in some way.

servant: See note on “servants” in 1:1a. Look for the word or phrase in your language that implies the lowest social position or the position of a servant. Jesus, who had had all the rights and privileges of God himself, now voluntarily becomes someone with no rights at all.

2:7c

The Display shows how the clause in 2:7b relates to the previous clause in 2:7a. It shows how Jesus took the form of a slave.

being made: This means “becoming” or “being born.”

in human likeness: A literal translation is “in the likeness of human beings.” Some English versions translate as “man” the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as human. But the Greek word used here does not mean “male.” It refers to a human being of either sex.

Your translation should not imply that Christ was like humans but not really human. So you may need to translate the phrase “being made in human likeness” as, for example, “he became a human being.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:18

3:18

Commentators disagree about whom Paul was referring to in 3:18–19. The main suggestions are:

(a) the Judaizers Paul mentioned earlier in the chapter who were trying to make the Gentile Christians become like Jews.

(b) Christians who believed they did not need to obey any moral laws.

All the Greek text (especially 3:19) implies is that they were people opposed to moral laws. You should not try and identify these people further in your translation.

Once again Paul talked about the enemies of Christ with strong feeling and emotion. Try to make this meaning clear in your translation.

3:18a

For: This means that the evil lives of Christ’s enemies are one of the reasons the believers should try to imitate Paul’s godly life.

as I have often told you before: Paul had often warned the believers about the enemies he was about to describe.

and now say again even with tears: Paul was very sorrowful, even to the point of crying, when he had to tell the believers again about these enemies of Christ.

with tears: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with tears literally means “crying, weeping, wailing.”

3:18b

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ: Many people behaved in a way that showed that they opposed the good news, especially the main teaching about why Christ died on the cross. In many languages it does not make sense to say that someone is an “enemy of the cross.” The Display for 3:18b shows some ways to translate this.

Many: It may be necessary to include some implicit information here to clarify who these Many were. For example:

Many ⌊say they are Christians, but they⌋ act like they hate the message about Christ dying on the cross.

Paul does not say explicitly whether these people were Christians or not, even though they claimed to be.

live: As in 3:17b, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as live refers here to acting or behaving in a certain way.

the cross of Christ: This means “the cross on which Jesus died.” Here this is used figuratively to refer to the significance or purpose of Christ’s death.

General Comment on 3:18

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse so that the main thing Paul is saying comes at the beginning. For example:

For there are many enemies of the cross of Christ. I have told you about them before, and now I am crying as I tell you again.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:16

1:16

The latter: This refers to the same group of people Paul was talking about in 1:15b, that is, those who preached about Christ because of their goodwill toward Paul.

in: This is a different Greek word from that translated by the Berean Standard Bible as “out of” in 1:15a–b. However, it has a similar meaning (“out of, from”) and gives the cause of the actions.

love: The main meaning of love here is that these believers loved Paul, and if you need to supply an object you should supply “me.” This does not mean that they did not also love Christ and the gospel.

I am appointed: There are two ways to understand the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am appointed :

(1) God placed Paul where he was—in prison. He wanted him to be a witness there. (New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, NET Bible)

(2) God appointed Paul to the ministry of preaching and defending the gospel, wherever he went. (Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible)

The first interpretation seems to fit the context best, so it is recommended that you follow it (1).

defense: For ideas on translating defense see the note on 1:7b–c about “defending the gospel.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2:27

2:27a

nearly unto death: Epaphroditus had been so sick that he nearly died.

2:27b

God had mercy on him: God was sorry for Epaphroditus. So he healed him.

Other ways to translate this phrase are:

God pitied him.
-or-
God was kind to him.
-or-
God had compassion on him.

It may be necessary to supply this implicit information that God made Epaphroditus well again.

2:27c

not only on him but also on me: God not only had mercy on Epaphroditus, but he also had mercy on Paul, because (2:27d) Paul would have been greatly saddened if Epaphroditus had died.

In some languages it may not be necessary to include the phrase not only on him. So the translation of 2:27b–c could just say:

God had mercy on him and also on me.

2:27d

to spare me sorrow upon sorrow: This gives the purpose for which God showed mercy to Epaphroditus and Paul. Paul was saying, “[God had mercy on him and on me] so that I would not be even more sorrowful than I am now.” Another way to say this would be: “[God had mercy on him and on me] so that I would not suffer more than I am already suffering.” Some commentators think that the first sorrow refers to Paul being sad because Epaphroditus was sick. Others think Paul was sad because he was in prison. Commentators agree that the second sorrow would have been Paul’s added sorrow if Epaphroditus had died.

sorrow: This refers to something that causes someone to be sad.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:8

Paragraph 4:8–9

In this paragraph, Paul told the believers another way that they could achieve peace among themselves: they should keep their minds on things that are good and follow the example that Paul had already set for them.

4:8a

Finally: With this Greek phrase in 4:8–9, Paul was finishing this part of his letter, in which he was exhorting his readers to do certain things. This was not the end of the whole letter. Paul used the same expression in 3:1a. See note there.

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, 3:1, 3:13, 3:17, 4:1. See the note on 1:12a.

In the rest of this verse, Paul listed the sort of things that he wanted the Philippians to think about, meditate on, concentrate on in their thoughts.

4:8b

whatever is true: This refers to things that are real or genuine. Because they are true, they are dependable. These things fit with the nature of God, who represents all that is true.

whatever is honorable: This refers to things that are noble, things that deserve to be respected.

4:8c

whatever is right: This phrase refers to things that God considers right and good, things that God approves. This is the Greek word often translated “righteous.”

whatever is pure: This refers to things that are free from sin.

4:8d

whatever is lovely: This phrase refers to things that people can easily love, things that are worthy for people to love. It means things that are pleasing to people, things that are agreeable.

whatever is admirable: This refers to things that people like and admire, things that have a good name or reputation.

4:8e

if anything is excellent: This means “whatever is very good.” Paul used the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as excellent in a moral sense, meaning something that is free from sin. In this sentence the word if does not mean that Paul did not know whether there was anything excellent or not. He knew there were many very good things in the world.

praiseworthy: This refers to things that deserve to be praised. People speak well of things they admire and approve.

General Comment on 4:8a–e

In some languages it may be hard to know how some of these eight things are different from one another, and so it may be necessary to combine some. For example, it may be possible to translate the Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “honorable” and “admirable” together as “things that people respect.”

4:8f

think on these things: Paul concluded his list by saying that he wanted the Philippians to keep focusing on the things he had mentioned and thinking about them.

things: This does not refer to objects that a person can touch. It refers to what people say, what they do, what people think and how they act toward other people.

General Comments on 4:8

In some languages it may be necessary to reorder the verse in some way.

One possible reordering is to put 4:8f at the beginning of the verse as an introduction. For example:

Finally, brothers and sisters, these are the things you should think about: things that are true, things that are noble….

Another possibility is also to reorder the list itself. The last two qualities (4:8e), “excellent” and “praiseworthy,” are a sort of summary of the first six qualities. So in some languages it may be helpful to begin the list with these qualities. The Good News Translation has done this:

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 1:27

Section 1:27–2:11

Paul encouraged the Philippians to live as true followers of Christ

Paul encouraged the Philippians to act as believers should, to agree with each other and to be courageous when they spoke to other people about Christ. Since they lived among many people who were opposed to the gospel, they should expect to defend their faith. They should also expect to suffer because they trusted in Christ.

Paragraph 1:27–30

1:27a

Nevertheless: You could translate this as “no matter what happens” or “whatever may happen.”

conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ: Paul meant that he wanted the Philippians to behave in a way that was suitable to or conformed to the gospel. Their behavior should match their beliefs.

conduct yourselves: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as conduct is a verb that literally means “to live as a citizen.” Here it is used figuratively and means “to behave/act.” Some commentators say it implies to live or behave as citizens of heaven or of the kingdom of God. However, you should not put this in your translation.

in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ: You could translate this as:

[act/behave] as you should because you believe the gospel of Christ
-or-
[act/behave] as people who believe the gospel of Christ should act/behave.

the gospel of Christ: The phrase the gospel of Christ here could mean one of two things.

(1) It could mean “the good news about Christ”. (God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) It could mean “the good news from Christ,” “the good news that Christ gave us.”

The first meaning is recommended (1).

1:27b

Then: The Greek word hina that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then means “in order that” or “so that.” So the following clause gives the purpose of Paul’s instructions in 1:27a. A new sentence could start here. For example:

I want you to do this in order that…

The word “this” in the above translation refers to 1:27a.

whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence: The Greek in this clause is difficult to understand. The two main ways to understand the Greek are:

(1) It means “whether I come and see you, or whether being absent I hear about you.” In this interpretation the phrase only hear about you only goes with the second part of the clause in my absence. This interpretation requires the translator to supply “I will/may know that” in the next clause. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Jerusalem Bible).

(2) It means “whether I come and see you, or whether I am absent, I will/may hear that…” In this interpretation the phrase only hear about you goes with both I come and see you and in my absence (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible).

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul wanted to see the Philippians again, but even if he only heard news about them, he wanted them to be united in believing the good news.

come: Some languages use the directions “come” and “go” in different ways from Greek or English. So it may be necessary in these languages to use “go” or “return” here instead of come. Use the verb that is most natural for your language.

1:27c–d

I will know: This phrase is not in the Greek, but has been supplied in the Berean Standard Bible to make a natural English sentence.

stand firm: The Greek word translated by the Berean Standard Bible as stand firm literally just means “stand.” It is used figuratively here to mean “be steadfast.” Paul wanted the Philippians to be strong in their faith and not let others change their minds about trusting Christ.

in one spirit, contending side by side: The phrases in one spirit and side by side are not expressing different ideas. They both emphasize unity. It is important to get the meaning of unity in your translation. Possible phrases are:

with one common purpose
-or-
with one heart
-or-
not divided

contending: The Greek here refers to striving or struggling together against a common enemy. Be careful that in your translation the word contending does not imply that the believers were to fight against each other. Paul did not say specify against whom the Philippians were to contend. It is, however, clear from the rest of the letter that people in Philippi, perhaps Jews, were opposing them. Do not try to specify who these enemies were unless it is necessary to do so in your language. If you do need to say something, you should use a general expression, for example, “against those who oppose the gospel.”

Obviously Paul did not mean that he wanted to hear that the Philippians were fighting people physically for the gospel. So avoid using a verb which would only refer to hitting or shooting someone. Here he was referring to speaking very strongly or very emotionally to another, or acting in a strong way but without physical fighting. See the note on 4:3b.

side by side: The Greek here is literally “with one soul.” Many translations understand this to refer to the way people think and translate this as “with one mind” (Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible).

1:27e

for the faith of the gospel: This phrase appears only here in the New Testament. Paul urged the Philippians believers to energetically defend and proclaim the faith that the good news has brought them. They are to struggle for the sake of maintaining and preserving that faith.

faith: The Greek word pistis, faith, refers here to the things that Christians believe.

gospel: The gospel is the source or origin of that faith. The faith of Christians is based on the good news about Jesus Christ. See “gospel” in Key Biblical Terms.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:8

3:8a

More than that: The series of Greek particles that the Berean Standard Bible translates as More than that is used to intensify something. Paul apparently felt that the statement in 3:7 was not strong enough. So in 3:8 he added more to what he said in 3:7. Do not just translate More than that literally. Look for a natural way to strengthen and intensify something that has already been said. Some ideas are:

And that is not all….
-or-
Besides all that….

I count all things as loss: Paul was saying, “I consider everything ⌊that was gain to me before⌋ a loss ⌊now⌋.” The term all things indicates that Paul is including more than the things he listed in 3:5–6. He meant that everything he previously depended on for God to save him had no real value.

I count: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I count is in the present tense. This contrasts with the perfect tense Paul used in 3:7b. This change in tense is another way of emphasizing and intensifying what he was saying.

loss: This is the same term used in 3:7b. See notes there.

3:8b

compared to: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as compared to is the same preposition translated as “for the sake of” in 3:7. In this verse it can be understood in two ways:

(1) It indicates comparison. Paul was comparing his past life with knowing Christ. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version).

(2) It indicates cause. Paul was giving the reason why he considered everything a loss. For example:

I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth…. (Revised Standard Version) (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version)

Either meaning is possible and both may be implied. The two meanings are not contradictory. Paul chose knowing Christ over everything else because it was better. So if you can translate in such as way as to make both possibilities understood, you should do so. If not, it is recommended that you follow the first interpretation.

the surpassing excellence: When Paul considered the things he formerly was proud of, they seemed worthless when he compared them with knowing Christ. All that comes with knowing Christ is far greater than all the other things people could depend on. Use the strongest terms you can to describe how great and priceless knowing Christ is, and how small and without value these other things are.

3:8c

of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord: Paul knew Jesus Christ personally, and this was much more valuable than anything else. The idea of knowing Christ may be difficult to translate in some languages where the idea of knowing a person may only mean that you have met him and know who he is. It may not include the deeper meaning that Paul implied here in 3:8c, of knowing Jesus personally. It may be necessary to say something like “really knowing” or “knowing personally.”

3:8d

In 3:8 the language of business and money that began in 3:7 continues. Paul was saying that he willingly gave up one thing in order to gain another thing which was worth much more. Jesus used similar words in the parable of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45–46) and in his teaching about discipleship (Matthew 16:26).

for whom: This means “for the sake of Christ Jesus” or “because of Christ Jesus.”

I have lost all things: Paul was describing how he willingly gave up all the things he formerly was proud of in order to know Christ. He not only considered them as loss, but he voluntarily gave them up. He did not cease to be all the things he described in 3:5a–c, but he rejected these things as worthless. See also the note on 3:8a.

In some languages, to say “I lost something” implies that a person accidentally lost it. If that is so in your language it will be better to say something like “I have thrown everything else away.”

3:8e

I consider them rubbish: There are two ways to interpret how this phrase relates to the phrases before and after it.

(1) The phrase I consider them rubbish relates directly to the following phrase “that I may gain Christ”. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) The phrase I consider them rubbish is a comment that Paul added, something that is separate from the main thing he was saying. It would mean that the phrase in 3:8e “that I may gain Christ” would be the purpose of 3:8d. For example:

I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ. (New Living Translation (2004)) (God’s Word, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul regarded all his previous advantages as rubbish in order to obtain Christ.

rubbish: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rubbish can also mean “dung, excrement.” These things (3:7a–8a) were not only worthless, but Paul hated them. He considered them filthy. He was glad to get rid of them. Some ideas for translating this word “dung,” “something rotten,” “garbage” or “trash which I throw away.” Avoid using a word that might offend your readers.

that I may gain Christ: Paul continued to use the business metaphor of buying and selling here. Here it means that he wanted to belong fully to Christ, to know him more and more. Paul already belonged to Christ and knew him, but he wanted to know him better. Some ways to translate the phrase gain Christ are: “belong to Christ,” “know Christ,” “follow Christ,” “obey Christ.”

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002