The apostle begins with an elliptical expression, literally, “not that.” What is understood here can be made explicit in various ways: “it is not to be thought that” (New English Bible), “I do not mean that” (Bruce Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), I do not claim that (Good News Translation Barclay).

I do not claim may be rendered simply as “I do not say.” It is also possible to transform this into a negative imperative, for example, “Do not think that.”

The Greek verb rendered I have … succeeded (literally, “received”) is without an object, but some translations supply “this” as the object of the verb. Commentators are divided as to what its object is. Some suggest that it is all that is included in verses 8-11, while others believe that Paul is referring to his resurrection from the dead in verse 11; still others interpret the object as the prize referred to in verse 14 (cf. 1 Cor 9.24-25). Another possibility is to render the verb in such a way as to leave the object open, somewhat parallel to have already become perfect. These suggestions are really not mutually exclusive, as the Good News Translation rendering of verse 14 indicates.

The prize is identified as God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above (v. 14), which appears to correspond to the hope of being raised from death to life (v. 11). The verb rendered have … succeeded means “to receive,” “to obtain,” “to get hold of,” but in the present context (and especially in the environment of its compounded verb, which appears twice in this verse) it acquires the sense of “to achieve” (New English Bible), “to reach” (New American Bible) or even more explicitly “to win the prize” (La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée). The aorist tense here is to be taken in the sense of summing up the whole course of events. Its force is best brought out the perfect tense in English, thus “I have reached” (New American Bible), “I have achieved” (New English Bible), and I have already succeeded.

It may be essential in some languages to make explicit the goal of succeeded. Sometimes this may be done by translating “that I have accomplished all I should have accomplished,” “that I have done all that I should have done,” or “that I have become all that I should become.” This last expression is more in accord with the phrase that follows.

Several witnesses, including an early third century papyrus, add “or have already been justified” after I have already succeeded. This is probably a secondary addition, reflecting a pious copyist’s desire to emphasize the divine initiative in Christian life.

The clause or have already become perfect (literally, “or have already been perfected”) further defines the preceding clause, I have already succeeded. It is obvious that the conjunction or connects two similar, not two contrastive, events. In view of this evident meaning of or, it may be preferable to use a conjunction such as “and.” In this way one may avoid giving the impression that succeeding and becoming perfect are two distinct and alternative processes. The verb translated have … become perfect appears nowhere else in Paul’s writings, but it appears frequently in the Letter to the Hebrews. It is one of the key words of the mystery religions which promised “perfection” to their initiates by means of sacramental rituals and secret knowledge. “Perfection” is the highest state of religious attainment. It is possible Paul borrows this word from the mystery religions in order to deny the possibility of a Christian’s being admitted to the highest state of the Christian life in the present world. The verb means “to attain the aim,” “to bring to completion,” “to be full grown,” “to be mature.” In verse 15 the cognate adjective is rendered spiritually mature. The word denotes primarily not a moral but a functional perfection. A glance back at the preceding verse suggests that what Paul has in mind is that “perfection” which will be his only when he is raised from death to life. Most likely this “state of perfection” is a reference to, and a description of, the state of the resurrected life (v. 11), namely, the life above (v. 14).

Have already become perfect may be rendered as “have already become the kind of person I should be,” or “have already become all that I should be.” In some languages it may be necessary to explain this in a negative manner, for example, “have become the kind of person for whom there is nothing lacking.”

I keep striving to win the prize is literally “but I pursue if I may also grasp.” The force of “if also” is not that of doubt, but of expectation, thus “in hope of” (Knox), “hoping to” (New English Bible), “to try to” (Barclay), or striving to (Good News Translation). The first verb is a term used in hunting, meaning, “to pursue”; it can be used of foot racing in the sense of “to press on.” The present tense signifies a repeated action, thus I keep striving. This verb is sometimes paired with the next compound verb (which means “to grasp”) in the sense of “seek and find,” “pursue and overtake,” “chase and capture,” etc. (cf. Rom 9.30; also Exo 15.9 Septuagint). This compound expression signifies a strenuous attempt to reach the set goal which is not yet within one’s grasp. Very likely the metaphor of a race is in Paul’s mind. If this is the case, one can render the second verb explicitly as “to grasp the prize” (New American Bible), “to capture the prize” (Jerusalem Bible), “to seize the prize” (Bible en français courant), or to win the prize (Good News Translation).

To show the contrast between the expression I keep striving to win and the immediately preceding phrases, it may be important to introduce at this point a contrastive particle such as “rather” or “but,” for example, “rather, I keep going on to try to win.”

A verb expression such as striving helps to indicate strenuous activity and suggests a basis for the figurative usage of run in verse 14. The phrase can also be translated, to give this same emphasis, as “I keep trying very hard to win,” or “I keep using all my strength to try to win.”

What Paul goes on to say is literally “upon which also I was grasped by Christ Jesus.” The expression “upon which” can be taken in two different ways. It can be rendered “because,” making Christ’s “capture” of Paul the reason for Paul’s effort to win the prize (Moffatt Goodspeed Revised Standard Version). Or it can be taken in the sense of “for which,” meaning Paul’s effort to win the prize is to fulfill the purpose for which Christ won him on the Damascus Road (New English Bible Jerusalem Bible Good News Translation). The second interpretation appears to be preferable. Good News Translation, along with other recent translations, changes the passive “I was grasped by Christ Jesus” to an active construction, Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.

The clause for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself may be misunderstood if translated literally, especially since the relative pronoun which might refer merely to the prize, in which case the implication would be that Christ Jesus himself had also been interested in winning this particular prize. The relative pronoun which, however, refers to the entire preceding clause. Therefore it may be better to translate this final clause of verse 12 as “It was for this reason that Christ Jesus has already won me to himself,” “This was the purpose Christ Jesus had in mind when he won me to himself,” or “This is what Christ Jesus purposed in winning me to himself.”

It seems easy enough in many languages to speak of “winning a prize,” but “to win a person” may be so unusual as to be meaningless or even misleading. One may therefore translate won me to himself as “caused me to be his,” or “caused me to follow him.”

Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .