Translation commentary on Philippians 4:21

Paul begins his greetings by saying literally “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.” The verb “greet,” a common word in the New Testament, is the word regularly used to convey greetings at the end of a letter. Its modern equivalent is “give my greetings to” (New English Bible New American Bible), “give my good wishes to” (Barclay), “remember me to” (Goodspeed), or simply greetings to. In some instances one may translate greetings to each one of God’s people as “I send these words to each one of God’s people,” or “I want each one of God’s people to know that I remember them.”

The word “saint” is not a description of the moral character of Christians; it refers rather to the fact that they belong to God. It is therefore usually best to render it as God’s people (New English Bible; cf. Barclay “God’s dedicated people”). (See the discussion under 1.1.) Notice that the greetings are addressed to each one of God’s people. Paul is careful to include the whole Philippian community in his expression of love and care.

The expression “in Christ Jesus” can be taken with greetings, so “give my greetings, in Christ Jesus” (New American Bible cf. Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), or “give my greetings in the fellowship of Christ” (New English Bible). It appears better, however, to connect it with God’s people, thus God’s people who belong to Christ Jesus, “all the people of God, fellow members of Christ Jesus” (Bruce cf. Moffatt Jerusalem Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

The word brothers (Barclay “fellow Christians”) is often used synonymously with God’s people (“saints”). It is impossible to determine who are included in this expression, but certainly Timothy would be one of them (cf. 1.1).

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 4:21

Section 4:21–23

Paul and those with him sent greetings to all the Philippian believers

With these verses, Paul ended his letter to the Philippian believers. As he did in many of his letters, he sent his greetings and the greetings of the believers who were with him. He ended the letter with a brief prayer or blessing (4:23).

Paragraph 4:21–23

4:21a

Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus: Paul told those who would read or hear his letter to give his greetings to the rest of the believers in Philippi.

Greet: This is a command addressed to more than one person. Probably Paul was addressing the church leaders, who would have read the letter first.

all the saints: See notes on 1:1b for the meaning of saints. Paul wanted to greet every believer in Philippi. In some languages it may be necessary to supply the word “other” to indicate that those who would pass on Paul’s greetings were also Christians.

in Christ Jesus: There are three main ways that this phrase can be understood here:

(1) It explains the word “saints.” The “saints” are those who are united with or are in Christ Jesus. For example:

Greetings to each one of God’s people who belong to Christ Jesus. (Good News Translation) (God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation)

(2) It relates to the verb “greet.” This would mean, “Greet in Christ Jesus’ name all God’s people.” For example:

Give my greetings, in the fellowship of Christ Jesus. (Revised English Bible)

(3) It means “because of Christ Jesus.” For example:

Give my greetings to all who are God’s people because of Christ Jesus. (Contemporary English Version)

The first interpretation is the most likely, and it is recommended that you follow it (1).

4:21b

The brothers who are with me send you greetings: This probably refers to the believers who worked closely with Paul. They also sent their greetings to the believers in Philippi. It does not mean that these believers were with Paul in the Roman prison. But they would have been in the city of Rome. These co-workers were probably all men, and it is not necessary to translate brothers as “brothers and sisters” here.

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