without murmuring

The Greek in Philippians 2:14 that is translated as “without murmuring” or similar in English is translated in Low German with the reduplicative idiom ohn Knurren un Murren or “without growling or complaining” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

complete verse (Philippians 2:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Philippians 2:14:

  • Uma: “In whatever you do, don’t complain or quarrel,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Whatever you have to do, do it and do not complain-inwardly or argue” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Everything that He has for you to do, carry it out without disgust or argument.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “In everything that you do, don’t complain and argue” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But well, don’t do it like you’re just being forced to, with complaining and arguing. On the contrary, obey with a good mind/inner-being,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Whatever it is that you must do, do it with a pleasure. Don’t first say that you are forced to do it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Philippians 2:14

In Greek verses 14-16 consist of one complex sentence, but for clarity of thought it is better to break it into several short sentences.

Paul continues his injunction by making specific applications to the Philippian’s situation. They are to do all they have to do without complaining or arguing. Here the apostle appears to see his relation to his converts as parallel to that of Moses to the Israelites (e.g. Exo 15.24; 16.2; Num 14.1; 1 Cor 10.10). It is not likely, however, that the complaining or arguing of the Philippians is against God. These terms point rather to mutual disagreements and disputes among the Philippians themselves. Both nouns are plural in Greek, but it is more natural to render them as singular in the imperative statement as most translators do.

The preposition without involves a negation, and this must be made explicit in some languages. For example, in rendering verse 14 one must sometimes translate the relation between doing and complaining as “whenever you do anything you must not complain,” “do not complain when you do something,” or “do not complain when you have something you must do.” Since the complaining or arguing probably refers to the relationship between believers in Philippi, it may be best to translate “you should not complain to one another or argue with one another.”

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 2:14

Paragraph 2:14–16

Theme: Believers should be different from those who are evil and should show people the message of life.

2:14

complaining or arguing: This means for a person to say bad things about his own situation and to argue with other people. Perhaps some of the Philippians were acting like this toward God or toward one another. Paul was probably thinking about the attitude of the Israelites while Moses led them through the desert (Exodus 16:2).

In some languages 2:14 has been translated as:

Live without complaining or arguing.

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