Good News Translation supplies I urge you, the sense implied in the imperative “complete” (Revised Standard Version). Moffatt and New American Bible try to bring out the sense of appeal by adding “I pray you” and “I beg you” respectively. Then (cf. Jerusalem Bible Bruce) is supplied to make clear that Paul is here basing his urgent appeal on the four statements made in the previous verse. He has no doubt whatever that the things on which he bases his appeal are definite realities in the experience of the Philippian Christians.
To make me completely happy (so also Jerusalem Bible) represents a restructuring of the more literal “complete my joy” (Revised Standard Version). The verb in its original sense means “to make full.” This verbal phrase is rendered “Give me the utter joy” by Moffatt and appears in Goodspeed Knox New English Bible as “fill up my cup of happiness.” Paul’s choice of this particular verb indicates that the Philippians are already a source of joy to him (1.4-5; cf. 4.1). Still his joy is incomplete because of disputes among the members of the church. It may not be possible in some languages to speak of being completely happy. One may, however, indicate an extreme degree of happiness by saying “cause me to be very, very happy,” or, somewhat idiomatically, “cause my heart truly to sing.”
By having the same thoughts is literally “that you think the same thing.” “That” here has the force of “so as to,” not the usual sense of “in order that.” Most translators render this term as by, emphasizing the means of achieving happiness. The verb translated “think” (which also occurs in 1.7; 2.5; twice in 3.15) should not be taken primarily in an intellectual sense; it denotes rather an “inward disposition” or “state of mind” (Jerusalem Bible “be united in your convictions”; Barclay “by being in perfect harmony of mind”).
The expression of means indicated by the preposition by followed by the participial constructions having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind must be expressed in many languages as cause, literally, “because you think the same way….” In some languages having the same thoughts is expressed as “thinking together,” “sharing one another’s thoughts,” or “having only one set of thoughts.”
Sharing the same love (literally, “having the same love” King James Version Revised Standard Version) means the mutual love among the Philippians (Jerusalem Bible “united in your love”; New English Bible “with the same love for one another”). This concept must be expressed in some languages as “loving in the same way,” but since in many languages it is essential to indicate the goal of an emotion such as love, it may be necessary to translate “having the same kind of love for one another,” or “loving one another in the same way.”
And being one in soul and mind literally means “(being) one-souled, thinking the one thing.” It is best to take these two expressions (one adjective and one participial phrase) together as Good News Translation and various other translations do. The adjective rendered one in soul occurs here only in the New Testament, but a similar expression appears in 1.27 (rendered with … one desire by Good News Translation). Paul repeats a thought which appears earlier in the verse in a stronger form, “thinking the one thing.” Apparently the apostle is concerned to produce among the Philippians a unity in purpose and sentiment (Jerusalem Bible “with a common purpose and a common mind”). In some languages the phrase can be rendered “being one in heart and will.”
Being one in mind must be radically restructured in certain instances, especially if soul and mind are better expressed as verbs rather than as nouns, for example, “desiring the same thing and thinking precisely the same thing,” or “being concerned for the same things and being agreed.”
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 .