1:8

In the Greek this verse begins with a connecting word meaning “for.” The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this word, but if it is natural in your language, you may use such a connecting word here.

God is my witness: Paul used this phrase when there was no human witness, and especially when he was referring to his thoughts, feelings and attitudes. He meant that God was his witness and could verify that he was telling the truth. He said this five times in his letters when he was talking about how he felt, or when he was showing that he was dedicated to his Lord (also in Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:5, 2:10). You could translate the phrase God is my witness as “God will tell you” or simply as “God knows.” In some translations this phrase is at the end of the verse. See 1:8 in the Display.

I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus: Just as Jesus cared for the Philippians, so Paul cared for them. He cared so deeply for them that he strongly desired to be with them again.

I long for all of you: This refers mainly to Paul’s desire to see the Philippians again. He wanted to visit them again in order to help them grow in their faith, but this reason is probably not the focus here.

the affection of Christ Jesus: The Greek word splanchna, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as affection, literally means “insides of the body,” that is, heart, liver, lungs, kidneys. Greek people considered that these parts of the body were the source of emotions and feeling. They used splanchna to refer to their emotions, much as English-speaking people use the word “heart.”

The entire Greek phrase used here refers to the deep, sincere love that Jesus Christ had for other people. Christ gave Paul the ability to love others in the same way. Therefore, by saying, “I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus,” Paul was saying, “I long for all of you with the love that Jesus Christ has given me.” Another possible translations is:

I long for you because Christ Jesus has caused me to love you.

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