Now, the important thing is is an idiomatic equivalent of a single word in Greek (literally, “only”). This clause also serves to bring out the emphatic nature of the imperative statement which follows (Bruce “see to it that”; Phillips “make sure that”; Knox “you must”). The adverb now should not be understood merely in a temporal sense. Rather, it serves as a transition from what is said in the preceding verses to the implications which must be drawn from it. In some languages an appropriate transitional would be “and so accordingly the important thing is…,” or “and so what is important is that….”
Your way of life should be translates a Greek verb which means literally “behave as citizens.” Elsewhere in the New Testament the verb occurs only in Acts 23.1. The verb originally meant “to live the life of a citizen” or “to live as a member of a community.” Later it came to be applied to all moral conduct within a community. Paul usually uses another Greek word (meaning literally “to walk about”) for Christian conduct (e.g. Eph 4.1; Col 1.10; 1 Thes 2.12). He uses a more distinctive term here probably to emphasize his Philippian friends’ mutual duties as members of a local Christian community. Your way of life may be rendered as “the way in which you live,” “how you behave,” or simply “what you do.”
As the gospel of Christ requires is literally “be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The gospel of Christ is best taken objectively, meaning “the good news about Christ” (1 Cor 9.12; 2 Cor 2.12; 1 Thes 3.2). It may be awkward in some languages to speak of “the gospel requiring” anything. Only people can be said to require certain kinds of behavior. However, it may be possible to say “as the gospel about Christ says you should live.” One may then translate this rather complex relation as “what is important is that you live in the way that the good news about Christ says you should live,” or “… that you live in accordance with the demands in the good news about Christ.”
There is no doubt that so that should go with I will hear that you are standing firm etc., with the clause whether or not … introduced between the two elements.
Whether or not I am able to go and see you translates a Greek phrase with three participles (literally “whether coming and seeing you or remaining absent”). Because of the somewhat irregular construction in the Greek, some commentators suggest an emendation. They would change the finite verb I will hear into a participle and link it with the third participle in the series (“remaining absent”), which they would take adverbially. This suggestion is followed by some translators, for example, “whether I come and see you for myself or hear about you from a distance” (New English Bible); “whether I come and see for myself, or stay at a distance and only hear about you” (Jerusalem Bible cf. New American Bible Phillips Knox Goodspeed). If this emendation is followed, one has to supply a finite verb, such as “I may know” or “I may learn,” for the following clause. The meaning seems quite clear, however, even without the emendation (cf. Good News Translation Revised Standard Version).
A translator may find it particularly difficult to embed the clause whether or not I am able to go and see you within the purpose clause introduced by so that. Accordingly, it may be better to continue with the purpose clause and then reintroduce certain aspects of that clause in order to relate it more clearly to the conditional expression introduced by whether, for example, “so that I will hear that you stand firm…; I want to hear that whether or not I am able to go and see you.” In some languages there is no convenient way of indicating succinctly a positive or negative condition such as may be introduced in English by “whether or not.” The closest equivalent may simply be “if I am able to go see you, that is fine; and if not, that is also fine,” or “if I am able, or if I am not able, to go see you….”
I will hear is literally “I may hear the things concerning you,” but since the details of “the things” are mentioned in the following clause, this phrase is omitted in Good News Translation. The basic meaning of the verb translated are standing firm is simply “to stand” (Mark 3.31; 11.25), but in Pauline contexts it usually has the added component of firmness (2 Thes 2.15; 1 Cor 16.13). The metaphor could be that of soldiers standing firm in battle or of condemned believers fighting for their lives in a Roman amphitheater (Eph 6.13; 1 Cor 4.9). In a number of languages the positive idiom “to stand firm” must be expressed negatively as “not to be moved,” “not to change,” or “not to give up.”
With one common purpose is literally “in one spirit” (Revised Standard Version). It is sometimes argued that Paul is here referring to the divine Spirit. But the context seems to indicate clearly that the united purpose of the Philippian Christians is meant (New English Bible “one in spirit”; Knox “common unity of spirit”; Jerusalem Bible “unanimous”). With one common purpose may be expressed in some languages as “by all intending the same way,” “by all of you having the same goal in mind,” or “by all of you wanting to do the same.” With one common purpose is essentially equivalent to with only one desire.
The order of the Greek allows some ambiguity in the phrase with only one desire (literally “one soul”). It can be interpreted as in apposition with the “one spirit” which immediately precedes it (so New English Bible “one in spirit, one in mind” and Goodspeed “with one spirit, one purpose”), or it can be interpreted as modifying the following participle fighting together. Good News Translation chooses the latter alternative and clarifies its choice by supplying and that. Another means of clarification is used by New American Bible, which supplies the connective “and” and rearranges the word order (“and exerting yourselves with one accord”). “Spirit” and “soul” are sometimes used almost interchangeably in the New Testament (Luke 1.46-47; John 11.33; Acts 4.32; 1 Cor 16.18). If a distinction must be made, “spirit” would be used of the mind with its activities of thought and reflection, whereas “soul” would be used of the seat of inward feelings, affections, passions, and desires. The term “soul” in this context is rendered in various fashions by various translators: New English Bible “one in mind”; Moffatt “like one man”; Bruce New American Bible “with one accord” (cf. Jerusalem Bible “united by your love”).
You are fighting together translates a Greek participle which means literally “striving together with.” The compound verb used here is used elsewhere only in 4.3. The simple verb, from which the word “athletics” is derived, occurs in 2 Tim 2.5 in the sense of “contesting in the games.” The metaphor is taken from an athletic contest or from war. The present context seems to favor the latter. Both Moffatt and Goodspeed render the participle as “fighting side by side” (New English Bible “contending as one man”). In rendering fighting together, it is essential to employ a form which will not suggest “fighting against one another.” It may be useful to employ such an expression as “join together in fighting for.” In some languages, however, the metaphor of “fighting” would be inappropriate in this type of context. It may be preferable to use such an expression as “to work hard for,” or “to put all one’s strength in order to help.”
The expression the faith of the gospel appears only here in the New Testament. Faith is in the dative case in Greek and this can be taken as an instrumental dative, resulting in the rendering “with the faith of the gospel” (Knox). Good News Translation, however, along with most translations, takes it to be a dative of interest and so renders for the faith of the gospel. The word faith seems to be used here in the semitechnical sense of the content of the gospel (Eph 4.5).
The genitive construction the faith of the gospel can be taken as in apposition, that is, “the faith which is the gospel.” It can also be interpreted as an objective genitive, “the faith in the gospel.” It seems better, however, to take it in the sense of “the faith which is appropriate to the gospel,” or “the faith which is based on the gospel.” If it is interpreted this way, “the gospel” may have an attributive force, thus “the gospel faith” (New English Bible). It is important to note that Paul is urging his readers to fight for “the faith appropriate to the gospel,” not for “the gospel which is believed.”
A more or less literal translation of the faith of the gospel leads almost inevitably to a misunderstanding which makes faith essentially equivalent to the good news or the content of the good news. If, however, one interprets the faith of the gospel in terms of faith which is appropriate to, or based upon, the gospel, it may be necessary to make the relation quite explicit, for example, “fight for the kind of trust which results from the good news,” or “… the kind of faith which those who believe the good news have.”
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 .