Show a gentle attitude toward everyone is literally “let your forbearance be known to all men.” In many languages this third person imperative construction must be restructured as in Good News Translation (cf. Knox “give proof to all of your courtesy”). The word rendered gentle attitude (an adjective used as a noun) stands for the spirit or attitude that does not seek to retaliate. It denotes one’s willingness to give and take instead of always standing rigidly on one’s rights (cf. Barclay “never insist on the letter of the law”). In a number of languages show a gentle attitude toward everyone can best be expressed negatively, for example, “do not always insist that you are right,” or “do not be demanding in your attitude toward everyone.”

The Lord is coming soon (literally, “the Lord is near”) can be interpreted in two different ways. When taken closely with what follows, the clause is usually regarded as having a local sense (near in space), that is, “the Lord is nearby”; in other words, he is near to all who call upon him (cf. Psa 119.151). New English Bible appears to favor this interpretation. If, however, one connects the clause with the preceding sentence, it is generally interpreted in a temporal sense (near in time), or soon, as the Good News Translation rendering indicates (also Moffatt Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). On the basis of this interpretation, the imminent coming of the Lord is the ground for the exhortation to show an attitude of gentleness. On the whole, this is the more probable interpretation. It echoes the prayer of the early church which expected the Lord’s early return (1 Cor 16.22; Heb 10.37; James 5.8-9).

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 .