SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:9

3:9a

and: This is a further purpose for which Paul considered everything as if it were rubbish.

be found in Him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be found was used idiomatically to refer to someone being in a certain place or situation. The meaning is “be in fact in him,” “prove to be in him” or “turn out to be in him.” It did not refer to someone else finding Paul in some way.

Some translation ideas for this part of the verse are:

so that I might belong to him
-or-
so that I might live in unity with him
-or-
so that I might be joined together with him

3:9b

not having my own righteousness: Paul had learned that nothing he could do as a good Jew could make him truly righteous as far as God was concerned, even if he appeared “righteous” to other people. So he no longer wanted this kind of false righteousness.

righteousness: In the context of 3:9b, this refers to Paul’s attempt to earn a right relationship to God by behaving in a morally upright manner. Before he became a Christian, Paul had thought that his own efforts would make him acceptable to God. See “righteousness”, under “just”, sense C4 in Key Biblical Terms.

from the law: Paul was referring to the time in the past when he tried to be right with God by keeping the Jewish laws. Notice in 3:6b he used a similar phrase “righteousness in the law” (that is, “what is right in terms of the law”). In that verse Paul claimed that he was faultless in that kind of righteousness. But here in 3:9b he stated that he had rejected that righteousness. Then in 3:9c–d he contrasted it with the righteousness that a person receives by trusting in Christ.

Some translation ideas for “my own righteousness from the law” are:

my own righteousness that comes from ⌊obeying⌋ the law
-or-
for ⌊God to consider⌋ me righteous because ⌊I did⌋ what the law says

3:9c

that which is through faith in Christ: This refers to that true righteousness, which a person receives by trusting in Christ. Paul explained this further in 3:9d.

3:9d

the righteousness from God on the basis of faith: Here Paul made it clear what kind of righteousness he had been talking about in 3:9c. It is the righteousness that God gives to those who trust in Christ. A person is not righteous because of how he behaves or because people consider him good or right. He is truly righteous when God declares him so because he trusts in Christ.

on the basis of faith: You could translate this as “for those who believe.” It refers to those who trust Christ to save them. Notice that this is very similar to 3:9c.

General Comment on 3:9c–d

As 3:9c and 3:9d overlap in meaning, in some languages it may be better to combine them. For example:

God gives me a right relationship with him that is for those who believe in Christ.
-or-
God declares me righteous because I trust in Christ.

© 2002 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:20

3:20a

But: In 3:20, Paul contrasted Christians with the people he had just been talking about in 3:18–19. These people were only interested in things affecting life on earth, but Christians do not belong to earth, they are citizens of heaven, and so they focus on things in heaven.

our citizenship is in heaven: This implies that those who believe in Christ really belong to heaven, not earth. The way they act on earth should show that heaven is their homeland, not earth.

our: Paul meant “as for us….” He was contrasting the true believer’s attitude with the attitude of those he described in 3:18–19. The word our includes Paul and those he was writing to.

citizenship: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as citizenship can have several meanings:

(1) It means “citizenship”; (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Good News Translation, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) It means “state,” “commonwealth,” “homeland”; (Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1). Paul was reminding the Philippians that all believers were citizens of heaven, not earth. When you translate the word citizenship, think of how you would normally say that you are loyal citizens of your country.

In some languages there may be no word that means “citizen.” If this is true in your language, you could translate this part of the verse:

Heaven is where we(incl.) really belong.

3:20b

we eagerly await: Paul and the Philippians were looking forward to something that they very much wanted and expected to happen. So they were eager and impatient to see it happen.

a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ: This was whom Paul and the Philippians were eagerly awaiting. They were impatiently looking forward to the day when Christ would return from heaven.

Savior: This refers to someone who would come and save God’s people.

from there: That is, from heaven.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:19

3:19a

end: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as end refers to the conclusion or end result of their lives.

destruction: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as destruction also means “ruin.” It is the opposite of “salvation.” In some languages it may be necessary to translate this as a verb and say, “they will be ruined/destroyed.” In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb and provide a subject. It is God who will destroy them.

3:19b

their god is their belly: This Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as their belly could have one of two meanings:

(1) It is a figure of speech referring to the desires of their bodies, including desires for food and sex and other earthly pleasures. For example:

their bodily desires (Good News Translation)
-or-
what their bodies want (New Century Version)

(2) It refers to their literal stomachs. Food and drink was what they were most concerned about. (New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

Most English versions use “stomach” or belly, which can be take either literally or as a figure of speech. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In the context of the rest of 3:19 (the more general ideas of shameful things and earthly things), it seems that 3:19b also refers to the more general idea of the desires of the body rather than just the desire for food.

By saying that the desires of their bodies were their god, Paul meant that they obeyed these desires as they would a god.

One way to translate this is:

They care only about the things they want here on earth.

3:19c

their glory: This means that these people glory in something or are proud of something.

their shame: This refers to the shameful things these people do. For example, it refers to the sort of things Paul talked about in 3:19b.

The things they did were shameful and they ought to have been ashamed of them, but they were not. In fact, they were even proud of the way they behaved. The whole phrase then means that they were proud of the things they did, things of which they ought to have been ashamed.

In many languages it will not be possible to use nouns like “glory” and shame, but it will be necessary to use verbs. For example:

They are proud of what they should be ashamed of (Good News Translation)
-or-
They…brag about the disgusting things they do (Contemporary English Version)

3:19d

Their minds are set on earthly things: These people constantly thought about the things on earth. In fact, the only things they paid attention to were things on the earth, things like food, clothes, pleasure. One way to translate this is:

They only ever think about the things on earth.

General Comment on 3:19

In some languages it seems better to place 3:19a at the end of the verse, because it gives the result of the other things Paul talked about in this verse. For example:

So ⌊as a result of this God⌋ will finally destroy them.

However, if you think this might be helpful in your language, consider carefully how you will then maintain the contrast Paul made by putting “earth” (3:19d) and “heaven” (3:20a) close together.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:18

3:18

Commentators disagree about whom Paul was referring to in 3:18–19. The main suggestions are:

(a) the Judaizers Paul mentioned earlier in the chapter who were trying to make the Gentile Christians become like Jews.

(b) Christians who believed they did not need to obey any moral laws.

All the Greek text (especially 3:19) implies is that they were people opposed to moral laws. You should not try and identify these people further in your translation.

Once again Paul talked about the enemies of Christ with strong feeling and emotion. Try to make this meaning clear in your translation.

3:18a

For: This means that the evil lives of Christ’s enemies are one of the reasons the believers should try to imitate Paul’s godly life.

as I have often told you before: Paul had often warned the believers about the enemies he was about to describe.

and now say again even with tears: Paul was very sorrowful, even to the point of crying, when he had to tell the believers again about these enemies of Christ.

with tears: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with tears literally means “crying, weeping, wailing.”

3:18b

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ: Many people behaved in a way that showed that they opposed the good news, especially the main teaching about why Christ died on the cross. In many languages it does not make sense to say that someone is an “enemy of the cross.” The Display for 3:18b shows some ways to translate this.

Many: It may be necessary to include some implicit information here to clarify who these Many were. For example:

Many ⌊say they are Christians, but they⌋ act like they hate the message about Christ dying on the cross.

Paul does not say explicitly whether these people were Christians or not, even though they claimed to be.

live: As in 3:17b, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as live refers here to acting or behaving in a certain way.

the cross of Christ: This means “the cross on which Jesus died.” Here this is used figuratively to refer to the significance or purpose of Christ’s death.

General Comment on 3:18

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse so that the main thing Paul is saying comes at the beginning. For example:

For there are many enemies of the cross of Christ. I have told you about them before, and now I am crying as I tell you again.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:17

Paragraph 3:17–21

Paul wanted the Philippians to act like citizens of heaven, as he did, and not to act like those who were proud of doing wrong.

3:17a

Join one another in following my example: Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to follow the same principles that he lived by. The phrase he used here literally means “become joint imitators of me.” This can be interpreted in several ways:

(1) The believers should unite with one another in imitating Paul. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

(2) They should join with others who imitated Paul. (New International Version, Revised English Bible)

(3) The command just means “imitate me.” The prefix sun – on the verb “imitate,” which the Berean Standard Bible has translated as Join one another, has no significance and can be ignored. (New International Version, Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word)

There is strongest commentary support for meaning (1), and it is recommended that you follow this in your translation. Paul wanted the Philippians to unite together in imitating his Christian way of thinking and acting.

brothers: The term brothers here refers to other Christians, fellow believers, not to literal brothers. You might translate this as “brothers and sisters,” “older and younger siblings” or “relatives.” The term brothers also occurs in 1:12, 3:13, 3:17, 4:1, 4:8. See the note on 1:12a.

3:17b

carefully observe: This means to watch something carefully.

those who walk according to the pattern we set for you: Other believers were following Paul’s example and his companions’ example of how Christians should behave. Paul wanted the rest of the Philippians to watch how those believers acted, and to imitate them.

walk: The word walk here refers to acting or behaving in a certain way.

we: This probably refers to Paul and some other apostles or teachers who had gone to teach in Philippi with him (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Revised English Bible). It does not include the Philippians.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:16

3:16

Nevertheless: The word Nevertheless implies that Paul was emphasizing an important point. In English it could be expressed as “In any case…” or “However…” or “The important thing is…”

we must live up to what we have already attained: Paul was saying, “Let each of us act consistently with the level we have reached as Christians.” This means that believers should obey what they already know God wants them to do and to be. One way to translate this would be to follow the SSA:

we(incl.) must act/live according to what God has already revealed to us(incl.) (SSA)

Another possibility is:

let us(incl.) obey what we(incl.) know ⌊God has already revealed to us (incl.)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:15

3:15

In Greek this verse connects to the previous one with a conjunction, oun, that can be translated “so” or “therefore.” It indicates that Paul wanted his readers to do something because of what he had just said. The Berean Standard Bible leaves this connection implicit as do many other English versions (Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, God’s Word). You should use whatever connection is most natural in your language.

3:15a

mature: The Greek word is teleios, which means “perfect, mature, fully developed or initiated.” This has two main interpretations here:

(1) Those who are spiritually mature. Paul was referring to spiritual growth and strength. He was referring to people whose faith was strong and fully developed. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

(2) Those who thought they were perfect. Paul was being sarcastic. (NET Bible)

The first meaning is recommended (1).

should embrace this point of view: This means thinking in a certain way about something. The way Paul wanted the Philippians to think was explained in 3:12–14. You could translate this as:

should have that attitude
-or-
should think like that

3:15b

if you think differently about some issue: It is not clear whether this implies that some of the Philippians were actually thinking differently than Paul or if it is something that Paul just thought might happen. One way to translate this is:

if ⌊any of⌋ you have an attitude that is different from what I have been talking about….

3:15c

God will reveal this to you as well: What Paul had said in 3:12–14 described the right attitude for a Christian to have. So if anyone disagreed God would make clear to him that what Paul had said was correct.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 3:14

3:14a

I press on: This is the same Greek word as Paul used in 3:12c. See note there. In terms of the race metaphor here, the phrase press on means to keep on running. Paul was comparing himself to a determined runner, going toward his goal and not looking back. What he meant was that he continued trying, to work hard to become more like Christ.

goal: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as goal means the “aim, end, object” of something. In the race metaphor, it refers to the finish line which each runner is trying to be the first to cross. But here Paul was probably referring to the thing he had been talking about in 3:10–13. His aim or goal was to become completely like Christ. This would include knowing him completely.

prize: A prize is a reward for winning a race or doing something well. The next note discusses what this prize was.

3:14b

of God’s heavenly calling: It is not clear how this clause connects back to “the prize” mentioned in 3:14a. There are two main possibilities:

(1) It identifies the prize. The prize was that God called Paul heavenwards to make him completely like Christ. For example:

the prize, which is God’s call…to the life above (Good News Translation)

(2) The prize that God called Paul heavenwards to receive. Paul did not identify the prize itself. (New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

The first interpretation fits the context better here. So it is recommended that you follow it (1).

heavenly: The Greek word here literally means “upwards.”

in Christ Jesus: God can call or invite people to be with him in heaven because of what Christ has done for them. So you could translate 3:14b as:

God calls me to heaven ⌊to be with him⌋ because of ⌊what⌋ Christ Jesus ⌊has done for me⌋.

General Comment on 3:14

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse. One way to do this would be:

I continue trying hard until God calls me to heaven because of Christ Jesus. In doing this I am ⌊like a runner⌋ racing toward the finish line to receive a prize.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Philippians 2002