2:6

This passage is often called a Christ hymn, and it may have been an early Christian hymn or poem, used in the early church. Paul then used it at this point because it was appropriate to his message. Or Paul may have composed it himself when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. Try to translate these verses not as a prose description but as a hymn or as a poem. Some of the English versions print these verses in lines like a poem (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation). If you have a special way of printing poetry in your language, you could use it here.

2:6a

existing in the form of God: This could be literally translated as “being in the form of God.” The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as form is morphē. It refers to a form that accurately reflects the essential qualities of someone or something. Christ has always had the same nature as God (see the Good News Translation).

2:6b

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped: There are two main ways to understand this clause. The difference is in the interpretation of the rare Greek word harpagmos that the Berean Standard Bible translates as something to be grasped.

(1) The word harpagmos refers to a person holding on to something he already has. This would mean that, before he was born as a human, Christ was equal with God. But in order to become man, he did not try to hold on to the privileges that came with being equal with God. He was willing to give them up. This is probably the most common interpretation of 2:6b. (Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) The word harpagmos refers to a person snatching or taking by force something he does not yet have. This interpretation would mean that Jesus as a man was not equal with God, but he did not use force to try and become equal with God while he was a man.

Most English translations, like the Berean Standard Bible, are ambiguous, though they most likely follow the first interpretation. The context of 2:6 is Christ’s preparation for becoming man. So interpretation (1) fits better with this context.

In some languages it may be necessary to use a direct quote here. For example:

He didn’t say, “I must hold on to my equal status with God.”

Try to make it clear in your translation that this was the attitude that Jesus Christ had.

equality with God: This means “being equal with God” or “having the same power and privileges that God has.” It probably refers to outward status and the display of greatness. When he became man, Christ remained truly God, but he gave up the outward display of his power and glory.

© 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.

Paragraph 2:17–18

Even though Paul’s work caused him to suffer, he was rejoicing and so should the Philippians.

2:17a

But: There are two ways to interpret how 2:16 and 2:17 connect, depending on the meaning of the Greek word alla, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as But.

(1) The word alla introduces an additional thought. The main clause in 2:17 (“I am glad and rejoice with all of you”) agrees with what the author said or implied in 2:16. It does not indicate a contrast to 2:16. Many commentaries support this interpretation. (King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) The word alla means “but,” showing a contrast to the text preceding 2:17. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you translate 2:17 as a continuation of rather than a contrast to 2:16. This may mean that you do not need to translate alla explicitly. Many English translations have left it implicit, as English does not always need a conjunction to indicate a further thought. Or you may need to use a “Yes” or a “No” at the beginning of 2:17 in your translation. This will depend on what part of 2:16 the main idea of 2:17 is adding to and agreeing with. The New Jerusalem Bible uses “indeed” to indicate how the two verses relate.

even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith: Here Paul used a figure of speech to describe his situation. He referred to two different kinds of offerings. The Jewish priests killed animals on the altar as sacrifices. To accompany this they also poured wine out on the ground or on the dead animal (Numbers 15:1–12). This was called a drink offering. Paul compared the Philippians to the animal sacrifice, and he compared himself to the drink offering that completed their sacrifice.

Unbelievers were persecuting the Philippians because they chose to worship God and obey the good news of Jesus Christ. So their lives were like a sacrifice offered to God. Paul was suffering in prison and was in danger of death because he had preached the good news to many people. So he was like the drink offering that the priest poured on top of another offering. This does not mean that either Paul or the Philippians were about to die, though the drink offering could mean that Paul’s blood would soon to be poured out when he was executed.

If in your culture people do not sacrifice animals or make drink offerings, this metaphor may be very difficult for your readers to understand. If so, it will be important to make the comparison very clear in your translation. Or you may need to leave out the metaphor altogether and translate only the meaning behind it.

even if I am being poured out: The Greek verb here is in the present tense, but there are two ways in which that tense is understood here:

(1) It should be translated as “even if I am to be poured out….” Paul used the present tense to refer to the future. He knew that the Romans might execute him. He was comparing the “pouring out” with the possibility of his death. (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It should be translated as “even if I am being poured out….” Paul was referring to the suffering that he was already experiencing. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible)

There is stronger support in commentaries and English versions for interpretation (1). Also see 2 Timothy 4:6, where Paul used the same verb to speak of his approaching death.

2:26b

ill: Epaphroditus had been sick. The next verse shows that he had been seriously ill.

© 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.

2:15a

so that: The Philippians should not complain and argue. This was in order that they could become blameless. 2:15 gives the purpose for 2:14.

blameless: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blameless means to behave in such a way that a person cannot be criticized for doing wrong. Paul said that the Philippians should behave in such a way that people could not call them evildoers. A common English expression for blameless is “no one can find fault with you.” Some people might still try to say the Philippian believers had done wrong, but if the believers were blameless, no one could criticize them honestly or justly.

pure: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pure means “sincere, upright.” It means that a person does not intend to do evil.

General Comment on 2:15a

The words “blameless” and “pure” mean almost the same thing and are intended to strengthen each other. If you do not have two words similar in meaning in your language, then use one word or phrase and add extra emphasis. For example:

truly righteous

2:15b

without fault: The Greek literally means “without blemish.” This term was used to describe the sort of animals the priests were commanded to offer as sacrifices to God in the temple in Jerusalem. These animals could not have anything wrong with them or any ugly marks on them. Here the term is used figuratively and means for a person to have nothing morally wrong with him.

The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as without fault here and “blameless” in 2:15a are different, but they have almost exactly the same meaning. Some translators have omitted the phrase without fault because it is awkward to repeat the same idea. But it is better to try to show Paul’s emphasis on the fact that God’s children should be morally upright. One way to do this is to translate the phrase “children of God without fault” using a word such as “perfect”:

God’s perfect children (Good News Translation)
-or-
perfect children of God (Jerusalem Bible)

crooked and perverse generation: This refers to people who did evil continually. The two words crooked and perverse mean basically the same thing. Together they can mean “very evil.” Paul may have quoted this whole phrase from the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 32:5). Here he used it to refer to the non-Christians around the Philippian believers.

crooked: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crooked literally means “twisted, bent.” Here it is used figuratively to refer to people who are crooked, unjust, or dishonest in their behavior.

perverse: This is very similar in meaning to “crooked.” The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perverse literally means “distorted.” It is used figuratively to mean “perverted, corrupt.” Here it refers to people who are evil, those who are morally corrupt.

generation: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as generation normally refers to people who are alive at the same time. It can also refer to a group of people who all have the same character. In 2:15b generation refers particularly to those who did not believe or obey the good news.

2:15c

in which you shine as lights in the world: This simile compares Christian believers to stars shining in the dark sky at night. They should be good people living for God in a world of evil people. This is a figure of speech comparing good behavior to light and evil to darkness. Jesus also used this comparison (Matthew 5:14–16).

If this is not a common way of speaking in your language, then you may need to make the points of comparison clear. Or you may need to avoid the metaphor altogether. For example:

The way you act should be very different from the way evil people act.

shine: The word shine means “give light.” This is a metaphor for Christians displaying God’s truth and goodness by the way they behave. The form of the verb here can be understood in two ways:

(1) It is a command. Paul was telling the Philippian believers how they were to behave, that is, they were to “shine like stars”. (Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

(2) It is a statement. It refers to what the Philippians were already doing. For example:

You shine among them like stars (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version)

The context, especially 2:16b, seems to imply a command rather than simply a statement. However, if you wish to follow interpretation (2), you could translate it as:

You give/shed light among them like stars give light in the sky.

lights: The Greek word can refer to

(1) “heavenly lights, bodies, stars”; (New International Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) “lights” in general or “objects that shine.” This could include lamps and beacons as well as the sun and the moon and the stars. (Berean Standard Bible, NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the majority of translations and commentaries and translate this as “stars.”

world: The Greek word kosmos means “the physical universe” or “the world [of people].” If you follow interpretation (1) above and use “stars” rather than “lights,” you should translate this as referring to the physical universe.

© 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.

2:13a

For: This connecting word indicates that what follows shows how the believers can do what they are instructed in 2:12. They can work out their salvation because God is working within them.

works in you: God causes things to happen in and among his people.

in you: The Greek phrase usually translated as in you has been understood in two ways:

(1) God works within individual believers;

(2) The emphasis is not on individual believers but on the community of God’s people. God works among them.

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1).

2:13b

to will and to act: This means to want to do something (or to be willing to do it) and also to actually do it. Some ways to translate along with 2:13a are:

God makes you willing ⌊to obey⌋…
-or-
God renews how you think so you are willing to do what he wants.
-or-
God makes you want to do his purpose, and able to do it.

on behalf of His good purpose: His refers to God. The Greek is literally “for his [God’s] good pleasure.” Commentators do not agree about how this phrase relates to the rest of the verse. There are two possibilities:

(1) It relates to the verbs “will” and “act.” God both causes his people to want to do what pleases him and enables them to do what he wants. (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) It relates to the verb “works” in 2:13a. God works in us in accordance with his own purpose. (NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

The main difficulty with the second interpretation is that it does not say what God makes believers able and willing to do. It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1). God works within each believer to enable him both to want to do and to actually do what pleases him.

© 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.

Section 2:12–18

Believers should obey God so that they show other people how God wants people to behave

Paul reminded the Philippian believers that when they obeyed God as Jesus did (2:6–8), God would help them to give the gospel to those in spiritual darkness. As long as they were faithful, Paul knew that his work and even his suffering would not be in vain.

Paragraph 2:12–13

The Philippian believers should follow the example of Christ by continuing to obey God and by acting as people whom God has saved. God would give them the power to do this.

In these verses Paul taught about what God does and what Christians do in relation to being saved and doing what is pleasing to him.

The wording in 2:12–13 in the Display is based partly on the SSA.

2:12a

Therefore: This connecting word seems to refer back to Christ’s example of obeying God and God exalting Christ (2:6–11). So it means: “In view of Christ obeying God and God exalting Christ, you also work out….”

my beloved: The Greek literally means “my beloved ⌊ones⌋.” This phrase shows Paul’s affection for the Philippians. There are three ways that Paul addressed the Philippian believers. In the Berean Standard Bible they are translated as “saints” (1:1), “brothers” (1:12, 3:1, 3:13, 3:17, 4:1, 4:8), and “my beloved,” and “whom I love” (2:12, 4:1). In some languages the translations of beloved and “brothers” are almost the same. You could translate the Greek phrase here as:

my dear friends
-or-
my dear fellow believers
-or-
brothers ⌊and sisters⌋ whom I love

In some languages a term of address such as this must come at the beginning of the sentence.

obeyed: It is not clear what the implied object of the verb obeyed is. There are three possible interpretations as to whom the Philippians had always obeyed: (1) God. This would mean that Paul was saying “you have always obeyed God”. (New Century Version)

(2) Paul. This would be translated as “you have always obeyed me” or “…my instructions”. (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(3) The gospel. This could be translated as “you have always obeyed the good news.”

Paul may have meant any (or all) of these. If your language requires an object to the verb, you will need to choose here. In this case it is recommended that you choose “God” as the object.

2:12b

not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence: In the Greek it is not clear how these two phrases connect to the rest of the verse. There are three possibilities:

(1) They relate only to the verb “work out” (2:12c). One way to translate this would be:

Therefore, my dear friends, since you have always obeyed ⌊God⌋, therefore continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. ⌊Do this working out⌋ not only when I am with you, but much more now that I am not with you. (Revised Standard Version)

(2) They relate only to the verb “obeyed” (2:12a). One way to translate this would be:

“So then, dear friends, since you always obeyed ⌊God⌋ when I was with you, it is even more important that you continue to obey now, while I am not with you. Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(3) The first phrase relates to “obeyed” and the second to “work out.” One way to translate this would be, as Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English:

“So then, my dear friends, since you always obeyed ⌊God⌋ while I was with you, now in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English) (New Living Translation (2004), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Interpretation (1) has stronger support from the commentaries and seems to be preferable in this context. It is therefore recommended that you follow it.

2:12c

continue to work out your salvation: There are two interpretations of this phrase:

(1) Each believer had an individual responsibility to work out the salvation that he had already received.

(2) The believers were responsible to work out their salvation as a community.

Interpretation (1) has stronger support. This does not mean that the Philippians should save themselves. They should live in a way that showed to others that God had already saved them.

Be sure you make the verb you use here a command and make it clear that it is the main verb in this verse. This is important because 2:13 relates back to this command.

your salvation: Three passages in Philippians (1:6; 2:12; 3:7–14) show how Paul understood the way God saves people and what their responsibility is. In this verse, salvation includes the whole process of salvation. It starts with God bringing people to repent and believe, continues with him making them holy, and will conclude when he brings them to heaven.

It may be possible to translate this whole phrase as “Work hard so your salvation will be complete.” But in some languages it may be necessary to translate salvation as a verb. The second Meaning Line in the Display shows a way to do this.

with fear and trembling: This phrase is not talking about two separate things. The trembling is a sign of the fear. Using trembling as a verb, the phrase could be translated as “trembling with/from fear.” This means that all believers should be afraid of sinning. They should fear that they might disobey God and fail him. This phrase also suggests that they should revere God and highly respect him.

© 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.

2:11a

every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord: 2:11a repeats the same basic meaning that is in 2:10a but uses a different figure of speech. It means that everyone will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the supreme Lord over all creation. In order to honor Jesus two things will happen: everyone will bow to Jesus Christ as Lord and everyone will say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In some languages this requires a direct quote. For example:

everybody will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord of all”
-or-
everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is the one who rules us(incl.).”

every tongue: The phrase every tongue is a figure of speech that represents every created being that is able to think and speak. It is parallel to the phrase “every knee” in 2:10a.

confess: Here confess means “to say something openly and publicly.” It means to acknowledge something that is true, or to tell others something you know that is true. The word confess here does not mean to confess sin.

This does not mean that everyone will happily or gladly acknowledge Jesus as Lord. But God will force Satan and all who previously have refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord to admit that Jesus is Lord.

2:11b

to the glory of God the Father: People will say “Jesus Christ is Lord,” and by saying this they will give glory to God, the Father of Jesus Christ. The statement “Jesus Christ is Lord” will not mean that Jesus is taking glory away from the Father. He has the lordship (authority) that the Father has given him. Jesus will be Lord of all creation but will still be under the authority of his Father, God. This is God’s plan, and so this will glorify God the Father.

There are several possible ways to translate the phrase to the glory of God the Father. For example:

…and therefore all people will praise our(incl.) Father, God.
-or-
…and ⌊this will result in⌋ people saying that God the Father is very, very great.
-or-
…and his Father, God, will receive honor when this happens.

© 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.