2:10a

that: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word hina here:

(1) It indicates purpose. God gave Christ the highest authority in order that every knee should bow to him. 2:10–11 shows the purpose for 2:9. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word)

(2) It indicates result. God gave Christ the highest authority with the result that every knee will bow. (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)

Interpretation (1) has much stronger commentary support, and it is recommended that you follow it.

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow: The name Jesus refers to the person Jesus, who is Christ, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. God desires that everyone should acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all.

at the name of Jesus: There are at least three ways to interpret this expression. These interpretations depend on two things:

(a) what the Greek word en means (translated as at in the Berean Standard Bible);

(b) whether Paul was referring to the literal name Jesus here, or to the person that the name represents, or to both.

The three main interpretations are:

(1) The phrase means “in honor of Jesus.” People should bow to honor the person Jesus. Jesus himself is the one to whom they show respect.

(2) The phrase means “at the name of Jesus.” When people hear the name Jesus they should bow, because they will know whom it represents.

(3) The phrase means “in the name of Jesus.” People should bow and worship in Jesus’ name on the basis of all that his name implies: he is the person God has exalted above all others.

Most English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The phrase the name of Jesus is probably a figure of speech referring to Jesus himself.

every knee should bow: This is a Hebrew way of saying that everyone should kneel down. It implies that they bow to show that they are submitting to someone or worshiping someone.

every knee: This refers to all people and all beings capable of bowing to someone. God’s desire is that all people willingly bow and submit to Jesus. But willing or not, one day everyone will submit to Jesus. The knee that bows represents the person who submits himself, his whole person, to a greater authority.

should bow: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as should bow is a form of the Greek word which shows purpose. In this context God is the one whose purpose it is that all should bow. So it is certain that it will happen.

In the Old Testament culture, the act of kneeling implied that a person especially needed something or was showing a very humble and respectful attitude. However, in some cultures people do not kneel to show respect. So in some languages it is necessary to say “humble themselves” instead of the literal bow or kneel. In other languages it is necessary to include both the action and the attitude. For example:

kneel down to show respect

Here are two ways to translate this entire clause:

God did this so that everybody will show respect to Jesus.
-or-
God did this so that every person will humble himself before Jesus.

2:10b

in heaven: The literal Greek here means “of ⌊those⌋ in heaven.” The Greek does not say what kind of beings or creatures. The phrase most likely refers to angels and possibly to people who have died and gone to heaven.

on earth: The phrase on earth means “of ⌊those⌋ ] on earth.” This refers mainly to people on earth. But some commentators include also animals and other living things, and evil spirits who have authority in the world.

under the earth: This phrase means “of ⌊those⌋ under the earth.” There are many different suggestions about what this refers to. The most widely supported view is that it refers to people who have died. It may include evil spirits.

This third phrase under the earth is probably the hardest of the three phrases in 2:10b to translate. In some cultures a literal translation is meaningless. Possible translations are:

those in the deep places of the earth
-or-
those who are dead
-or-
spirits of dead people

General Comment on 2:10b

The three groups of beings listed in 2:10b clearly are intended to cover all beings everywhere that God has created. The point is to make it clear that all creatures everywhere will submit to Jesus Christ, not to describe the three different groups in detail. One possible way of making this clear would be:

All created beings, whether in heaven, on the earth or beneath the earth.

General Comment on 2:10

It will not be grammatically possible in all languages to end a sentence with a list, as in 2:10b. So it may be necessary to move 2:10b to the middle or the beginning of 2:10a. For example:

…so that at the name of Jesus everybody—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—will kneel
-or-
…so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus. (Jerusalem Bible)

General Comment on 2:10

Remember that this is a kind of poetry in Greek and is rich in word pictures (knee, tongue, earth, heaven). Try to keep as many of these word pictures as you can, but be sure the meaning remains the same.

© 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 2:9–11

After Christ had obediently humbled himself, God exalted Christ and gave him the highest possible honor and authority. By using this example, Paul implied that God would also honor those of his people who obediently humbled themselves.

2:9a

Therefore: In 2:6–8 Christ humbled himself. In 2:9–11 God exalted him. So the main connection between 2:6–8 and 2:9–11 is that 2:9–11 is the result of 2:6–8: Christ obediently humbled himself, and as a result God exalted him.

However, a literal translation of the Greek here is “therefore also.” This is an unusual combination of Greek words that shows that there is also a contrast between 2:6–8 and 2:9–11. This contrast is highly dramatic. Look for a way to make this contrast exciting in your language.

God exalted Him to the highest place: God gave Jesus the highest honor he could give anyone. He gave him the position of the greatest possible honor and authority.

The speakers of some languages have incorrectly imagined that God put Jesus’ dead body in an important position. If the readers of your translation might think this, you will need to make explicit the information that God first caused Jesus to live again. See the Display on 2:9b.

Look for an expression in your language that indicates the greatest possible honor. Other translation ideas are:

God gave him greatness beyond measure.
-or-
God made him very, very great.

In some languages it is necessary to show who or what Jesus is greater than. (2:9b and 2:10 indicate this.) For example:

God made him greater than everything and everyone.

2:9b

and gave Him the name above all names: God gave Jesus the name that has greater honor and authority than all other names. God gave him a title or rank that is greater than that of anyone or anything else. He made him to be Lord of all.

name: This may refer to a specific name or to the reputation or rank that God gave Jesus. But even if name refers to a specific or literal name, the idea of rank or position is also included. See Romans 1:5; 1 Timothy 6:1 and Hebrews 1:4 for other examples of the word name. The position God gave to Jesus was one of lordship, authority, power and dignity.

In some languages a person’s name is not associated with his position or authority. If this is so in your language, you will need to make this clear in another way. See the second Meaning Line in the Display on 2:9b for another suggestion.

General Comment on 2:9

There are two ways to understand how the two clauses in 2:9 (“God exalted Him…and gave Him the name”) relate to each other:

(1) God exalted Jesus to the highest place, that is, he gave him the name that is above every name (see SSA). This also has good support in the commentaries. One way to translate this would be:

God exalted him by giving him the greatest name. (God’s Word)

(2) God exalted Jesus to the highest place, and he also gave him the name that is above every name. “Exalting” and “giving a name” are thus two separate things God did for Jesus. This is not stated explicitly in most translations but is the natural reading. (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004) and Contemporary English Version)

It is likely that the two actions in 2:9 are two ways of speaking about the same thing. So interpretation (1) is preferred here.

© 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.

2:8a

Some possible translations for the clause in 2:8a are:

After he became a human being…
-or-
While he was a human being…
-or-
While he lived here on the earth as a man….

Some versions place this phrase (2:8a) at the end of 2:7. However, it is recommended that you place it at the beginning of 2:8 as the Berean Standard Bible has done. 2:8 then begins by repeating the same idea in different words with which 2:7 ended:

7b…being made in human likeness.
-or-
8a…being found in appearance as a man….

And being found in appearance as a man: This does not mean that Christ was found by someone. It means that people could see that he looked like a man.

appearance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appearance refers to the outward or external shape of something. But Christ did not just look like a man, he really was a man.

2:8b

He humbled Himself: In the context of 2:7–8 this means that Christ gave up even more of his own rights and advantages. He took the next step of humbling himself. He had lived as a human, and now he also died as a human.

2:8c

became obedient to death: This does not mean that Jesus obeyed death. It means that he obeyed God completely, even though this led to his death. There are several ways you could translate this. For example:

He did what God wanted to the extent that he was willing to die.
-or-
He obeyed God even though it resulted in people killing him.

death: In many languages translators must render this as a verb. For example: “he died” or “people killed him.”

2:8d

even death on a cross: Dying on a cross was the most shaming and painful kind of punishment the Romans gave. It was the kind of punishment they used only for dangerous criminals and slaves. So the phrase even death on a cross shows how far Jesus was willing to humble himself.

Possible translations are:

even dying ⌊in a disgraceful way⌋ on a cross
-or-
dying ⌊like a criminal⌋ on a cross

© 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 1:1–2

Paul began his letter to the Christians in Philippi

In New Testament times it was the custom for writers to put their names at the beginning of a letter. Then they put the name of the person or group they were writing to. They usually included some kind of blessing. All of these are in the first two verses of this letter to the Philippians. In some languages the recipients are always mentioned first. If it is not polite to put the author’s name first, it may be necessary to reorder this introduction so that the Philippians are mentioned first, and then Paul and Timothy. However, try to maintain the original order if possible in order to accurately reflect how Paul actually began his letter.

Paragraph 1:1–2

1:1a

Paul and Timothy: Commentators agree that only Paul was the author of the letter to the Philippians. The reason is that the author used the first person singular “I” and “me,” not “we,” throughout the rest of the letter, and he referred to Timothy in the third person as “he” or “him” or “Timothy.”

The fact that Paul mentioned Timothy’s name here may imply that Paul consulted Timothy when he wrote the letter. Or perhaps Timothy wrote the letter while Paul told him what to write. Certainly Timothy was with Paul and agreed with what Paul said in the letter. Two ways of showing this in the translation are:

Timothy joins me in writing to you.
-or-
I and Timothy are sending this letter to you.

Timothy: In some languages it is necessary to introduce a new participant such as a secondary author with a short phrase such as “our brother Timothy.”

servants: The Greek word doulos means “slave.” Most English versions translate it here as “servant,” but the term refers to a worker who was not paid and who was not free to leave his employment. It may therefore be better to use your word for “slave” here. Paul was not saying that he and Timothy were servants or slaves of people. He meant that they belonged to Jesus and served him as their master. This was not degrading to them but was a position of honor and dignity.

Christ Jesus: There are seven Greek forms of Jesus’ name or title in Philippians. A literal translation of these is:

(a) Christ Jesus,
(b) Jesus Christ,
(c) Lord Jesus,
(d) Lord Jesus Christ,
(e) Jesus,
(f) Lord, and
Christ.

You need to decide how you will translate each of these seven names or titles so you can use them consistently throughout the New Testament. The two phrases “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” mean the same thing. However, the New Testament writer may have had a reason to put one name first in each case, perhaps for emphasis. However, there is no way to be sure this is what the authors meant. The Translator’s Notes on Philippians follows the literal order of the Greek in such phrases. But in your language, you must decide whether to translate the phrase Christ Jesus literally as “Christ Jesus” or whether to translate it as “Jesus Christ.”

Christ: The word Christ is used in two ways in the New Testament. In the Gospels it is used as a title for Jesus. It was the Greek equivalent of “Messiah,” which literally means “the person who has been anointed.” However, by the time Paul was writing his letters, it had become a name for Jesus rather than a title. So here and in the other New Testament letters, you should simply spell Christ according to the rules of your language.

1:1b

To: The Greek does not have a verb here, and in some languages it is necessary to supply one. For example: “Paul and Timothy…write to all the saints…” Another possible verb is “send,” implying “send this letter.” In the context of the whole letter, it seems most likely that “write” is the implied verb here. If a verb is supplied, it may also be necessary to supply a first person pronoun (“I” or “we”) as the subject.

the saints: This is literally “the holy ones” or “the holy people.” It refers to those whom God has set apart for himself. Some versions avoid the word saints because this word has come to be used only for a few special people. But the word saints in the New Testament in fact refers to all Christians. See “holy”, sense A3a in Key Biblical Terms. Possible translations are “God’s people,” “God’s chosen people,” “Christians,” “people who belong to God” or “people whom God has set apart for himself.” This word appears again in 4:21–22.

in Christ Jesus: The phrase in Christ Jesus and similar phrases such as “in the Lord” and “in him” occur twenty-two times in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Most English translations keep the literal wording in Christ Jesus here, and this is also possible in many other languages. This phrase means to be united with Christ, to personally relate to him and to belong to him. A book that Hale wrote (1991) specifically about this topic is helpful (see Bibliography).

1:1c

together with: Paul probably meant that he was including the overseers and deacons among “the saints” to whom he was writing.

overseers and deacons: Most commentators agree that at the time Paul wrote this letter, the church did not yet have clearly defined leadership positions or titles, but they did have leaders. Although their exact duties are not certain, it is clear that overseers and deacons were the recognized leaders within the church.

overseers: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as overseers is translated by some English versions as “bishops.” It refers to teachers, leaders and others in positions of authority. In some languages it can be translated by an expression meaning “leaders,” “those who watch over the believers,” or “church elders.”

deacons: The word deacons refers to people who served as assistants to the overseers and managed practical matters. You could translate the word deacons as “helpers,” “those who work for God among the believers,” or “those who help the believers.” In some languages there is already an accepted church term for “deacon,” so the translator must decide whether he will use that term or another term.

In some languages the Berean Standard Bible order (“saints,” “overseers,” deacons) might imply that the elders and deacons were not among the saints. If this is true in your language, you could reverse the order and translate it as:

to the overseers and deacons and to all the other saints.

© 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.