Paul now describes the fate and character of these enemies. They are going to end up in hell is literally, “whose end is destruction” (Revised Standard Version). Here the “end” is more than a mere point of termination; it means the inevitable outcome (Goodspeed Barclay “they are doomed to destruction”). The noun “destruction” is Paul’s usual word to express the opposite of “salvation” (Phil 1.28; cf. 1 Cor 1.18; 2 Cor 2.15); it is equivalent to eternal punishment. They are going to end up in hell may, of course, be translated simply as “they will finally be destroyed,” or “… suffer destruction.” One may also say “they will finally go to hell,” or “… will be sent to hell.” In this type of context hell may be rendered in some languages as “the place of punishment” or “the place of suffering.”

Their god is their bodily desires is literally “whose god is the belly” (American Standard Version). The expression bodily desires is used also in Rom 16.18, where most translations, including Good News Translation, render it as “appetites.” Some commentators understand it in the sense of unnecessary concern with laws about clean and unclean foods. Taken in this sense, the reference is to the Judaizers. Others take it to mean “greediness,” referring to those Christians who were excessively greedy for food (Jerusalem Bible “they make foods into their god”). But it is probably best to interpret it, along with Good News Translation and some commentators, in the general and wider sense of bodily desires. In some languages a literal rendering of “belly” may be able to convey the right meaning. In this clause the focus is on their god, and in some languages this focus can best be brought out by reversing the clause order, thus “their bodily desires are their god” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

It may not be possible to translate literally their god is their bodily desires or even to say “what they desire for their body is their god,” because such a rendering might be taken to refer to an idol or fetish. One can, however, make very good sense of this clause by saying in some languages “the only thing they worship is what they themselves want for their bodies,” or “their only real concern is for what their own bodies desire.”

These enemies are further described as “whose glory is in their shame” (King James Version). The noun “glory” here is equivalent to “pride” (Know) or “boast.” The somewhat abstract noun phrase “their shame” really means conduct which should be considered shameful. Good News Translation rephrases the statement as they are proud of what they should be ashamed of. It is possible to take “shame” as an allusion to the nakedness involved in the act of circumcision (3.2), but the immediate context appears to indicate that Paul is thinking of immoral conduct in general (see the expressions bodily desires and things that belong to this world). They are proud of what they should be ashamed of may be expressed as “they are proud of doing certain things, but these things are what they should be ashamed of,” or “they are proud of what they do, but they should be ashamed of what they do.”

The last element in the description of these enemies of Christ’s death prepares the way for the sharp contrast which follows in verses 20-21. They think only of things that belong to this world translates a Greek participial phrase, literally “who think earthly things.” Some commentators interpret the sudden change in the Greek construction as a return to the primary construction in verse 18, thus summing up what has just been said (New American Bible “I am talking about those who are set upon the things of this world”). This is grammatically possible. The majority, however, regard this as a kind of apposition with the preceding clauses. The word “think,” which appears twice in verse 15, means more than mere intellectual perception; it denotes one’s inward disposition, state of mind, or attitude (see the discussion under 3.15). In some languages the clause is best rendered as “their hearts are set on the things of this world.” Things that belong to this world means things that are not of divine origin, that have no eternal quality or value (cf. Rom 6.5-6). This statement is a damaging indictment of certain people who are considered to be citizens of heaven (v. 20).

The phrase things that belong to this world can be easily misunderstood as a reference to objects which are simply here in this world. Paul, however, is not thinking particularly of material things; in fact, the object of the thinking of the persons he is speaking about is not an assortment of things, but a series of activities. One may, therefore, translate the final clause of this verse as “they are only thinking about doing what people of this world do,” “they only think like people who are typical people in this world,” or “… like most people think.” In this way the contrast with citizens of heaven (v. 20) may be clearly marked.

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 .