Proverbs 8:18-19

8:18 Riches and honor are with me,

long-lasting wealth and righteousness.

8:19 My fruit is better than the purest gold, ¹ 

and what I produce ²  is better than choice silver.

Romans 13:12-14

13:12 The night has advanced toward dawn; the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires. ³ 

Ephesians 4:17-20

Live in Holiness

4:17 So I say this, and insist ⁴  in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility ⁵  of their thinking. ⁶  4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, ⁷  being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ⁸  4:20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,

Ephesians 5:8-14

5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are ⁹  light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – 5:9 for the fruit of the light ¹⁰  consists in ¹¹  all goodness, righteousness, and truth – 5:10 trying to learn ¹²  what is pleasing to the Lord. 5:11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather ¹³  expose them. ¹⁴  5:12 For the things they do ¹⁵  in secret are shameful even to mention. 5:13 But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. 5:14 For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says: ¹⁶ 

“Awake, ¹⁷  O sleeper! ¹⁸ 

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you!” ¹⁹ 

Philippians 2:15

2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world ²⁰ 

Philippians 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ²¹  any affection or mercy, ²² 

Philippians 1:4-8

1:4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you 1:5 because of your participation ²³  in the gospel from the first day until now. ²⁴  1:6 For I am sure of this very thing, ²⁵  that the one ²⁶  who began a good work in ²⁷  you will perfect it ²⁸  until the day of Christ Jesus. 1:7 For ²⁹  it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, ³⁰  since both in my imprisonment ³¹  and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace ³²  together with me. 1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ³³  and Timothy, slaves ³⁴  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ³⁵  with the overseers ³⁶  and deacons.

Philippians 2:9-10

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

Philippians 4:2-4

4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 4:3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, ³⁷  help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry ³⁸  along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ³⁹  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Philippians 1:5-7

1:5 because of your participation ⁴⁰  in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁴¹  1:6 For I am sure of this very thing, ⁴²  that the one ⁴³  who began a good work in ⁴⁴  you will perfect it ⁴⁵  until the day of Christ Jesus. 1:7 For ⁴⁶  it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, ⁴⁷  since both in my imprisonment ⁴⁸  and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace ⁴⁹  together with me.

[8:19]  ¹ tn The two synonyms, “than gold, than fine gold” probably form a hendiadys here to express “the very finest gold.”

[8:19]  ² sn The language of the text with “fruit” and “ingathering” is the language of the harvest – what the crops yield. So the figure is hypocatastasis, comparing what wisdom produces to such crops.

[13:14]  ³ tn Grk “make no provision for the flesh unto desires.”

[4:17]  ⁴ tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.

[4:17]  ⁵ tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.

[4:17]  ⁶ tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”

[4:18]  ⁷ tn In the Greek text this clause is actually subordinate to περιπατεῖ (peripatei) in v. 17. It was broken up in the English translation so as to avoid an unnecessarily long and cumbersome statement.

[4:19]  ⁸ sn Greediness refers to an increasing desire for more and more. The point is that sinful passions and desires are never satisfied.

[5:8]  ⁹ tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.

[5:9]  ¹⁰ tc Several mss (Ì⁴⁶ D² Ψ Ï) have πνεύματος (pneumatos, “Spirit”) instead of φωτός (fwtos, “light”). Although most today regard φωτός as obviously original (UBS⁴ gives it an “A” rating), a case could be made that πνεύματος is what the author wrote. First, although this is largely a Byzantine reading (D² often, if not normally, assimilates to the Byzantine text), Ì⁴⁶ gives the reading much greater credibility. Internally, the φωτός at the end of v. 8 could have lined up above the πνεύματος in v. 9 in a scribe’s exemplar, thus occasioning dittography. (It is interesting to note that in both Ì⁴⁹ and א the two instances of φωτός line up.) However, written in a contracted form, as a nomen sacrum (pMnMs) – a practice found even in the earliest mss – πνεύματος would not have been easily confused with fwtos (there being only the last letter to occasion homoioteleuton rather than the last three). Further, the external evidence for φωτός is quite compelling (Ì⁴⁹ א A B D* F G P 33 81 1739 1881 2464 pc latt co); it is rather doubtful that the early and widespread witnesses all mistook πνεύματος for φωτός. In addition, πνεύματος can be readily explained as harking back to Gal 5:22 (“the fruit of the Spirit”). Thus, on balance, φωτός appears to be original, giving rise to the reading πνεύματος.

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “in.” The idea is that the fruit of the light is “expressed in” or “consists of.”

[5:10]  ¹² tn BDAG 255 s.v. δοκιμάζω 1 translates δοκιμάζοντες (dokimazonte") in Eph 5:10 as “try to learn.”

[5:11]  ¹³ tn The Greek conjunction καὶ (kai) seems to be functioning here ascensively, (i.e., “even”), but is difficult to render in this context using good English. It may read something like: “but rather even expose them!”

[5:11]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “rather even expose.”

[5:12]  ¹⁵ tn The participle τὰ…γινόμενα (ta…ginomena) usually refers to “things happening” or “things which are,” but with the following genitive phrase ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν (Jup’ autwn), which indicates agency, the idea seems to be “things being done.” This passive construction was translated as an active one to simplify the English style.

[5:14]  ¹⁶ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[5:14]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Rise up.”

[5:14]  ¹⁸ tn The articular nominative participle ὁ καθεύδων (Jo kaqeudwn) is probably functioning as a nominative for vocative. Thus, it has been translated as “O sleeper.”

[5:14]  ¹⁹ sn A composite quotation, possibly from Isa 26:19, 51:17, 52:1, and 60:1.

[2:15]  ²⁰ tn Or “as stars in the universe.”

[2:1]  ²¹ tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ²² tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[1:5]  ²³ sn Your participation (Grk “fellowship”) could refer to Paul rejoicing because of the Philippian converts’ “fellowship” in the gospel along with him, but it is more likely that this refers to their active “participation” with him in the gospel by means of the financial support they sent to Paul on more than one occasion, discussed later in this letter (4:10-19, esp. 4:15-16).

[1:5]  ²⁴ tn Several alternatives for translating vv. 3-5 are possible: (1) “I thank my God every time I remember you, yes, always in my every prayer for all of you. I pray with joy because of your participation…” (see NAB; also M. Silva, Philippians [BECNT], 43-44; G. D. Fee, Philippians [NICNT], 76-80); (2) “I thank my God because of your every remembrance of me. Always in my every prayer for all of you I pray with joy. [I am grateful] for your participation…” (see Moffatt; also P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 58-61). Option (1) is quite similar to the translation above, but sees v. 4a as more or less parenthetical. Option (2) is significantly different in that Paul thanks God because the Philippians remember him rather than when he remembers them.

[1:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “since I am sure of this very thing.” The verse begins with an adverbial participle that is dependent on the main verb in v. 3 (“I thank”). Paul here gives one reason for his thankfulness.

[1:6]  ²⁶ tn The referent is clearly God from the overall context of the paragraph and the mention of “the day of Christ Jesus” at the end, which would be redundant if Christ were referred to here.

[1:6]  ²⁷ tn Or “among.”

[1:6]  ²⁸ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:7]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Just as.” The sense here is probably, “So I give thanks (v. 3) just as it is right for me…”

[1:7]  ³⁰ tn Or possibly “because you have me in your heart.”

[1:7]  ³¹ tn Grk “in my bonds.” The meaning “imprisonment” derives from a figurative extension of the literal meaning (“bonds,” “fetters,” “chains”), L&N 37.115.

[1:7]  ³² tn The word “God’s” is supplied from the context (v. 2) to clarify the meaning.

[1:1]  ³³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ³⁴ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ³⁵ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ³⁶ sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[4:3]  ³⁷ tn Or “faithful fellow worker.” This is more likely a descriptive noun, although some scholars interpret the word σύζυγος (suzugos) here as a proper name (“Syzygos”), L&N 42.45.

[4:3]  ³⁸ tn Grk “in the gospel,” a metonymy in which the gospel itself is substituted for the ministry of making the gospel known.

[4:1]  ³⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[1:5]  ⁴⁰ sn Your participation (Grk “fellowship”) could refer to Paul rejoicing because of the Philippian converts’ “fellowship” in the gospel along with him, but it is more likely that this refers to their active “participation” with him in the gospel by means of the financial support they sent to Paul on more than one occasion, discussed later in this letter (4:10-19, esp. 4:15-16).

[1:5]  ⁴¹ tn Several alternatives for translating vv. 3-5 are possible: (1) “I thank my God every time I remember you, yes, always in my every prayer for all of you. I pray with joy because of your participation…” (see NAB; also M. Silva, Philippians [BECNT], 43-44; G. D. Fee, Philippians [NICNT], 76-80); (2) “I thank my God because of your every remembrance of me. Always in my every prayer for all of you I pray with joy. [I am grateful] for your participation…” (see Moffatt; also P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 58-61). Option (1) is quite similar to the translation above, but sees v. 4a as more or less parenthetical. Option (2) is significantly different in that Paul thanks God because the Philippians remember him rather than when he remembers them.

[1:6]  ⁴² tn Grk “since I am sure of this very thing.” The verse begins with an adverbial participle that is dependent on the main verb in v. 3 (“I thank”). Paul here gives one reason for his thankfulness.

[1:6]  ⁴³ tn The referent is clearly God from the overall context of the paragraph and the mention of “the day of Christ Jesus” at the end, which would be redundant if Christ were referred to here.

[1:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “among.”

[1:6]  ⁴⁵ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Just as.” The sense here is probably, “So I give thanks (v. 3) just as it is right for me…”

[1:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Or possibly “because you have me in your heart.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “in my bonds.” The meaning “imprisonment” derives from a figurative extension of the literal meaning (“bonds,” “fetters,” “chains”), L&N 37.115.

[1:7]  ⁴⁹ tn The word “God’s” is supplied from the context (v. 2) to clarify the meaning.