12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, 1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God 2 – which is your reasonable service.
1:1 From Paul, 3 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, 8 rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
4:10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) 9
4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
3:2 Beware of the dogs, 12 beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 13
1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
2 tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.
3 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
4 tn Or “not become discouraged,” “not lose heart” (L&N 25.288).
5 tn Or “if we do not become extremely weary,” “if we do not give out,” “if we do not faint from exhaustion” (L&N 23.79).
6 tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”
7 tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.
8 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
9 tn Grk “for you were even concerned, but you lacked opportunity.”
10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
11 tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”
12 sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.
13 tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”
14 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).
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 tn Or “among.”
19 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.
20 tn Grk “Just as.” The sense here is probably, “So I give thanks (v. 3) just as it is right for me…”
21 tn Or possibly “because you have me in your heart.”
22 tn Grk “in my bonds.” The meaning “imprisonment” derives from a figurative extension of the literal meaning (“bonds,” “fetters,” “chains”), L&N 37.115.
23 tn The word “God’s” is supplied from the context (v. 2) to clarify the meaning.
24 tn Grk “according to the goal.”
25 tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”