Philippians 2:6

2:6 ¹ who though he existed in the form of God ² 

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,

Philippians 2:21

2:21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:17

1:17 The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment. ³ 

Philippians 1:22

1:22 Now if I am to go on living in the body, ⁴  this will mean productive work ⁵  for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: ⁶ 

Philippians 1:29

1:29 For it has been granted to you ⁷  not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him,

Philippians 4:11

4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.

Philippians 4:17

4:17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. ⁸  Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account.

Philippians 2:16

2:16 by holding on to ⁹  the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

Philippians 2:27

2:27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. ¹⁰  But God showed mercy to him – and not to him only, but also to me – so that I would not have grief on top of grief.

Philippians 3:1

True and False Righteousness

3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, ¹¹  rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Philippians 3:3

3:3 For we are the circumcision, ¹²  the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, ¹³  exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials ¹⁴ 

Philippians 3:12

Keep Going Forward

3:12 Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. ¹⁵ 

[2:6]  ¹ sn This 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.

[2:6]  ² sn The Greek term translated form indicates a correspondence with reality. Thus the meaning of this phrase is that Christ was truly God.

[1:17]  ³ tn Grk “thinking to cause trouble to my bonds.”

[1:22]  ⁵ tn Grk “flesh.”

[1:22]  ⁶ tn Grk “fruit of work”; the genitive ἔργου (ergou) is taken as an attributed genitive in which the head noun, καρπός (karpos), functions attributively (cf. ExSyn 89-91).

[1:22]  ⁷ tn Grk “what I shall prefer.” The Greek verb αἱρέω (Jairew) could also mean “choose,” but in this context such a translation is problematic for it suggests that Paul could perhaps choose suicide (cf. L&N 30.86).

[1:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “For that which is on behalf of Christ has been granted to you – namely, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.” The infinitive phrases are epexegetical to the subject, τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ (to Juper Cristou), which has the force of “the on-behalf-of-Christ thing,” or “the thing on behalf of Christ.” To translate this in English requires a different idiom.

[4:17]  ⁹ tn Grk “Not that I am seeking the gift.” The phrase “I do not say this…” has been supplied in the translation to complete the thought for the modern reader.

[2:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “holding out, holding forth.”

[2:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “For he became ill to the point of death.”

[3:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:3]  ¹⁷ tn There is a significant wordplay here in the Greek text. In v. 2 a rare, strong word is used to describe those who were pro-circumcision (κατατομή, katatomh, “mutilation”; see BDAG 528 s.v.), while in v. 3 the normal word for circumcision is used (περιτομή, peritomh; see BDAG 807 s.v.). Both have τομή (the feminine form of the adjective τομός [tomo"], meaning “cutting, sharp”) as their root; the direction of the action of the former is down or off (from κατά, kata), hence the implication of mutilation or emasculation, while the direction of the action of the latter is around (from περί, peri). The similarity in sound yet wide divergence of meaning between the two words highlights in no uncertain terms the differences between Paul and his opponents.

[3:3]  ¹⁸ tc The verb λατρεύω (latreuw; here the participial form, λατρεύοντες [latreuonte"]) either takes a dative direct object or no object at all, bearing virtually a technical nuance of “worshiping God” (see BDAG 587 s.v.). In this text, πνεύματι (pneumati) takes an instrumental force (“by the Spirit”) rather than functioning as object of λατρεύοντες. However, the word after πνεύματι is in question, no doubt because of the collocation with λατρεύοντες. Most witnesses, including some of the earliest and best representatives of the Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine texts (א* A B C D² F G 0278^vid 33 1739 1881 Ï co Ambr), read θεοῦ (qeou; thus, “worship by the Spirit of God”). But several other important witnesses (א² D* P Ψ 075 365 1175 lat sy Chr) have the dative θεῷ (qew) here (“worship God by the Spirit”). Ì⁴⁶ is virtually alone in its omission of the divine name, probably due to an unintentional oversight. The dative θεῷ was most likely a scribal emendation intended to give the participle its proper object, and thus avoid confusion about the force of πνεύματι. Although the Church came to embrace the full deity of the Spirit, the NT does not seem to speak of worshiping the Spirit explicitly. The reading θεῷ thus appears to be a clarifying reading. On external and internal grounds, then, θεοῦ is the preferred reading.

[3:3]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “have no confidence in the flesh.”

[3:12]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” The passive has been translated as active in keeping with contemporary English style.