Passage

Philippians 1.19

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

17. but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds. 18. What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

19. For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:17-21, ASV)

WEB

17. but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News. 18. What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. I rejoice in this, yes, and will rejoice.

19. For I know that this will turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:17-21, WEB)

KJV

17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:17-21, KJV)

YLT

17. and the other out of love, having known that for defence of the good news I am set: 18. what then? in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice, yea, and shall rejoice.

19. For I have known that this shall fall out to me for salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, and in all freedom, as always, also now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death, 21. for to me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain. (Philippians 1:17-21, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle, writing with Timothy named as co-sender (Philippians 1:1).
Audience: The Church at Philippi, in a Roman colony of Macedonia (Acts 16:12), founded on the mission narrated in Acts 16 and addressed with its bishops and deacons (Philippians 1:1). The church had sent Paul a gift by Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-30, 4:18). The verse gives the reason for Paul's rejoicing in Philippians 1:18 and opens his reflection on life and death (Philippians 1:19-26).
Location: Written from imprisonment (Philippians 1:7, 1:13). The place is debated: Rome is the traditional identification, and Ephesus and Caesarea are proposed as alternatives.
Time period: Depends on the imprisonment: c. AD 60-62 if Rome, c. AD 57-59 if Caesarea, the mid-50s if Ephesus.

Theological reading

"This shall turn out to my salvation" borrows the words of Job. Paul writes "For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation" (Philippians 1:19, ASV). The Greek clause, touto moi apobēsetai eis sōtērian, reproduces word for word the Septuagint of Job 13:16, where Job, under accusation, expresses confidence that he will be vindicated before God. Richard Hays drew attention to the echo in Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (1989). Whether Paul intends it or simply uses familiar biblical phrasing is not certain, but the setting is similar: a righteous man under accusation trusting God for the outcome.

What "salvation" means here is debated. The noun is sōtēria (sōtēria). One reading takes it as deliverance from prison. Another takes it as Paul's final vindication before God, whatever the court decides. The next verse favors the second, because the outcome Paul expects holds "whether by life, or by death" (Philippians 1:20, ASV), which a release from prison alone could not satisfy.

Two means are named: their prayer and the Spirit's supply. "through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:19, ASV). "Supplication" is deēsis, the word of Paul's own prayer for them at 1:4. "Supply" is epichorēgia (G2024), found elsewhere in the New Testament only at Ephesians 4:16. The Spirit (pneuma) is named in relation to Jesus Christ, as in "the Spirit of Christ" at Romans 8:9 and "the Spirit of his Son" at Galatians 4:6.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G4991 - soteria, soteria, Strong's G4991
G4151 - pneuma, pneuma, Strong's G4151
G5547 - christos, christos, Strong's G5547
G1492 - oida, oida, Strong's G1492
G2424 - Iesous, Iesous, Strong's G2424

Quoted in

Concepts:

Church at Philippi, via Philippians 1.12-26
Filioque

People:

Richard B. Hays

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.