Passage

Philippians 1.23

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22. But if to live in the flesh,, if this shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not."

"23. But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:"

"24. yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith;" (Philippians 1:21-25, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22. But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose."

"23. But I am in a dilemma between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better."

"24. Yet, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake. 25. Having this confidence, I know that I will remain, yes, and remain with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith," (Philippians 1:21-25, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not."

"23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"

"24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;" (Philippians 1:21-25, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"21. for to me to live [is] Christ, and to die gain. 22. And if to live in the flesh [is] to me a fruit of work, then what shall I choose? I know not;"

"23. for I am pressed by the two, having the desire to depart, and to be with Christ, for it is far better,"

"24. and to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account, 25. and of this being persuaded, I have known that I shall remain and continue with you all, to your advancement and joy of the faith," (Philippians 1:21-25, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle (imprisonment)
Audience: Christian believers in Philippi
Location: composed during Roman imprisonment
Time period: composed c. AD 60-62

Theological reading

Key words

G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.

Quoted in

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.