ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Philippians 2.14-15
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Passage

Philippians 2.14-15

Book: Philippians · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

12. So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13. for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14. Do all things without murmurings and questionings: 15. that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world,

  1. holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain. 17. Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: (Philippians 2:12-17, ASV)
WEB

12. So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14. Do all things without murmurings and disputes, 15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

  1. holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain. 17. Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all. (Philippians 2:12-17, WEB)
KJV

12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; harmless: or, sincere ye shine: or, shine ye

  1. Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 17. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. offered: Gr. poured forth (Philippians 2:12-17, KJV)
YLT

12. So that, my beloved, as ye always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling your own salvation work out, 13. for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

14. All things do without murmurings and reasonings, 15. that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world,

  1. the word of life holding forth, for rejoicing to me in regard to a day of Christ, that not in vain did I run, nor in vain did I labour; 17. but if also I am poured forth upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and joy with you all, (Philippians 2:12-17, 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 verses apply the call to obedience of Philippians 2:12-13 to the church's common life, within the exhortations that follow the Christ hymn (Philippians 2:12-18).
  • 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

"Murmurings" recalls Israel in the wilderness. "Do all things without murmurings and questionings" (Philippians 2:14, ASV). "Murmurings" is gongysmos (G1112), grumbling, the sin of Israel in the wilderness narratives (Exodus 16:7-12, Numbers 14:27). Paul draws the same lesson elsewhere: "Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer" (1 Corinthians 10:10, ASV). "Questionings" is dialogismos (G1261), which can mean inner doubts or disputes between people. Given the call to unity in 2:2-4 and the quarrel Paul addresses in 4:2, disputes within the church are the likelier sense.

Deuteronomy 32:5 is turned around. The phrase "a crooked and perverse generation" uses skolios (G4646) and diastrephō (G1294) and echoes the Song of Moses: "They are a perverse and crooked generation" (Deuteronomy 32:5, ASV). In Deuteronomy the crooked generation is Israel itself, which has dealt corruptly with God and is "not his children". Paul applies the words to the surrounding world and calls the church "children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (Philippians 2:15, ASV). The church is to be what the wilderness generation was not.

Three words describe the goal. Amemptos (G273), "blameless", is the word Paul uses of his own former standing under the law in 3:6, now applied to the church's life in Christ. Akeraios (G185), "harmless", means unmixed or innocent, as in "harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16, ASV). Amōmos (G298), "without blemish", is used in the Greek Old Testament of unblemished sacrifices, which suits the sacrificial language of 2:17. "That ye may become" makes these a goal to be reached, not a condition for belonging.

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.

Notes

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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.