ris3n's Apologetics Codex
Philippians 2.15-16
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Passage

Philippians 2.15-16

Book: Philippians · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

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, 16. 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.

  1. Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: 18. and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:13-18, ASV)
WEB

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, 16. 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.

  1. Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all. 18. In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:13-18, WEB)
KJV

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 16. 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.

  1. 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 18. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:13-18, KJV)
YLT

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, 16. 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;

  1. but if also I am poured forth upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and joy with you all, 18. because of this do ye also rejoice and joy with me. (Philippians 2:13-18, 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 describe the church's witness in its setting and Paul's hope for the day of Christ, within the exhortations of 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

The church shines as "lights in the world". "among whom ye are seen as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15, ASV). "Lights" is phōstēr (G5458), a word for heavenly lights such as the sun and stars, and "world" is kosmos. Readers often compare Daniel 12:3: "And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament" (Daniel 12:3, ASV). The verb phainō (G5316) can mean "appear" or "shine"; the ASV has "are seen" and the KJV "shine". Either way the image echoes "Ye are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14, ASV).

"Holding forth" or "holding fast" is debated. "holding forth the word of life" (Philippians 2:16, ASV). The verb epechō (G1907) can mean to hold out, as an offer, or to hold firmly. The ASV and KJV take the first, which fits the image of lights shining in a dark world. Others take the second, which fits Paul's concern in the next clause that his labor not be wasted. The object is the "word" (logos) of "life" (zōē), the gospel as the message that gives life.

Paul's labor is measured at the day of Christ. "that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain" (Philippians 2:16, ASV). "Glory" is kauchēma (G2745), as in 1:26. "Run" (trechō, G5143) is athletic language that Paul uses elsewhere of his mission, "lest by any means I should be running, or had run, in vain" (Galatians 2:2, ASV). "Labor in vain" recalls the servant of Isaiah: "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity" (Isaiah 49:4, ASV). The church itself is Paul's ground of boasting, as he says of the Thessalonians, "what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye" (1 Thessalonians 2:19, ASV).

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.