# Philippians 2.16

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-08-18 | updated: 2026-08-18 -->

**Book:** [Philippians](/codex/philippians/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 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.**
>
> 17. 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 2:14-18, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 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.**
>
> 17. 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 2:14-18, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 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; <sup>harmless: or, sincere</sup> <sup>ye shine: or, shine ye</sup>
>
> **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.**
>
> 17. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. <sup>offered: Gr. poured forth</sup> 18. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me. (Philippians 2:14-18, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 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;**
>
> 17. 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 2:14-18, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## 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._

- [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), *zoe*, Strong's G2222
- [G3056 - logos](/codex/g3056-logos/), *logos*, Strong's G3056
- [G5547 - christos](/codex/g5547-christos/), *christos*, Strong's G5547

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## Quoted in

**Passages:**

- [1 Thessalonians 3.5](/codex/1-thessalonians-3-5/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## 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](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/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](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.