Passage

Philippians 3.12-14

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

10. that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; 11. if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead.

12. Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. 13. Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14. I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: 16. only, whereunto we have attained, by that same rule let us walk. (Philippians 3:10-16, ASV)

WEB

10. that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death; 11. if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12. Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect; but I press on, if it is so that I may take hold of that for which also I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13. Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to you. 16. Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. (Philippians 3:10-16, WEB)

KJV

10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. (Philippians 3:10-16, KJV)

YLT

10. to know him, and the power of his rising again, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11. if anyhow I may attain to the rising again of the dead.

12. Not that I did already obtain, or have been already perfected; but I pursue, if also I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by the Christ Jesus; 13. brethren, I do not reckon myself to have laid hold; and one thing, the things behind indeed forgetting, and to the things before stretching forth 14. to the mark I pursue for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

As many, therefore, as [are] perfect, let us think this, and if [in] anything ye think otherwise, this also shall God reveal to you, 16. but to what we have come, by the same rule walk, the same thing think; (Philippians 3:10-16, 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 follow Paul's revaluation of his credentials (Philippians 3:4-11) and guard it against any claim to have arrived.
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

Verse 12 denies arrival; verses 13 and 14 describe the pursuit. For "already obtained," "made perfect," and the wordplay of laying hold and being laid hold on, see Philippians 3:12. Verse 13 repeats the denial in the first person: "Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold" (Philippians 3:13, ASV). "Count" is logizomai, a verb of reckoning, and the reckoning is about Paul's own state. The ASV's "yet" follows manuscripts that read "not yet"; the KJV, following others, has only "not."

"One thing" gathers the life into a single aim. "but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before" (Philippians 3:13, ASV). "Stretching forward" is epekteinomai (G1901), found only here in the New Testament. "Forgetting" (G1950) cannot mean erasing memory, since Paul has just listed his past in detail (3:5-6). It means refusing to let the past govern the run. What lies "behind" is debated. Some read it as the credentials of 3:4-6 that he has "counted loss" (Philippians 3:7, ASV). Others read it as the part of the race already run, including his apostolic work, which he will not rest on. Both readings agree that nothing behind him supplies the standing he seeks.

The goal and the prize. "I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14, ASV). "Press on" repeats the verb of verse 12 (diōkō, G1377). "Goal" is skopos (G4649), found only here in the New Testament, and "prize" is brabeion (G1017), which Paul uses once more: "they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24, ASV).

What the "high calling" means is debated. "High" is anō (G507), "above" or "upward," the word of "seek the things that are above, where Christ is" (Colossians 3:1, ASV). Some take the phrase as the prize that consists in God's upward call, the summons to come up to him at the end of the race. Others take it as the prize that God's call holds out, with "high" describing the call's heavenly source. Either way the call is "of God" and "in Christ Jesus," and the direction is the one named at 3:20: "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20, ASV).

Not "made perfect," yet among "the perfect." Verse 12 denies that Paul is "made perfect" (teleioō, G5048). Verse 15 then addresses "as many as are perfect" (teleios) and asks them to "be thus minded" (Philippians 3:15, ASV). The maturity Paul commends is the one that knows it has not arrived and keeps running.

Key words

G1520 - heis, heis (Strong's G1520). Also appears in: Matthew 5.17-18, Matthew 6.24, Matthew 6.25-34.
G2316 - theos, theos (Strong's G2316). Also appears in: Matthew 1.23, Matthew 3.16, Matthew 5.9.
G2424 - Iesous, Iesous (Strong's G2424). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.18.
G3049 - logizomai, logizomai (Strong's G3049). Also appears in: Luke 22.37, Romans 3.28, Romans 8.
G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.

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.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Sanctification

Lexicon:

G5046 - teleios, via Philippians 3.12