Passage

Philippians 3.18

Book: Philippians · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

16. only, whereunto we have attained, by that same rule let us walk. 17. Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample.

18. For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

whose end is perdition, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. 20. For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:16-20, ASV)

WEB

16. Nevertheless, to the extent that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. 17. Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.

18. For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as the enemies of the cross of Christ,

whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things. 20. For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (Philippians 3:16-20, WEB)

KJV

16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

18. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20. For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ^{conversation: or, we live or conduct ourselves as citizens of heaven, or, for obtaining heaven} (Philippians 3:16-20, KJV)

YLT

16. but to what we have come, by the same rule walk, the same thing think; 17. become followers together of me, brethren, and observe those thus walking, according as ye have us, a pattern;

18. for many walk of whom many times I told you, and now also weeping tell, the enemies of the cross of the Christ!

whose end [is] destruction, whose god [is] the belly, and whose glory [is] in their shame, who the things on earth are minding. 20. For our citizenship is in the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:16-20, 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 verse opens the warning about "enemies of the cross" that runs through Philippians 3:19.
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

Paul writes this warning in tears. "For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Philippians 3:18, ASV). "Weeping" is klaiō (G2799). The tone is grief, not contempt, and "told you often" shows the warning is not new to them (compare "to write the same things" at 3:1).

Who the "enemies of the cross" are is debated. One proposal identifies them with the teachers of 3:2 who insisted on circumcision; Paul says of such teachers elsewhere that they compel circumcision "only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ" (Galatians 6:12, ASV). A second proposal takes them as professing believers who live for appetite, which suits 3:19 and resembles Romans 16:18, "they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly" (Romans 16:18, ASV). A third takes them as outsiders. The text does not settle the question, and each reading has defenders.

The cross is the dividing line. Stauros (G4716) last appeared at 2:8, "yea, the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8, ASV), the lowest point of the Christ hymn. To be an enemy of the cross is therefore to reject the pattern the letter commends: self-seeking in place of the self-emptying that 2:5-8 sets as the norm.

The description continues in verse 19. See Philippians 3:19 for the four clauses that describe their end, their god, their glory and their mind, and Philippians 3:20 for the answer to them.

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.

G5547 - christos, christos, Strong's G5547
G3004 - lego, lego, Strong's G3004

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.