ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Philippians 4.4-13

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

There are ads on our codex that pay for hosting and keep the codex free. If you can, please consider whitelisting ris3n.com or allowing scripts to support the work.

Sponsored

Brands, events, influencers advertise here

ASV

2. I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3. Yea, I beseech thee also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4. Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. 5. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6. In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9. The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 10. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have revived your thought for me; wherein ye did indeed take thought, but ye lacked opportunity. 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. 12. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. 13. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.

  1. Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction. 15. And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only; (Philippians 4:2-15, ASV)
WEB

2. I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord. 3. Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4. Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!” 5. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 8. Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. 9. The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. 11. Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. 12. I know how to be humbled, and I know also how to abound. In everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. 13. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

  1. However you did well that you shared in my affliction. 15. You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. (Philippians 4:2-15, WEB)
KJV

2. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 3. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

4. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. honest: or, venerable 9. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. hath: or, is revived 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

  1. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. (Philippians 4:2-15, KJV)
YLT

2. Euodia I exhort, and Syntyche I exhort, to be of the same mind in the Lord; 3. and I ask also thee, genuine yoke-fellow, be assisting those women who in the good news did strive along with me, with Clement also, and the others, my fellow-workers, whose names [are] in the book of life.

4. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice; 5. let your forbearance be known to all men; the Lord [is] near; 6. for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; 7. and the peace of God, that is surpassing all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. 8. As to the rest, brethren, as many things as are true, as many as [are] grave, as many as [are] righteous, as many as [are] pure, as many as [are] lovely, as many as [are] of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon; 9. the things that also ye did learn, and receive, and hear, and saw in me, those do, and the God of the peace shall be with you. 10. And I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye flourished again in caring for me, for which also ye were caring, and lacked opportunity; 11. not that in respect of want I say [it], for I did learn in the things in which I am, to be content; 12. I have known both to be abased, and I have known to abound; in everything and in all things I have been initiated, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. 13. For all things I have strength, in Christ's strengthening me;

  1. but ye did well, having communicated with my tribulation; 15. and ye have known, even ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the good news when I went forth from Macedonia, no assembly did communicate with me in regard to giving and receiving except ye only; (Philippians 4:2-15, YLT)

See this page's graph and discover linked topics

Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle, writing with Timothy named as co-sender (Phil 1:1).
  • Audience: The church at Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia and the first congregation Paul planted in Europe (Acts 16:11-40). The letter names overseers and deacons at 1:1 and thanks the church for repeated financial support.
  • Location: Written from imprisonment. Paul refers to his bonds and to "Caesar's household" (Phil 1:13, 4:22); the traditional identification is Roman custody, with Ephesus and Caesarea proposed as alternatives.
  • Time period: c. AD 60-62 on the traditional Roman-imprisonment dating.

Theological reading

The closing exhortations, and they are more tightly connected than a list of maxims.

Rejoicing is commanded, twice, by a prisoner. Chairete en kyriō pantote; palin erō, chairete (4:4). The repetition is deliberate and the qualifier en kyriō is what makes it possible: the ground of the joy is located outside circumstances, which is the only way the command is intelligible from custody.

"The Lord is at hand." Ho kyrios engys (4:5) is ambiguous between nearness in time (His coming is soon) and nearness in presence (He is close by). Both are Pauline, and the sentence sits between a call to forbearance and a call not to be anxious, which suits either.

The anxiety instruction is structured (4:6-7). Not anxious in anything; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let the requests be made known. The thanksgiving clause is not decorative; it is the element that distinguishes petition from worry. The promised result is not the granting of the request but hē eirēnē tou theou, the peace of God, which phrourēsei, will garrison or stand sentry over, heart and thoughts. The verb is military, apt for a colony of veterans.

The thought-discipline (4:8). Six adjectives and two summary clauses, notable because most of the terms are drawn from common Greco-Roman moral vocabulary rather than from distinctively Jewish or Christian usage. Paul is willing to commend what is genuinely excellent wherever it is found, which is a modest but real point of contact with general revelation.

Contentment learned, not native (4:11-13). Emathon, I learned; memyēmai, I have been initiated. Verse 12 lists the pairs, abasement and abundance, fullness and hunger, and verse 13 concludes "I can do all things through him that strengtheneth me." Verse 12 defines the scope of "all things" as those circumstances, which is the guard against the verse's most common misuse.

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.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Lexicon:

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 (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.