Passage

Philippians 4.6-7

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Verse

ASV:

"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." (Philippians 4:6-7, ASV)

WEB:

"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." (Philippians 4:6-7, WEB)

KJV:

"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." (Philippians 4:6-7, KJV)

YLT:

"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." (Philippians 4:6-7, YLT)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV:

"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." (Philippians 4:4-9, ASV)

WEB:

"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." (Philippians 4:4-9, WEB)

KJV:

"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. 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." (Philippians 4:4-9, KJV)

YLT:

"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 peace shall be with you." (Philippians 4:4-9, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle, writing from imprisonment (Rome, most likely; possibly Caesarea or Ephesus, minority views)
Audience: Christian believers in Philippi (Roman colony in Macedonia, Paul's first European convert-community per Acts 16)
Location: composed during Paul's first Roman imprisonment (Acts 28); addressed to the Philippian congregation
Time period: composed c. AD 60-62
Narrative context: the final exhortation section of Philippians (4:4-9), a series of crisp imperatives covering joy (v. 4), gentleness (v. 5), anxiety-prayer-peace (vv. 6-7), thought-life (v. 8), and embodied obedience (v. 9). The Philippian church is facing external opposition (1:27-30), internal conflict between Euodia and Syntyche (4:2-3), and the broader uncertainty of Paul's imprisonment + potential martyrdom (1:19-26). The anxiety-and-peace text addresses the natural psychological response (worry under threat) and prescribes the Christian-spiritual practice (prayer-with-thanksgiving) and promises the divine result (God's peace guarding the heart). The verses are immediately followed by the whatsoever-things-are-true thought-life exhortation (v. 8), the cognitive-companion to the affective-anxiety prescription.

Theological reading

Philippians 4:6-7 is the most concentrated NT prescription for Christian-spiritual practice under anxiety. The structure is diagnostic + prescription + promise + christological-frame: (a) the diagnosis, be anxious about nothing; (b) the prescription, in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God; (c) the promise, the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts; (d) the christological-frame, in Christ Jesus. The text is foundational for Christian spiritual practice, Christian pastoral counseling, and Christian theological psychology.

The diagnostic, mēden merimnate

The Greek imperative is mēden merimnate, "be anxious about nothing." The verb merimnaō (μεριμνάω) is the same verb Jesus uses in the Sermon on the Mount's don't-be-anxious passage (Matt 6:25-34; cf. companion verse Matthew 6.25-34). The vocabulary is consistent: chronic-anxious-care is incompatible with the Christian-spiritual posture.

The diagnostic is not a denial that real circumstances cause real fear. Paul writes from prison; the Philippians face persecution; both have real cause for concern. The prohibition is not against acknowledging real situations but against the chronic worry-disposition that paralyzes faith and joy.

The prescription, three parallel components

Paul's prescription is structurally precise:

In everything (en panti), comprehensive scope; no anxious-thing is to be excluded
By prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (tē proseuchē kai tē deēsei meta eucharistias), three named components:

proseuchē (prayer in general, the broader category, including worship and adoration)
deēsis (supplication, specific petitionary prayer for particular needs)
eucharistia (thanksgiving, gratitude that frames the request)

Let your requests be made known unto God (ta aitēmata hymōn gnōrizesthō pros ton theon), the explicit petition + the divine addressee

The three components are not exhaustive of prayer but representative: the comprehensive God-ward orientation displaces the anxiety-orientation. Note the explicit pairing with thanksgiving, the gratitude-disposition is structurally required, preventing prayer from collapsing into mere-complaint or mere-petition.

The promise, peace as guard

The promise is the peace of God which passes all understanding, hē eirēnē tou theou hē hyperechousa panta noun. The Greek hyperechousa (present participle) describes the peace as surpassing / exceeding all understanding. The peace is not the absence of trouble; it is the divine quality that exceeds rational comprehension of how it is possible under the circumstances.

The verb guard (phrourēsei) is a military term, "garrison, stand sentry over." The peace functions like a military garrison protecting the hearts and thoughts. The peace doesn't eliminate the threats; it garrisons the inner life against being overrun by them.

The objects of the guarding are hearts and thoughts (tas kardias hymōn kai ta noēmata hymōn). The kardia (heart) is the affective-volitional center; the noēma (thought) is the cognitive-mental content. The peace covers both, the emotions AND the thoughts. The Christian-spiritual practice of anxiety-prayer-thanksgiving operates on both registers.

The christological frame, in Christ Jesus

The peace is in Christ Jesus (en Christō Iēsou). The peace is not generic-religious-tranquility, not Stoic-rational-detachment, not Eastern-meditation-emptiness. It is the peace that comes through being in Christ, through the union-with-Christ that the Pauline soteriology establishes. Cf. John 14.27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Patristic and Reformed reading

John Chrysostom (Homilies on Philippians 14, c. AD 400): the verses are practical pastoral instruction for the believer under persecution. The peace of God is the unique gift of the Christian's spiritual life, not derivable from circumstances or philosophy.

Augustine (Letters): the peace which passes all understanding is the foretaste of the eschatological pax Dei, the peace of God that will fully come at the consummation. The believer's experience of supernatural-peace-under-trial is anticipatory of the final state.

John Calvin (Commentary on Philippians ad loc.): the verse establishes that prayer is the medicine for anxiety. The Christian's recourse against worry is not self-talk, not denial, not stoic-suppression, but address-of-God-with-thanksgiving.

Apologetic and pastoral deployment

The verses are foundational for:

Christian theological psychology, Christianity has a substantive account of anxiety-management that includes both the divine-relational dimension (prayer, thanksgiving, God's-peace) and the cognitive-content dimension (whatever-things-are-true thought-life, v. 8). The Christian framework is not anti-psychological; it includes substantive psychological wisdom integrated with theology.
Christian pastoral counseling, the verses are among the most-cited NT texts in Christian pastoral counseling for anxiety, panic, worry, and chronic stress. The biblical prescription is not "don't worry, just have faith" (which sounds dismissive); it is "redirect your worry into specific prayer + thanksgiving, and receive the supernatural peace as protection."
Comparison with secular anxiety-management approaches, Christian apologetic comparison: cognitive-behavioral therapy works on the cognitive dimension; medication works on the neurochemical dimension; the Christian prayer-thanksgiving practice works on the relational-spiritual dimension. The dimensions are not mutually exclusive; the Christian framework can absorb the legitimate-secular methods while adding what they cannot provide (the divine-relational anchor and the supernatural-peace as gift).
Defeat of self-sufficient spirituality, many secular spiritualities offer techniques the practitioner performs to achieve a desired state (mindfulness, meditation, gratitude-journaling). The Christian framework includes practices (prayer, thanksgiving) but locates the source of peace outside the self (God's gift in Christ). The practitioner's posture is receptive, not productive.

The "Spirit of Anxiety" build candidate

The verse anchors the build-candidate concept of Spirit of Anxiety, a contemporary pastoral diagnosis of chronic worry as a spiritual condition (not merely psychological) requiring spiritual-relational response (not merely psychological technique). The Philippians 4:6-7 prescription is the canonical anchor for this pastoral framework.

Trinitarian / Oneness reading

The verse is fully compatible with both Trinitarian and Oneness readings. Prayer is addressed to God (the one God in either frame); the peace of God comes through Christ Jesus (the incarnate Christ, however framed metaphysically); the guarding-of-heart-and-thoughts is the work of the Spirit (the Spirit-of-God in either frame). The pastoral application is identical across traditions.

Canonical-theological connections

Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus's don't-be-anxious sermon
1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you"
John 14:27, Jesus's peace-gift
Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee"
Psalm 4:8, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep"
Romans 5:1, "being justified by faith, we have peace with God"
Colossians 3:15, "let the peace of God rule in your hearts"
2 Thessalonians 3:16, "the Lord of peace himself give you peace always"
Hebrews 4:16, "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy"

Key words

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.
G2588 - kardia, kardia (Strong's G2588). Also appears in: Matthew 5.28, Matthew 6.21, Matthew 9.4.
G3563 - nous, nous (Strong's G3563). Also appears in: Luke 24.45-46, Romans 1, Romans 7.
G3956 - pas, pas (Strong's G3956). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Matthew 2.1-6, Matthew 2.16.
G4314 - pros, pros (Strong's G4314). Also appears in: Matthew 3.13, Matthew 5.28, Matthew 11.28.
G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.