Filipi 2:2-3

2:2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, ¹  by having the same love, being united in spirit, ²  and having one purpose. 2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition ³  or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Filipi 2:16

2:16 by holding on to ⁴  the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.

Filipi 2:19

Models for Ministry

2:19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.

Filipi 2:22

2:22 But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel.

Filipi 2:27

2:27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. ⁵  But God showed mercy to him – and not to him only, but also to me – so that I would not have grief on top of grief.

Filipi 3:15

3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. ⁶  If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. ⁷ 

Filipi 3:21--4:1

3:21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours ⁸  into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ⁹  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Filipi 4:10

Appreciation for Support

4:10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) ¹⁰ 

[2:2]  ¹ tn Or “and feel the same way,” “and think the same thoughts.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated “and be of the same mind” to reflect its epexegetical force to the imperative “complete my joy.”

[2:2]  ² tn The Greek word here is σύμψυχοι (sumyucoi, literally “fellow souled”).

[2:3]  ³ tn Grk “not according to selfish ambition.” There is no main verb in this verse; the subjunctive φρονῆτε (fronhte, “be of the same mind”) is implied here as well. Thus, although most translations supply the verb “do” at the beginning of v. 3 (e.g., “do nothing from selfish ambition”), the idea is even stronger than that: “Don’t even think any thoughts motivated by selfish ambition.”

[2:16]  ⁴ tn Or “holding out, holding forth.”

[2:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “For he became ill to the point of death.”

[3:15]  ⁶ tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”

[3:15]  sn The adjective perfect comes from the same root as the verb perfected in v. 12; Paul may well be employing a wordplay to draw in his opponents. Thus, perfect would then be in quotation marks and Paul would then argue that no one – neither they nor he – is in fact perfect. The thrust of vv. 1-16 is that human credentials can produce nothing that is pleasing to God (vv. 1-8). Instead of relying on such, Paul urges his readers to trust God for their righteousness (v. 9) rather than their own efforts, and at the same time to press on for the prize that awaits them (vv. 12-14). He argues further that perfection is unattainable in this life (v. 15), yet the level of maturity that one has reached should not for this reason be abandoned (v. 16).

[3:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.

[3:21]  ⁸ tn Grk “transform the body of our humility.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:10]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “for you were even concerned, but you lacked opportunity.”