FAITH BIBLE SEMINARY

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4 – AN EXEGETICAL STUDY

SUBMITTED TO ROBERT GREENIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

NT633 – GREEK EXEGESIS I

BYBILLY HARDY

OCTOBER 19, 2017

CONTENTS

Contents...........................................................................................................................................ii

Philippians 2:1-4 – An Exegetical Study.........................................................................................1

Introduction..................................................................................................................................1

Background..................................................................................................................................1

Summary/Synthesis of Philippians..............................................................................................1

Historical Context of Philippians.................................................................................................3

Grammatical Decisions................................................................................................................4

Lexicography...............................................................................................................................6

Tracing the Argument................................................................................................................10

Phrasing.....................................................................................................................................10

Main point of text......................................................................................................................10

Commentary verse by verse.......................................................................................................11

Summary of author intent and meaning of section....................................................................15

Sermon Outline..........................................................................................................................16

APPENDIX 1.................................................................................................................................17

APPENDIX 2.................................................................................................................................18

BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................22

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4 – AN EXEGETICAL STUDY

Introduction

This paper will display an exegesis of Philippians 2:1-4. Through this process what Paul was

communicating to the early Christians will be made clear. This will start with understanding the

context in which Paul is writing, as well as the church of Philippi and the culture in which they

are living. Paul as the author will be introduced and what he was experiencing as he wrote will

become clear. This paper will then go through the full exegesis process of answering

grammatical questions and tracing the argument as well as clarifying any potentially confusing

words. There will be a verse by verse commentary followed by a summary of the entire passage.

Background

Summary/Synthesis of Philippians

Paul is writing as much with love and passion as he is to express gratitude and to encourage the

Philippian church to focus more on God and unity. According to O’Brian, the most important

idea from Philippians is to stand firm and be united1. This is found primarily in 1: 27-30 “the

apostle’s purposes in writing the letter are confirmed by our exegetical, thematic, and structural

studies of 1:27–30, a passage that has been shown to be highly significant, if not the heart of the

letter.0” It seems as if the Philippian church may have had been tempted not to stand firm and

allow others to divide, or potentially they were unable to find joy in what they were 1 Peter Thomas O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991), 37.0 Peter Thomas O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991), 37.

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experiencing. Paul was urging the church to be true to the faith. Paul’s actual words were, “to

walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

“This command may be taken broadly, but Paul’s specific concern was a unified stand for

the gospel, and become a unified force for the Gospel. Both of these elements were

important. The Philippians had the opportunity to witness to the world by their unified

stand for the gospel. This would be particularly impressive if they stood strong through

the sufferings they were called to endure.”0

Paul wrote this letter out of love for and gratitude of the church in Philippi. He wrote

specifically to encourage them to stand for the gospel and to be united in the gospel. Paul uses his

situation to show the believers in Philippi that it is possible to rely on Christ with what they have.

Paul is communicating to them that they already have what they need when things are hard, and

that is Christ. If they stand firm in what they know to be true from the Gospel, then this will

become a reality to them. Paul believes that when they experience this unity of being of the same

mind, it allows them to have the attitude of joy in serving and living for Christ. Paul is trying to

express an attitude of joy in living with Christ, serving Christ, knowing Christ, and relying on

Christ. Throughout this letter, Paul uses his personal experience to express and illustrate these

things. He writes this letter to encourage them that in all situations they should be glorifying Christ,

standing firm, staying unified in thoughts and practice, lifting each other up, and not doing

anything from a selfish desire as others are doing.0

Historical Context of Philippians

Philippi was a Roman city that did not have many Jews, and so the majority of the new converts 0 Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 88–89.

0 Philippians 1:15-20

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that Paul had a relationship would have been Greek. We know that they did not have many Jews

based on Acts 16:12-13 where Luke tells us that they went down to a place of prayer and not to a

synagogue. This tells us that there likely were not enough people to have a synagogue. We also

see how Paul seems to talk with the women in the area, specifically Lydia, who is the initial

convert there. She is identified by the term σεβομένη τὸν ⸀θεόν (worshipper of the God), this is a

term that is used to describe a gentile worshipper of Yahweh according to Matthew Harmon.0 We

know the culture of Philippi is not one of Godly worship based on the encounter that Paul had

with the demon-possessed slave girl in Acts 16:16-21.0 We know that the culture of Philippi was

not welcoming to Paul in the beginning when he first visited the town. However, Paul loved the

people of the church Philippi as they were with him when he and Silas were beaten and thrown

into prison the first time.0 We can see the love that Paul has for this church in the writing style.

Place in Paul’s Ministry

Paul wrote this letter to Philippians while he was imprisoned in Rome. He had experienced a

great deal of trouble up to this point and had to appeal to Caesar as a Roman citizen to avoid

being put to death by the Jewish leaders previously.0 Paul had spent approximately three years as

a Roman prisoner and had traveled to Rome from Asia, including a shipwreck in Malta. Paul had

experienced a hard life at this point0. This letter to the Philippians was written after he had spent

some time speaking with the Jews of Rome0.

0 Matthew Harmon discusses this in his Mentor commentary on Philippians. 0 This is the story of Paul coming into contact with a slave girl that was able to see the future. Paul cast out the demon and the girl lost her “ability” to be able to tell fortunes, and thus lost her owner a great deal of money. When this happened her owner drug Paul and Silas into town for a “court” claiming that they were causing disruptions based on activity that is unlawful for Romans to participate in. This resulted in imprisonment and torture. 0 We can see the passion that Paul has for this church from Phil. 1:6-11. 0Read beginning in Acts 21:27 (through the end of Acts) about Paul’s arrest and subsequent trials and imprisonment.

0 Paul began his life as Saul and a student of the law who turned into a persecutor of Christians. Saul became Paul and traveled all over preaching the Gospel and planting churches.

0 Acts28:28-31

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Grammatical Decisions

Why is there is no verb in verse 1?

Paul leads this section off with no verb in the first few clauses. This causes one to ask, why? The

most logical reason for this to me is that they were simply eliminating words that were obvious

to the reader in order to save space and ink. With no verb in the clause, we must add a form of

the “to be” verb. In this case, context tells us to add “there is” in all of these clauses. According

to O’Brian “most interpreters suggest that (ἐστιν) should be supplied.”0

What about the conditional statements?

We see here beginning in verse 1 that there is a list of conditional statements. Paul has listed a

total of five things that are listed as a condition “if.” Then in verse two, we see that the condition

is fulfilled as they are of the same mind. This is a first class conditional statement making a

simple logical connection. What Paul is expressing here is that it is logical that if there is any

encouragement and consolation, fellowship, affection, and compassion then it is also logical to

see that you will be of one mind and that will fill his joy. These conditionals should be translated

as understood to be true.

How do you translate the ἵνα Clause?

There is a “ἵνα” clause in verse two. “ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε.” We must determine the use of this

ἵνα and how it interacts with the second person plural subjunctive verb that follows. The normal

reading of this conjunction with a subjunctive would be a purpose clause. However, this does not

seem to fit the context of what Paul is saying. If this were translated as a purpose clause, then we

would be able to read this as “Make my joy complete, so that you are the same mind.” With this

translation being of the same mind would be the result of making Paul’s joy complete, therefore

0 Peter Thomas O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991), 165.

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making Paul’s joy the primary focus. Would it fit with Paul saying that the church in Philippi

should be humble by saying they need to make his joy of utmost concern? No, this would be a

contradiction, so we can eliminate that potential translation and continue to search for the proper

use of this clause. The NET rightly translates this as “and be of the same mind” and the notes

explain the purpose of this translation.

The ἵνα (hina) clause has been translated “and be of the same mind,” to reflect its

epexegetical force to the imperative “complete my joy.”0

Therefore, this clause is used simply as an epexegetical clause with the three participles

following.

Are there any text critical items to speak of?

Bruce Metzger clarifies ἕκαστος in verse 4 to be plural in the plural form and not meant to be

ἕκαστοι based on the contextual evidence of plural in this context. He found this to be to be the

result of scribal conformation to the plurals in the context.0 Although, after checking with Daniel

Wallace in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics I found there are no significant textual variants to

discuss.0

Lexicography

Words studies

0 Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005).0 Bruce Manning Metzger, United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.) (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 545.0 Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament with Scripture, Subject, and Greek Word Indexes (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1997).

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I have decided to do word studies on words that indicate the meaning of this passage. The reason

is that we must have a firm understanding of what we are reading in order to fully grasp what the

author is trying to express through this passage. Some words may be a simply study to confirm

what we already believe to be true. However, we will look at them for that confirmation.

Παράκλησις- paraklesis: The simple gloss for this word is comfort, encouragement,

exhortation. Through BDAG we see that this is the “act of emboldening another in belief or

course of action, encouragement, exhortation.0” Specifically, in this section it may refer to

Christian exhortation, that is Christians exhorting each other in a Christ-like way. Louw Nida has

the same sense, but leave it open to those that are not Christians as well, so that it is not a strictly

Christian term. Paul used this word in various forms a total of twenty-two times in his various

letters. Those meanings varied from comfort/encouragement to an urging/exhortation to do a

particular task. However, there is only one other time this word was used in a letter written in the

same time period of 60-62 AD. In the only other letter that was written in the same period, the

term has the sense of comfort. Additionally, looking at the context within this letter we can see

that this is a warm and personal letter sent to friends. Based on this information I believe that the

best sense of this word to be one of comfort and encouragement in this passage.

Παραμύθιον- paramythion: The simple gloss for this word is consolation; comfort.

BDAG says "that which offers encouragement…. consolation, means of consolation,

alleviation0” Specifically we see this as the consolation of love (παραμύθιον ἀγάπης). Louw Nida

gives us the same understanding of this word. As we look further into Paul’s writing, we are not

able to see this particular word used in any other context. We do see this word used one time in

0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 766.0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 769.

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the Septuagint. In Wisdom of Solomon 3:18 we see this word translated as consolation with the

context of the day of judgment. This gives us a sense of sadness and maybe fear being the things

that are being alleviated. Therefore, we see this word as a word of comfort when times are dark

and scary or uncertain. The best sense of this word in this context is one of caring for others and

comfort for the weak in times of trouble.

κοινωνία πνεύμα-koinonia pneuma: This phrase does not require much study, but it does

require a cursory glance to verify what is being said here. BDAG expresses koinonia as a

fellowship or association, and pneuma as a breath, wind or spirit (Spirit). Louw Nida claims that

koinonia is a "close fellowship” and pneuma is the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. With no need

to further study these words we can understand this phrase to be the fellowship of the Spirit or

fellowship in the Spirit. Essentially what Paul is referring to here is a close fellowship based on

one Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit.

Πληρόω- playrao: The simply gloss of this word is to complete or fill. In this passage,

this word holds some significance, and so we must fully understand what the meaning and what

the sense of this word is. BDAG says ”to bring to completion that which was already begun,

complete, finish.0 “Louw Nida says “to cause to happen, with the implication of fulfilling some

purpose—‘to cause to happen, to make happen, to fulfill.0“ This is a very common word, and

there is no real cause to doubt the gloss that we have seen. More explanation will be given in the

grammatical section of this paper. Within this letter, Paul uses this word two additional times,

both of which to express that he is abundantly supplied. The sense that we can take for this word

in this context is to say that Paul is saying that they (Philippians) should fill him over the top so

0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 828.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 160.

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that he is so overfilled, he has extra for others. The picture that Paul is painting with in this

statement “πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν” is that they should fill him over the top with joy.

Additionally, this word is a 2nd person plural imperative. We know that an imperative is “a

command or instruction given to the hearer, charging the hearer to carry out or perform a certain

action.”0. Therefore, this word carries the weight as the primary verb and thus charging the

reader of this letter to move into an action of some sort. Paul is charging the church of Philippi to

fill him up with joy, or to cause him to be filled with joy.

Φρονέω- phroneo: The simple gloss of this word is to think, set one’s mind on, be wise.

BDAG defines phroneo as “to have an opinion with regard to something, think, form/hold an

opinion, judge0 ”Louw Nida defines as “to keep on giving serious consideration to something

—‘to ponder, to let one’s mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one’s attention on0” This

word is primarily used in the sense of “thinking thus” 21 out of 28 times in the New Testament.

Within this same letter, Paul uses this word for anything from attitude to feeling to thinking. This

is a pretty wide range with the same author in the same letter. This allows us to see that words

have a varying sense even by the same author. This requires us to pay attention to context as we

read this passage. In this passage, this word is in the subjunctive mood which tells us that it

should be a possibility. However, there is a hina clause which gives makes this a bit more of a

challenge. This will be addressed below specifically.

Κενοδοξία- kenodoxia: A simple gloss of this term reveals a meaning of empty conceit,

vanity, conceit, vain glory. A look into BDAG reveals a gloss of “a vain or exaggerated self-

0 “Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions),” n.d., http://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm.0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1065.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 351.

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evaluation, vanity, conceit, excessive ambition.0” Louw Nida says “a state of pride which is

without basis or justification—‘empty pride, cheap pride, vain pride.0” This word has a strong

sense of being vain for no reason other than to be selfish. As we look at this word to understand

how strongly Paul is using this term, we must look into the context, and we will see that term is

being used as an extra strong selfish term. Paul has already used the term for selfishness, and

then he tacks on this term after it. This is a way for Paul to describe the intensity of the

selfishness and vanity. This is the only time Paul uses this term.

Tracing the Argument

Phrasing

In this diagram, you can follow the what Paul is saying. First of all, we are referring back to the

previous section Ch. 1:29-30. Then we see four conditional statements that all are pointing

forward to 2:2b. “Fulfill my joy” in 2:2a is the main command clause of this section. However, it

does not carry the weight of the section. The following phrase “having the same mind” carries

the weight. So, while “fulfill my joy” is the main command, the real purpose and point here are

0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 538.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 764.

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to have the same mind. We then have three statements of means that are describing how we can

have the same mind. Next, we move into a secondary command clause that is further explaining

the previous command clause. This secondary clause is instructing the church in Philippi to do

nothing according to selfishness (or empty pride), but through being humble, think of others

better than oneself. Thinking of others better than oneself is the explanation of how to be

humble, which is followed by further clarification of not looking out for your own interest but

the interest of others as well.

Main point of textEven though there is a clear command to be taken from Paul, he is not stating this command as a

forceful command, but as a loving command that results in becoming more like Christ. The main

proposition of these verses would be “Therefore, be of the same mind and do nothing according

to selfish ambition.”

Commentary verse by verse

In this section, Paul is directing his focus to the need for unity within the church of Philippi. He

has spoken briefly about the suffering that they are experiencing as he has, and that is the reason

that unity in the Word, as they stand firm together is so important. This small section holds great

truth as we discover why unity is important, what unity is, and how to express unity. Some

English translations have made this section to be more than one sentence, however, in the Greek,

we can see that this is only one long conditional sentence. The protasis is in verse 1, while vv. 2–

4 constitute the apodosis.0 We can see the focus on this section is the phrase “being of the same

mind” and everything else is how that is expressed.

0 Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005).

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Vs.1: Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if

there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

The first thing to note here is the reference back to the previous sentence where Paul is

discussing the suffering that the Philippians are experiencing. Paul has just instructed them that

they are to stand firm in the faith in the midst of this suffering. Additionally, he has called them

to unity in the midst of this suffering. This is the purpose that Paul is writing this next section as

a way of describing what it looks like to stand firm in unity with each other. Paul desires unity,

and this first verse tells us why unity is important to Paul. These next four “if” statements are

introducing and building the anticipation for the command clause of verse 2. Additionally, in

verse 26 Paul referred to the “proud confidence” that they had in him (Paul), now in this section

Paul will refer to his joy being complete. Verse 30, alluding to his own conflicts, marks the

transition from the thought of their joy (or pride) to that of his joy.0

The first “if” statement refers to the comfort or encouragement that unity brings in the

life of the believer and having a commitment to Christ. The second statement that we read is one

of consolation or comfort from Christ love. This is expressing the comfort that one receives from

being loved by Christ, his love is what comforts those in this unity. The third statement that Paul

makes refers to the fellowship of the Spirit. Now, this is potentially difficult as we look at this

term (κοινωνία πνεύματος). This is obviously speaking of the Holy Spirit, but the question is

whether this is “fellowship brought by the Spirit,” or “fellowship being in the Spirit.” Either way,

we can see that this is a fellowship that is possible due to the Holy Spirit. Therefore that should

bring joy to the reader. Finally, we have a tenderness and compassion, or mercy, that is brought

through the mercies shown to the believer by the Lord.

0 Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 428.

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Although these terms are soft and friendly, it is apparent the force that these terms would

have on the Philippian church. These “if” statements may be better read with the sense of

“since.” Since these things exist, then we should…Paul is describing the blessings that are

received due to Christian unity before he speaks of the responsibility of the believer.

Vs.2: make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in

spirit, intent on one purpose,

Paul is now stepping into his role of spiritual father to the church in Philippi. He is speaking of

his joy as the goal for the church. However, his joy being complete is being able to present a

mature group of unified believers that have stood firm in their faith to the Lord. This is his joy as

it is the joy (or pride) of any parent that presents their child as a mature believer to the Lord, or a

father who is proud of the accomplishments of his children. Paul is exhorting them to be of the

same mind, or like-minded as the way to complete his joy (or make him proud). Paul’s desire

here is to communicate what it looks like practically to be of the same mind. He is giving a

picture of Christian unity. Paul exhorts that the expressions of this unity are having the same

love, the same Spirit, and the same purpose. When speaking of this unity, Richard Melick puts it

this way

“It is not found in an identical life-style or personality. It occurs when Christian

people have the same values and loves. Paul sought that in this church.”0

What Paul was advocating for was a total lifestyle for the church in Philippi, not just a

good “business meeting mentality,” but a true unity that is found in Christ. Paul goes on to

express exactly how to do that in the next verse.

0 Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 94.

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Vs.3: do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one

another as more important than yourselves;

Now that Paul has shown the purpose for being unified as believers he must turn his attention to

teaching how to accomplish this. In this time, much like today, many people desire to be unified,

but truly do not know practically how to do that. Therefore, Paul is taking a moment to clarify in

case there is any confusion about what it means to be unified. Paul speaks of humility because if

you are unified, then you are not thinking of yourself above others, you cannot exhibit pride

while saying that you are unified. Those traits (unity and pride) are simply not compatible with

each other.

Paul takes a two-tiered approach to this explanation. First Paul has taken the negative

sense of teaching by telling the church what not to do. He instructed not to do anything out of

“selfish ambition” or “vain (empty) conceit.” You should make note that Paul has already shown

a picture of those that are doing things out of selfish ambition in 1:15. Paul does not want the

church to do this as it attempts to take the glory from God and places it on the person. Making

his point about selfish ambition he referred to earlier in his letter, Paul now makes a shift to the

positive teaching of exhorting what they should do, instead of what they shouldn’t do. Paul

instructs the church in Philippi to be humble. He continues to explain what that looks like “think

of others as more important than you.” Imagine if the church in Philippi successfully modeled

this to everyone around and then other churches began to follow this teaching. What would the

local body of Christ look like today if everyone thought of others as more important than

themselves?

Vs.4: do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of

others.

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At this point, Paul is explaining very simply what he is exhorting the church to in humility. He is

effectively saying “This is how to be humble.” Again, can to see the mind of Paul as he speaks to

those around him and there may be some confusion as to what Paul is trying to say, and so he

clarifies beyond any imagination. To be humble is to think of others a more important than

yourself. The way you do that is you stop thinking of your interest only. Start thinking about how

others are effected, and what others are going through. To bring unity to the church (or keep

unity in the church) is to eliminate self-centeredness among yourself. Paul here is not speaking

only of spiritual qualities, but the physical qualities of others. If anyone had any concern, then

that concern would be a concern for everyone. What Paul is describing here is a powerful picture

of Christian unity that goes beyond agreeing theologically and steps into the physical care for

each other.

Summary of author intent and meaning of section

Paul wrote this to explain how this church has joined with him is his sufferings as well as beliefs.

With the previous versus in mind we can understand what the encouragement is and the

consolation of love, and fellowship, as well as compassion. We can understand the joy that is

being made complete with Paul is that of a father proud of his children, as they are standing firm

in the faith and humbly looking out for each other. What Paul truly wants the church to see in

this section is that unity through humbleness is of utmost importance. The main proposition of

these verses is “Therefore, by having the same mind do nothing according to selfish ambition.”

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Sermon Outline

Being a Unified Church

Why should the church be unified? (vs. 1)

- There is encouragement (in Christ)

- There is consolation (comfort) in the love (of Christ)

- There is fellowship in the Spirit (of Christ)

- There is both affection and mercy (with Christ)

What does a unified church look like? (vs. 2)

- Having the same love (in Christ)

- Having the same Spirit (of Christ)

- Having the same purpose (with Christ)

How do we become a unified church? (vs. 3-4)

- Eliminate selfishness (in Christ)

- Commit to humility (of Christ)

- Care for others (with Christ)

Application

- In order to become the church Christ is calling us to, we must include Christ in

everything we do, and focus on him more than anything (or anyone) else.

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APPENDIX 1

A CHART OF THE PARAGRAPHS IN PHILIPPIANS

According to the New American Standard Version (English) and Nestle-Aland’s Greek New Testament, 28th Edition

New American Standard Version Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 28th EditionNO. REF. CONTENT NO. REF. CONTENT

1 1:1-11 Thanksgiving1 1:1-2 Salutation

2 1:3-11 Paul’s Thankfulness/Appreciation/Prayer

2 1:12-20

The Gospel Is Preached

31:12-

18The Gospel Is Proclaimed

31:21-

30To Live Is Christ

4 1:19-26

Christ Above All

5 1:27-30

Living Worthy of Christ

4 2:1-18 Be Like Christ

6 2:1-4 Living Humbly

7 2:5-11 The Story of Christ

82:12-

18Hold Fast to Faith

52:19-

30Timothy and Epaphroditus

92:19-

24Timothy’s Faithfulness

102:25-

30Epaphroditus’ Ministry

6 3:1-21 The Goal of Life

11 3:1 Rejoice in The Lord

12 3:2-11 Beware of False Teachers

133:12-

16Press On

143:17-

21Walk According to Christ Glory

7 4:1-9 Think of Excellence

15 4:1 Stand Firm in The Lord

16 4:2-3 Live in Unity

17 4:4-7 Rejoice in The Lord

18 4:8-9 Dwell and Practice the Truth

84:10-

23God’s Provision

194:10-

20Be Satisfied in Christ

204:21-

22Final Greeting

21 4:23 Benediction

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APPENDIX 2

Additional Word Study

σπλάγχνον- splanchnon: The simple gloss is inward parts, affection, entrails. This is a

pretty stark difference of senses in this word. Therefore, we must understand through context and

lexicons what the proper sense is for this passage. BDAG describes this s “the inward parts of a

body, including esp. the viscera, inward parts, entrails0”. BDAG continues with the explanation

that “often in the ancient world, inner body parts served as referents for psychological aspects.0”

This leads us to understand these inner parts are the seat of emotion and potentially referring

more to the heart than to the intestines of man. Paul did use this word earlier in this letter. In

Philippians 1:8 Paul uses this word to describe the affection he has through Christ Jesus. With

this context, we can understand the context of an emotional connection for this word. Paul also

uses this word in Colossians, which was written about the same time as Philippians. In

Colossians 3:12 Paul says to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness.0” The word used that is

translated as heart is σπλάγχνον. With this information, we can understand the best sense of the

word is one of affection or caring as a deep emotion.

οἰκτιρμός-oiktirmos: The simple gloss of this word is mercy, compassion, pity. BDAG

gives the gloss of pity, mercy, and compassion. Louw Nida gives a further sense of having mercy

and showing compassion. However, desiring to dig a little deeper into this word we look at when

Paul used this term elsewhere. We see again in Colossians, which Paul wrote around the same

time, that Paul uses this to express heartfelt compassion for others. Therefore, in this passage, it

0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 938.0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 938.0 New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Col 3:12.

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is apparent that Paul is using this term in the same way as to describe heartfelt compassion.

ἐριθεία- eritheia: The simple gloss of this word is selfish ambition. As we look into

BDAG, we will see selfishness or selfish ambition. As we look to Louw Nida, we see this can

mean “a feeling of resentfulness based upon jealousy and implying rivalry—‘selfish ambition,

rivalry, resentfulness0” Paul uses this term in the sense of selfish ambition earlier in this letter.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that the sense of this word is selfish ambition.

Ταπεινοφροσύνη- tapeinophrosyne: A simple gloss of this term is humility. BDAG tells

us humility or modesty. Louw Nida tells us “the quality of humility—‘humble attitude, humility,

without arrogance0” This term is used seven times in the New Testament and not at all in the

Septuagint, all seven of these are in the sense of humility. However, while checking in the letters

that Paul wrote around the same time, specifically Colossians, we see that Paul used this term

both to speak of humility of a person, as well as self-abasement of a person. Self-abasement

being a term that requires one to purposely humble oneself, versus humility that is an

unconscious action of those that are seeking and following Christ with their lives.

ὑπερέχω-hyperecho: A simple gloss of this term gives us surpass, be better than, excel,

hold above, rise above. BDAG gives us the sense of “to surpass in quality or value, be better

than, surpass, excel.0” Louw Nida tells us “to exercise continuous control over someone or

something—‘to control, to restrain.0”. In the New Testament, this term is given two separate

senses: to be superior and to be exalted. However, in the Septuagint, we see multiple senses of

this word ranging from ranging from physically growing up to being majestic and everything in 0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 760.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 747.0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1033.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 473.

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between. This tells us that to fully grasp what Paul is attempting to communicate we need to

focus on the five times this word is used in the New Testament. To our advantage is that Paul

uses it four of the five times in the New Testament and three of those times is in this letter to the

church in Philippi. In every other time that Paul uses this term in this letter, he seems to give the

sense of surpassing or having more than is needed or required. The only other time Paul uses this

term is in his letter to the Romans, and this has a completely different sense and is not helpful in

determining the proper nuance of this term. Therefore, we can see that it is likely that Paul is

using this term to describe something that is surpassing or more than enough. Based on the

context that would make sense that Paul is instructing the Philippians to think of others as

surpassing themselves, or as better than themselves.

σκοπέω-skapeo: The simple gloss of this term is notice, look out for, look at or after a

thing, to behold. BDAG gives us the meaning of “to pay careful attention to, look (out) for,

notice.0” Louw Nida tells us “to exert effort in continually acquiring information regarding some

matter, with the implication of concern as to how to respond appropriately—‘to be aware of, to

be concerned about, to consider.0” This term is only used six times in the New Testament being

split evenly with the senses of “to look to” and “to watch carefully.” In this case, we look at the

potential options that we have based on Paul’s usage of this word. However, in this period Paul

only has used this term one other time, and that happens to be later in this same letter. In

Philippians 3:17 we see Paul use this term in its participle form and is best nuanced to mean

observe or pay attention to. Paul’s previous use of this word gives us the usage of looking at or

focusing on. Based on Paul’s previous use of this term as well as the immediate context our best

0 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 931.0 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 330.

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sense of this term will be one of looking at for, or potentially even to watch out for (with the

desire to help protect).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition. Edited by Frederick William Danker. 3rd edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.

Black, David Alan. “Paul and Christian Unity: A Formal Analysis of Philippians 2:1-4.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 28.3 (1985): 299–308.

Brown, Jamieson Fausset and. Commentary on the Whole Bible: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testament. 1st edition. Zondervan Publishing, 1935.

Carson, D. A. Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians. 3.2.1996 edition. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 1996.

Harmon, Matthew. Philippians: A Mentor Commentary. Mentor, 2015.

Louw, Johannes, and Eugene Nida, eds. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament- Based on Semantic Domains, Vol. 1: Introduction and Domains. 2nd edition. New York: United Bible Societies, 1989.

Melick, Richard R. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Nashville, Tenn: Holman Reference, 1991.

Metzger, Bruce Manning, United Bible Societies. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Ed.). London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994.

Meyer, Heinrich August Wilhelm. Critical and Exegetical Hand-Book to the Epistles to the Philippians and Colossians. Forgotten Books, 2012.

The Net Bible, First Edition: A New Approach to Translation, Thoroughly Documented with 60,932 Notes By The Translators and Editors. Bible.org, 2005.

O’Brien, Peter T. The Epistle to the Philippians. Hardcover edition. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991.

Vincent, M. R., and Marvin R. Vincent. Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1985.

“The City of Philippi in the Bible - Matthew Harmon.” Bible Study Tools, n.d. http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/matthew-s-harmon/the-city-of-philippi-in-the-bible.html.

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“Introduction, Background, and Outline to Philippians.” Bible.org, n.d. https://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-background-and-outline-philippians.

“Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions),” n.d. http://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/verbs1.htm.

“Book of Philippians Overview - Insight for Living Ministries,” n.d. https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/philippians.