1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partners in grace with me. 8 God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so in love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can add to the distress of my chains. 18 What then is the issue? Just this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. 23 I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. 24 But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my coming to you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account of me. 27 Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30 since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Philippians · Berean Standard Bible
Philippians 1 Berean Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
Places
Philippi
A Roman colony on the Via Egnatia and the site of Paul's first European converts — a beloved church to which he later wrote from prison.
Cited in the guide: Acts 16:12; Acts 16:25; Philippians 1:1
Cross references (30)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 16:12–15; Romans 1:1; Colossians 1:1–2; Romans 1:7
- 2 Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 1:2
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:2–3; Philemon 4–5; 2 Timothy 1:3; Ephesians 1:15–16
- 4 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Romans 1:9; 2 John 4; Philippians 2:2; Ephesians 1:14–23
- 5 Philippians 4:14–15; Hebrews 3:14; Philippians 1:7; Philemon 17; 2 Corinthians 8:1
- 6 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 4:12; Hebrews 13:20–21; Psalm 138:8
- 7 2 Corinthians 7:3; Philippians 1:5; Colossians 4:18; 2 Timothy 2:9; Philippians 4:14
- 8 Romans 1:9; Philippians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Romans 9:1
- 9 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Colossians 1:9; Philemon 6; 2 Peter 1:5–6; Colossians 3:10
- 10 Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 2:18; Ephesians 5:10
- 11 Hebrews 12:11; John 15:8; John 15:4–5; Galatians 5:22–23; Colossians 1:10
- 12 2 Timothy 2:9; Romans 8:28; Acts 11:19–21; Romans 8:37; Acts 22:1–30
- 13 2 Timothy 2:9; Ephesians 3:1; Philippians 1:7; Philippians 4:22; Ephesians 6:20
- 14 Ephesians 6:19–20; 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Luke 1:74; Colossians 4:4; Philippians 1:7
- 15 Romans 16:17–18; Philippians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Peter 5:2–4; 2 Corinthians 11:13
- 16 2 Corinthians 4:1–2; 2 Corinthians 2:17; Philippians 1:10; Philippians 1:12; Psalm 69:26
- 17 Philippians 2:3; 2 Timothy 1:11–12; 1 Corinthians 9:16–17; 2 Timothy 4:6–7; Galatians 2:7–8
- 18 Luke 9:50; Mark 9:38–40; 1 Corinthians 15:11; Philippians 1:14–17; 1 Corinthians 14:15
- 19 Romans 8:28; Acts 16:7; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:9
- 20 1 Peter 4:16; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Isaiah 54:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 6:19–20
- 21 Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6
- 22 1 Peter 4:2; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 10:3; Psalm 71:18
- 23 2 Corinthians 5:8; Psalm 17:15; Revelation 14:13; Luke 23:43; John 17:24
- 24 Philippians 1:25–26; Philippians 1:22; John 16:7; Acts 20:29–31
- 25 Philippians 2:24; 2 Corinthians 1:24; Ephesians 4:11–13; Romans 15:13; Romans 5:2
- 26 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:12; Philippians 4:4; Philippians 3:3; John 16:24
- 27 Ephesians 4:1; 1 Corinthians 16:13–14; 2 Peter 3:14; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 2:1–2
- 28 2 Timothy 1:7–8; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–6; Matthew 10:28; Isaiah 51:7; 2 Timothy 2:11–12
- 29 James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:13; Acts 5:41; Romans 5:3; Acts 14:22
- 30 1 Thessalonians 2:2; Acts 16:19–40; 2 Timothy 4:7; Romans 8:35–37; Hebrews 12:4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Here, as writing to those of equal honor, he does not set down his rank of Teacher, but another, and that a great one. And what is that? He calls himself a "servant," and not an Apostle.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
But the apostle himself also, being one who had been formed in a womb, and had issued thence, wrote to us, and confessed in his Epistle to the Philippians that "to live in the flesh was the fruit of [his] work;" thus expressing himself.
The apostle "desires to depart, and to be with Christ." And, "My soul desired to long for Thy judgments;" or if it is more appropriate to say, "My soul longed to desire Thy judgments." And, "The desire of wisdom bringeth to a kingdom." Yet there has always obtained the usage of understanding desire and concupiscence in a bad sense if …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For no child, be he never so virtuous, is so desirable and lovely to a father, as the having our portion in those good things, and "to depart and be with Christ." No doubt hell, and that punishment, is a thing not to be borne.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
He is called also the Spirit of Christ, as it is written, Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify; and again, Through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)