1 Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you, will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and [in] all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things [which happened] to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other [places] ; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, becoming confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife; and some also from good will. 16 The one preach Christ from contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other from love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this will turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also, Christ will be magnified 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 live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I know not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. 27 Only let your manner of life be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29 For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, [and] now hear [to be] in me.
Philippians · Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
Philippians 1 Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
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)