Philippians 4
The chapter in full, then what it says, what the Greek or Hebrew decides, and where readers have disagreed.
Philippians 4 WEB
- 1 Therefore, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
- 2 I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord.
- 3 Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
- 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. 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 Do the things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
- 10 But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity.
- 11 Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.
- 12 I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need.
- 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
- 14 However you did well that you shared in my affliction.
- 15 You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only.
- 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need.
- 17 Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increases to your account.
- 18 But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God.
- 19 My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
- 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
- 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
- 22 All the saints greet you, especially those who are of Caesar's household.
- 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Philippians 4
What is happening
Paul is writing from prison — likely in Rome — to the church he planted in Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia and the first church he founded on European soil. The letter's tone throughout is warm and personal, not corrective in the way Galatians or Corinthians can be; this is a friendship, and chapter 4 closes it out. Behind the chapter sits a specific occasion: the Philippians have sent Paul a gift, carried by a man named Epaphroditus, and Paul is both thanking them and using the occasion to say something about contentment, anxiety, and the mind. The chapter moves through four movements: a call to stand firm and a plea to two women in conflict (4:1–3), instructions for a mind under pressure (4:4–9), and a closing meditation on need, gift, and sufficiency (4:10–23).
The passage, walked through
Stand firm, and settle a quarrel (4:1–3). Paul calls the Philippians his "joy and crown" — a crown here is stephanos, the victor's wreath, not a royal diadem; they are what he has to show for his labor. Then, abruptly, he names names: "I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord." Phronein, "to think," recurs through this letter (2:2, 2:5) — it means shared disposition, not just agreement on doctrine. Two women, evidently leaders in the congregation who "labored with me in the Good News," are at odds, and Paul asks an unnamed "true partner" (gnēsie syzyge — possibly a title, possibly a pun on a proper name, "Syzygus") to help reconcile them. Their names, he adds, are "in the book of life" — whatever the dispute, it does not touch their standing before God.
Rejoice, and stop being anxious (4:4–7). "Rejoice in the Lord always" is not a mood management technique; it is repeated — "again I will say, Rejoice" — because Paul knows it will sound implausible from a prisoner. It is grounded, both times, "in the Lord," not in circumstance. "The Lord is at hand" (engys) can mean spatially near or temporally soon (his return); the ambiguity may be deliberate — both are reasons for the gentleness Paul commands next. Then the famous instruction: "In nothing be anxious" — mēden merimnate, a comprehensive prohibition — but the alternative is not stoic suppression, it is address: "by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." The thanksgiving matters; this is not raw complaint but request framed by gratitude. The result is "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" — a peace that does not depend on the anxious mind first understanding its situation, and which "will guard" (a military term, like a garrison) "your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus."
Think on these things (4:8–9). Paul lists six adjectives — true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, of good report — drawn largely from the vocabulary of Greek ethical philosophy, not distinctively Christian jargon. This is deliberate: Paul is telling a Roman-colony congregation that whatever is genuinely good, wherever found, is fit material for a Christian mind. "Think about these things" (logizesthe) is not passive musing but active reckoning, the same verb used for accounting. Verse 9 shifts from thinking to doing: "the things which you learned... do," and promises not the peace of God this time but "the God of peace" himself present.
Contentment learned, not innate (4:10–13). Paul thanks the Philippians for reviving their care for him, careful to clarify he is not complaining of past neglect — "you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity." Then the statement that gets lifted out of context more than almost anything else in Paul: "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it" — autarkēs, self-sufficient, a Stoic term Paul repurposes. He has been trained (memyēmai, an unusual word meaning "initiated," as into a mystery) in both abundance and hunger. Verse 13 — "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" — is not a promise of success in any undertaking; in context it is specifically about enduring both poverty and plenty without being mastered by either. It answers the question "can I survive want?" not "can I win the game, ace the exam, build the business?"
The gift, and its meaning (4:14–20). Paul recalls that the Philippians alone supported him "in the beginning of the Good News," sending help even to Thessalonica. He is careful about the economics: "not that I seek for the gift, but... the fruit that increases to your account" — their giving is credited to them, not owed to him. Their gift is "a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God" — sacrificial language applied to money given to support gospel work. And the promise that follows is addressed to their generosity, not detached from it: "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" — a statement about need (chreia), not want, and made to people who have just given sacrificially.
Closing greetings (4:21–23). Ordinary and specific: greetings from "the brothers who are with me" and, intriguingly, from "those who are of Caesar's household" — evidence that the gospel had reached into the imperial administration even while Paul awaited trial under it.
Where readers have disagreed
The identity of the "true partner" in 4:3 is genuinely uncertain — a title for a named church leader, or a play on a personal name (Syzygus), or Paul's wife by some very old but minority readings. No consensus exists, and none is needed to understand Paul's point. Philippians 4:13 is the chapter's most contested verse in practice, not in scholarship: its plain sense concerns endurance under want and plenty, and the tradition has consistently read it that way; its frequent modern use as a general promise of achievement borrows the words without the context.
What it asks of a reader
The chapter does not offer serenity as a technique achievable by willpower. It locates peace in address to God rather than in the successful resolution of the anxiety-producing circumstance — the request is made, and peace guards the heart, before the outcome is known. Julian of Norwich names the same shape of promise from a different angle: "He said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted; but He said: Thou shalt not be overcome." Corrie ten Boom states the practical cost of ignoring the chapter's instruction plainly: "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." Paul's own claim is stronger than either — that contentment is not a temperament some people have and others lack, but something learned, under both hunger and abundance, by a specific strength supplied from outside himself.
The verses this turns on
Therefore, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, οὕτως στήκετε ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.
- Ὥστε, ὥστε conjunction G5620
- ἀδελφοί ἀδελφός noun · vocative plural masculine G80
- μου ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- ἀγαπητοὶ ἀγαπητός adjective · vocative plural masculine G27
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- ἐπιπόθητοι, ἐπιπόθητος adjective · vocative plural masculine G1973
- χαρὰ χαρά noun · nominative singular feminine G5479
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- στέφανός στέφανος noun · nominative singular masculine G4735
- μου, ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- οὕτως οὕτω adverb G3779
- στήκετε στήκω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G4739
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Philippians 1:27 Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;
- 1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!
- Psalm 27:14 Wait for Yahweh. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for Yahweh.
- Philippians 2:16 holding up the word of life, that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ that I didn't run in vain nor labor in vain.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord's work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
ναὶ ἐρωτῶ καὶ σέ, γνήσιε σύνζυγε, συνλαμβάνου αὐταῖς, αἵτινες ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ συνήθλησάν μοι μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς.
- ναὶ ναί particle G3483
- ἐρωτῶ ἐρωτάω verb · present active indicative, 1st person singular G2065
- καὶ καί conjunction G2532
- σέ, σύ personal pronoun G4771
- γνήσιε γνήσιος adjective · vocative singular masculine G1103
- σύνζυγε, σύζυγος adjective · vocative singular masculine G4805
- συνλαμβάνου συλλαμβάνω verb · present middle or passive imperative, 2nd person singular G4815
- αὐταῖς, αὐτός personal pronoun · dative plural feminine G846
- αἵτινες ὅστις relative pronoun · nominative plural feminine G3748
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- τῷ ὁ article · dative singular neuter G3588
- εὐαγγελίῳ εὐαγγέλιον noun · dative singular neuter G2098
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
- Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.
- Luke 10:20 Nevertheless, don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
- Philippians 1:27 Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;
- Revelation 21:27 There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, "Rejoice!"discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.
- Χαίρετε χαίρω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G5463
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Κυρίῳ κύριος noun · dative singular masculine G2962
- πάντοτε· πάντοτε adverb G3842
- πάλιν πάλιν adverb G3825
- ἐρῶ, εἶπον verb · future active indicative, 1st person singular G2046
- χαίρετε. χαίρω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G5463
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Always rejoice.
- Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, enduring in troubles, continuing steadfastly in prayer,
- James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
- Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not tiresome, but for you it is safe.
- Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Τὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἁγνά, ὅσα προσφιλῆ, ὅσα εὔφημα, εἴ τις ἀρετὴ καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος, ταῦτα λογίζεσθε·
- Τὸ ὁ article · accusative singular neuter G3588
- λοιπόν, λοιπός adjective · accusative singular neuter G3062
- ἀδελφοί, ἀδελφός noun · vocative plural masculine G80
- ὅσα ὅσος correlative pronoun · nominative plural neuter G3745
- ἐστὶν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
- ἀληθῆ, ἀληθής adjective · nominative plural neuter G227
- ὅσα ὅσος correlative pronoun · nominative plural neuter G3745
- σεμνά, σεμνός adjective · nominative plural neuter G4586
- ὅσα ὅσος correlative pronoun · nominative plural neuter G3745
- δίκαια, δίκαιος adjective · nominative plural neuter G1342
- ὅσα ὅσος correlative pronoun · nominative plural neuter G3745
- ἁγνά, ἁγνός adjective · nominative plural neuter G53
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
- Titus 2:7 In all things show yourself an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness, incorruptibility,
- Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
- 2 Corinthians 8:21 Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
- Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἐχάρην δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ μεγάλως ὅτι ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνεθάλετε τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φρονεῖν· ἐφ’ ᾧ καὶ ἐφρονεῖτε, ἠκαιρεῖσθε δέ.
- Ἐχάρην χαίρω verb · aorist passive deponent indicative, 1st person singular G5463
- δὲ δέ conjunction G1161
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Κυρίῳ κύριος noun · dative singular masculine G2962
- μεγάλως μεγάλως adverb G3171
- ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
- ἤδη ἤδη adverb G2235
- ποτὲ ποτέ particle G4218
- ἀνεθάλετε ἀναθάλλω verb · aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural G330
- τὸ ὁ article · accusative singular neuter G3588
- ὑπὲρ ὑπέρ preposition G5228
- ἐμοῦ ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- 2 Corinthians 11:9 When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn't a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.
- 2 Corinthians 7:6 Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
- Galatians 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
- Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let's do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
- 2 Corinthians 6:7 in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με.
- πάντα πᾶς adjective · accusative plural neuter G3956
- ἰσχύω ἰσχύω verb · present active indicative, 1st person singular G2480
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- τῷ ὁ article · dative singular masculine G3588
- ἐνδυναμοῦντί ἐνδυναμόω verb · present active participle, dative singular masculine G1743
- με. ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Isaiah 41:10 Don't you be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- Colossians 1:11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy,
- Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
- Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak. He increases the strength of him who has no might.
However you did well that you shared in my affliction.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
πλὴν καλῶς ἐποιήσατε συνκοινωνήσαντές μου τῇ θλίψει.
- πλὴν πλήν adverb G4133
- καλῶς καλῶς adverb G2573
- ἐποιήσατε ποιέω verb · aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural G4160
- συνκοινωνήσαντές συγκοινωνέω verb · aorist active participle, nominative plural masculine G4790
- μου ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- τῇ ὁ article · dative singular feminine G3588
- θλίψει. θλῖψις noun · dative singular feminine G2347
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Hebrews 13:16 But don't forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
- Philippians 1:7 It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace.
- Hebrews 10:34 For you both had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens.
- Galatians 6:6 But let him who is taught in the word share all good things with him who teaches.
- 1 Kings 8:18 But Yahweh said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904
Ἀσπάσασθε πάντα ἅγιον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί.
- Ἀσπάσασθε ἀσπάζομαι verb · aorist middle deponent imperative, 2nd person plural G782
- πάντα πᾶς adjective · accusative singular masculine G3956
- ἅγιον ἅγιος adjective · accusative singular masculine G40
- ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
- Χριστῷ Χριστός noun · dative singular masculine G5547
- Ἰησοῦ. Ἰησοῦς noun · dative singular masculine G2424
- ἀσπάζονται ἀσπάζομαι verb · present middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person plural G782
- ὑμᾶς σύ personal pronoun G4771
- οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
- σὺν σύν preposition G4862
- ἐμοὶ ἐγώ personal pronoun G1473
- ἀδελφοί. ἀδελφός noun · nominative plural masculine G80
Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.
See also 5
- Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
- Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,
- Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
- Colossians 4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions, "if he comes to you, receive him"),
- Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and servants:
From the interpretive tradition
He said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted; but He said: Thou shalt not be overcome.
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.