Exegetical Paper on Philippians 1:1–8

Philippians is known for being an epistle by Paul that highlights joy. This is profound when the reader recognizes Philippians as a prison epistle (along with Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon). Paul’s delight in the Philippians is seen throughout the letter and becomes more apparent when compared with his harshness towards the Galatians. Philippians has some significant exegetical insights that will be articulated and explained in this paper which will be interacted with and interpreted to express Paul’s intention in the first eight verses of the epistle.

Historical Background

Paul seemingly comes to Philippi for the first time with the Gospel in Acts 16:11. Luke describes Philippi as “a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.” (Acts 16:12). In Philippi, Paul converted Lydia and her household (Acts 16:14–15) and the Philippian jailer and his family (Acts 16:30–34). In Philippi, Paul was beaten, thrown in prison, released, and then left the city (Acts 16:22–23a; 23b–24; 39–40; respectively). This harsh treatment was expressed by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 2:1). After Paul leaves Philippi, there are no further reports made by Luke that Paul came back to Philippi except to pass through it briefly (Acts 20:6). It can be assumed, therefore, that the church started with Lydia and her family, as well as the Philippians jailor and his family. Because Paul received harsh treatment right after the conversion of Lydia and her family, and because of his quick departure, it is possible that the church at Philippi faced discouragement. At the time of writing his letter to the Philippians, Paul was also in prison, placing the writing of the letter around 60 AD.[1]This would compound the discouragement that the Philippians might have been facing and shed light on Paul’s overall purpose of the letter: to exhort the Philippians to have the same mind as Christ by being joyful and content in every situation.

Contribution to the Letter

These first eight verses contain an introduction of the author and audience, greeting, and part of his gratitude for the Philippians. After the greeting, Paul gives the first main verb: Εὐχαριστῶ[2] (v. 3). [3] This verb gives the focus for this entire passage and is the main thrust of verses 1–8. The manner in which he gives thanks, namely, “with joy” [4](v. 4), is a constant theme throughout this letter. Paul decides to remain alive for the Philippians’ “progress and joy in the faith” (1:25). He commands the Philippians to have the same mind as expressed in Phil 2:1 so that his joymay be complete (Phil 2:2). Paul also tells the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus, who he is sending to them, “with all joy” (Phil 2:29). Paul calls the Philippians his “joy and crown” (Phil 4:1). Paul also employs the verbal form of joy: rejoice. He says that he rejoices in that Christ is proclaimed whether it is at his delight or at his expense (Phil 1:18). Paul’s desire is for them to continue in the faith so that even if he is being “poured out as a drink offering” he can still rejoice (Phil 2:17), and he encourages them to rejoice with him (Phil 2:18). Paul sent Epaphroditus for his own joy, but also so that the Philippians would rejoice (Phil 2:28). Paul commands them three more times towards the end of the letter to rejoice (Phil 3:1; 4:4) and caps off his joyous theme by saying that he rejoicedwhenever he saw their concern for him (Phil 4:10). Paul, who is in prison, seeks the joy and contentment of the Philippians by commanding them to rejoice in the Lord and maintain the same mind and attitude as Christ. He expresses this by opening the letter by discussing his joyous prayers of thanksgiving for them.

Grammatical Decisions

There are two significant phrases in Philippians 1:1–8 that warrant attention: Paul’s use of ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν in verse 3 and Paul’s use of διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶςin verse 7.

Paul’s Use of ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν in Verse 3

What is up for debate is whether Paul is thankful for his remembrance of them, or theirremembrance of him (specifically the “τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν” phrase). Every major English translation interprets this as Paul’s remembrance of the Philippians. However, with the ambiguity of the genitive ὑμῶν, there is space to consider an alternative option to this word structure. What will be attempted next is to show that there is more exegetical support to translate this word sequence as the Philippians’ remembrance of Paul.

First, it is necessary to highlight that Paul rejoices in the Lord regarding the Philippians’ concern for him (Phil 4:10). Paul says that these Philippians shared with him in “giving and receiving” (v. 15) when he left Macedonia. When he was in Thessalonica, the Philippians sent help for his needs as well (v. 16). Paul then expressed his satisfaction with their gifts (v. 18), but not without highlighting his desire to see the “fruit that increases to [their] credit.” (v. 17 ESV). Paul’s desire to see the fruit increase is related to their giving of gifts to him.

Second, with Paul’s desire set in the background, Paul’s being thankful for their remembrance of him is plausible. The “fruit that increases” is in light of God’s work in them when seen in connection with Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” It’s God who is supplying the need and therefore God who is also increasing the fruit. This echoes Paul’s words earlier in the letter where Paul is convinced that the work that God began in them, he will bring to completion until the day of Christ (Phil 1:6). It’s right for Paul to feel this way about them because they have himin their heart.[5]

With these two concepts in mind, the thrust of the main verb in Philippians 1:3 would be understood as Paul being thankful for their remembrance of him. Paul would know when they would remember him whenever he would receive their gift. Therefore, each time Paul received their gift, he thanked God joyfully. This means that the ὑμῶν of the phrase, μνείᾳ ὑμῶν, is a Genitive of Possession[6]and thus expresses the remembrance being related to the Philippians and the object of their remembrance is Paul. Often, μνείᾳ is translated as “mention”. This is further highlighted in BDAG.[7]Lou-Nida covers this same concept but with a more modern expression of this word (“think”).[8]The idea conveyed in this word is to express remembrance, not from forgetfulness, but more so from consideration. If this idea, then, is used in the Philippians as the subject, then it is the Philippians’ consideration of Paul as expressed in their gift-giving.

Paul’s Use of διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς in Verse 7

The dispute in this passage is regarding who the subject of the infinitive verb ἔχειν is. It could be the με (Paul) or it could be ὑμᾶς (the Philippians). For this verbal to have an accusative of general reference (or subject of the infinitive), the infinitive’s subject can not be “the main verb’s subject.”[9]. If the main verb is Εὐχαριστῶ, then the subject of the infinitive would have to be ὑμᾶς. If it is ἐστιν (v. 7), however, then the subject of the infinitive could be either με or ὑμᾶς. Paul is encouraging the Philippians to continue in the work that God has begun in them (Phil 1:6). He is thankful for their gifts to him (Phil 4:15–16) and considers this God’s work in them (Phil 4:17, 19). If Paul has in mind their gifts to him and expresses God’s work in them and Paul’s own confidence that God would complete that work, then Paul’s confidence in the work of God is not based on his own personal consideration of them, but their consideration of him. This fits with the consistent stream of works being evidence of salvation in Pauline theology (Rom 8:13; Eph 2:10; Phil 2:12–13; 1 Cor 7:19; 2 Cor 13:5) and with the Bible as a whole (Deu 30:6; James 1:22; 2:18, 26).[10]

Sentence Diagram

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Commentary

This section will be a brief commentary to show Paul’s overall train of thought through this passage and to highlight how the grammatical issues relate to Paul’s flow of thought.

1:1

The δοῦλοι is plural nominative. Παῦλος and Τιμόθεος are also in the nominative case but are singular. These are the names of Paul and Timothy in the greek. These two together make up the plural number of δοῦλοι. This is the nominative of apposition where δοῦλοι is further defining Paul and Timothy.

The phrase ἁγίοις is known as “the saints.” This, being paired with ἐπισκόποις καὶ διακόνοις, makes the audience of this letter presumptuously the entire church. This makes sense considering that Paul does not ever separate his focus toward the saints from his focus toward the overseers and deacons. In fact, this is the only letter where Paul addresses both the saints (the congregation) and the overseers and deacons. Fee believes the reason is found later in the letter: “Why only in this letter are the overseers and deacons singled out in the salutation? The most likely clue is to be found in 4:2–3, where Euodia and Syntyche, who are probably among these leaders, apparently are not in full accord with each other. Thus both the all with which the address begins and the addition of with the overseers and deacons at the end anticipate the problem of friction that has arisen within this community, perhaps within the leadership itself.”[11]Martin seems to sit in a similar vein: “It is possible but not provable that these persons are specially referred to in the opening address because they had taken the initiative in collecting and sending the gift of the church by the hands of Epaphroditus (2:25; 4:18), and the financial work of bishops and deacons is later attested in the Pastoral Epistles.”[12]Hansen offers two explanations, both of which could be true at the same time: “First, Paul’s reference to his partnership with the Philippians at the beginning (1:5) and end (4:15–18) of his letter indicates that this letter serves as a “thank you” for their financial support. Paul addressed the leaders of the church because they were the ones who administered this support and sent Epaphroditus bearing the gifts of the church to Paul (4:18). Second, Paul addresses the bishops and deacons to emphasize their responsibility to make sure that the church will follow Paul’s instructions. By referring to these leaders, Paul commissions them to lead the church in striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel (1:27).”[13]

There is also a tiny textual variant that will be helpful to highlight regarding the phrase σὺν ἐπισκόποις: “Several witnesses, including B3 Dc K many minuscules itrarm Chrysostom Euthalius Cassiodorus Theophylact, read συνεπισκόποις (“fellow-bishops”). This reading, which arose no doubt from dogmatic or ecclesiastical interests, is to be rejected because (a) the construction would be imperfect, the συν- having no appropriate reference, and (b) the letter is obviously intended for the whole community (τοῖς ἁγίοις … τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Φιλίπποις (cf. 3:1; 4:1, and especially 15)).”[14]This letter is to be read and addressed to the whole church.

1:2

This is a verbless clause. The verb “are” can be inserted to smooth out the English. The phrase χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη can be translated as “Grace and peace to you all . . .” instead of the more wooden translation, “Grace to you all and peace . . .” The reason for this is the contraction, καὶ, connects εἰρήνη (which is nominative) to χάρις (which is also nominative). So, the understanding is that “grace” and “peace” are from God our Father. This is a typical greeting from Paul.[15] The “our” from “Father” can be carried to “Lord.” The reason for this is for smoother English. This can be granted theologically as well because Jesus is not only the Lord, but our Lord also. This is a very warm welcome from Paul, which conveys his greeting.[16]

1:3

This verse contains the main verb of verses 3-7 (Verses 3-7 is one long sentence in the Greek). Because of the sentence structure, and the lack of punctuation until the end of verse 4, the beginning clause of verse 4 is part of verse 3. This is explained in the notes for verse 4, but the adverb πάντοτε is modifying the main verb in this verse which would make the verse read, “I give thanks at all times to [my] God . . .” Generally, verbs are focused more on their aspect (ongoing, whole action, completed action with continuing results) rather than their time (past, present, future).[17]Even if one were to grant an ongoing/progressive aspect to Paul’s main verb in verse 3 (he continuously gives thanks rather than was giving thanks at the time of his writing the letter, which is also possible!), the adverb brings a temporal aspect to the continuation of his thanksgiving. To put it simply, Paul continuously gave thanks every moment ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν. The “timing” is already highlighted by the adverb, so the rest of verse three is what Paul is giving thanks for and this is expressed in the use of the preposition “ἐπὶ.”

The μου is “restricting” τῷ θεῷ. The function of the genitive here is of possession. Paul is thanking not just any God, but hisGod for the Philippians. The prepositional phrase ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν is a difficult phrase to translate. The divide is whether or not Paul is thanking God for Paul’s remembrance of the Philippians, or for the Philippians’ remembrance of him. If the former is accepted, then the understanding would be that each time Paul remembers the Philippians he gives thanks to God for them. This is an acceptable interpretation of this passage. Some commentators assume this position and move on.[18]The grammar does not lean one way or the other. Christian experience allows for this interpretation as well. When Christian friends remember one another throughout their day, they may indeed pray for one another.

If the latter were to be accepted, there would be a little more work to be done to explain why (especially since every major English translates it as the former). Just a few points on this since this verse was handled earlier, the reason the latter should be accepted is due to the exegetical support such as Paul’s intention of the letter (exhortation to have the same mind as Christ by being joyful and content in their situations), Paul’s thankfulness of their gifts (4:10–20), and Paul’s confidence of God’s work in them (Phil 1:6). The evidence of God’s work in them is expressed in the gifts that they send to Paul, which Paul interprets as God’s work in them.

1:4

Verse 3 does not end with a period or a comma, so the first half of verse 4 carries the same thought as in verse 3. The word πάντοτε is an adverb, so it is modifying the verb which is Εὐχαριστῶ, giving verses 3 and 4 the translation: “I give thanks at all times to my God, concerning every time you all remember me, in every prayer of mine on behalf of all of you, praying in a joyful manner.” To smooth out the English with the phrase, μετὰ χαρᾶς τὴν δέησιν ποιούμενος, one can simply translate it as “praying in a joyful manner.” Paul gives thanks every time he is remembered by them, and he does so in a joyful manner in his prayers. Brown makes an interesting observation regarding this joyful manner: “Love and joy are the two first-fruits of the Spirit. Joy gives especial animation to prayers. It marked his high opinion of them, that there was almost everything in them to give him joy, and almost nothing to give him pain.”[19]Paul is giving thanks to God by joyfully praying for the Philippians every time he receives a gift from them.

1:5

The ESV starts this verse with “because”, and this verse being the cause of Paul’s thankfulness is supported by Elwell: “After setting an initial mood of joyous thanksgiving and prayer (vv. 3–4) that pervades the entire book (1:18–19; 2:17–18; 3:1; 4:1, 4, 6), Paul states why he is thankful for the Philippian Christians. Their “partnership [Gk. koinōnia; NASB participation] in the gospel” (v. 5) with the apostle since the beginning of the church in Philippi (see Acts 16:12–40) and over the ensuing years has been a great encouragement to him (Phil. 1:5).”[20]But this does not seem to be the “cause” of Paul’s joyous, thankful prayers. The cause seems to stem from verse 7. Paul’s confidence in verse 6 is because the Philippians have Paul in their hearts as expressed in the gifts that they have sent him (4:10–20). The “rightness” of Paul's thinking (or “feeling”) this way about them is due to the evidence of their salvation. So, when he gets a gift from them, he lifts up prayers to God, thanking him for the growth and development of the Philippians because Paul was not able to stay very long in Philippi to develop the church (Acts 16:11–40). Rather than following the ESV, a better translation would be “concerning.” The idea of this is that Paul had in mind their partnership in the Gospel when praying, but the cause of his prayer is the evidence of their fellowship, namely, their gifts. For example, a husband receives a love letter from his spouse and his response is praise to God. When he praises God, he has in mind his wife’s love for him, but the “cause” of his praise is from the love letter. Their fellowship in the Gospel was the cause for his prayers to be joyous.[21]Paul is giving joyous, thankful prayers to God every time the Philippians remember him, bearing in mind their participation in the Gospel.

1:6

The participle, πεποιθὼς, is active rather than passive, but it is generally translated as a passive (“having been convinced” where the subject, Paul, is the one being convinced, rather than him convincing someone else—"having convinced . . .”). The “this” refers to the following phrase, rather than the previous one, which is highlighted by the ὅτι. The ὅτι can be translated as a simple “that”, but it functions as communicating the substance of the “this” in the previous phrase.

The article before the participle ἐναρξάμενος shows that this is an adjectival participle that is functioning substantivally since there is not a main verb that it is modifying. The antecedent is assumed to be God. Pauline theology sees God as the initiator, sustainer, and finisher of the work that he plans in us (Rom 8:28–30).[22]God is the one who started this work in the Philippians, and he is the one who will finish the work in the Philippians.

It is interesting that Paul uses ἄχρι rather than ἐν or εἰς. Using one of these latter options would make the text read “will bring it to an end on/in the day of Christ. This would make more sense to our ears and our understanding of a work being “finished.” The verb ἐπιτελέσει can be translated as “will finish”, but the ESV captures the intent: “will bring to completion.” God is bringing the work he started to completion, which will find its climax on the day of Christ Jesus.[23]This means that the work that began (specifically, conversion—sanctifying work[24]), is still currently going on, and will come to an end, but not until the arrival of the day of Christ.

1:7

Paul is lifting up joyous, thankful prayers to God every time the Philippians remember him, bearing in mind their participation in the Gospel because he is convinced that God will complete the work he has started in them. This summary of verses 3–6 is the antecedent of “this” in verse 7.[25]The ESV begins a new sentence here, but the Greek continues the sentence started in verse 3. Verse 7 caps the main clause in verse 3 and further supports the evidence that spurs Paul to give thanks to God: because the Philippians have Paul in their heart. This is the “rightness” of Paul’s “feelings”. These “feelings” are more tied to his thoughts or the way he thinks about them.[26]One’s thoughts and feelings are often tied together, so this is an expression of Paul’s emotions and the expression of his thoughts as a result.[27]

The phrase διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς has two ways to translate it: (1) “because I [Paul] have you [Philippians] in my heart,” or (2) “because you [Philippians] have me [Paul] in your [Philippians] heart.” The second option is preferred but this author, but the first option is held in some fashion by all the major English translations except for the NRSV (although there is space for either translation). Grammatically, the infinitive ἔχειν can have a subject if its subject is in the accusative case.[28]The difficulty is articulating if με or ὑμᾶς is the subject of the accusative. Naselli points out that the accusative of general reference is only possible when an “infinitive’s subject is not the main verb’s subject.”[29]Wallace highlights that there has not been a consensus on how to translate this verse.[30]He also, however, comes to the same translation as many of the major English translations: that word order matters here in being the determining factor since everything else is essentially the same.[31]Where Wallace misses the mark in his observations is that he concludes that since the two opposing positions have been argued, word order is the factor that tips the scales.[32] In the context of the whole book, as demonstrated earlier in this paper, there is more evidence for the Philippians having Paul in their heart.

1:8

The first part of the verse expresses an idiomatic phrase that puts God in support of Paul’s character.[33]Woodenly, the final phrase in the verse reads “in [the] affection of Christ Jesus.” It is interesting that Paul longs for them in the affection of Christ Jesus rather than with the affection of Christ Jesus. Generally, ἐν is translated as “on, in, or among.” However, the range of this word is immense. In fact, BDAG reads, “The uses of this prep. are so many and various, and oft. so easily confused, that a strictly systematic treatment is impossible.”[34] So, it could be possible to translate it as “with the affection of Christ Jesus.” There is not much of a significant difference between “with” and “in” here. In a basic sense, “affection” is the affection that relates to Christ. Is it Christ’s love? Is it the love that Paul has developed being positionally in Christ? Is it the affection that Paul has received from Christ? Most likely, it is a combination of the first option and the second option, but generally, it is the affection in the sense of it relating to Christ.

Summary and Conclusion

The letter to the Philippians is about having the same mindset as Christ which is expressed in joy and contentment in God’s purposes for one’s life. Paul gives thanks to God for the participation of the Philippians in the Gospel, which is evidenced by their gifts which they gave to Paul for his ministry. The major areas of debate are found in verses 3 and 7 and are mainly determined by who one defines as the subject and who one defines as the object. In either case, there is no doctrine that is determined by either option. When Paul remembers the Philippians or the Philippians have Paul in their heart, Paul is still confident that the work God began in them, God will bring it to completion on the day of Christ, and in this, Paul rejoices.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016, “Introduction”. [2] BDAG defines as, “to express appreciation for benefits or blessings, give thanks, express thanks, render/return thanks” see: Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000, 415. [3]Every Greek text referenced is from the UBS5 (Aland, Barbara, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. The Greek New Testament. Fifth Revised Edition. Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2014.). [4]Every English translation is from the ESV unless otherwise noted. [5]This is dealt with in the following section: Paul’s Use of διὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶςin Verse 7. For now, “. . . because you have me in your heart” will be assumed. [6] Andreas J. Köstenberger, Benjamin L. Merkle, and Robert L. Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (B&H Academic, 2016), 91–92. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature(University of Chicago Press, 2000), 654. [8] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (United Bible Societies, 1996), 346. [9] Andrew David Naselli, How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology(P&R Publishing, 2017), 98. [10] John MacArthur, ed., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2017), 634–35.“MacArthur states boldly: Only because he is already chosen, holy, and beloved can the follower of Christ put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Col. 3:12).” He continues: “The Christian pursues practical holiness not to enter a relationship with God or to earn his love; he pursues practical holiness because he has already entered a relationship with God by grace through faith in Christ and because he is already the recipient of God’s love and favor in Christ.” [11] Gordon D. Fee, Philippians, vol. 11 of The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (IVP Academic, 1999), 43. [12] Ralph P. Martin, Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11 of Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (InterVarsity Press, 1987), 63. [13] G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 41–42. [14] Bruce Manning Metzger and 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.)(United Bible Societies, 1994), 544. [15] Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32 of The New American Commentary(Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 51. [16] Loveday Alexander, “Hellenistic Letter-Forms and the Structure of Philippians,” J. Study New Testam. 12.37 (1989): 88. [17] Köstenberger, Merkle, and Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament, 229. [18] David Brown, A. R. Fausset, and Robert Jamieson, A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Acts–Revelation (William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, n.d.), VI:424; John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures(Victor Books, 1985), 649; Jay E. Adams, Romans, Philippians, I Thessalonians, and II Thessalonians, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary (Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 141. [19] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Bible Text (William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, n.d.), I–VI:360. [20] Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3 of Baker Reference Library (Baker Book House, 1995), 1038. [21] Holman Concise Bible Commentary (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 583–84. [22] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second edition. (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 932–33, https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/10596011-L.jpg. [23] New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. (Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 1250. [24] J Gerald Janzen, “Creation and New Creation in Philippians 1:6,” Horiz. Biblic. Theol. 18.1 (1996): 42. [25] Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament, Lexham Context Commentary (Lexham Press, 2020)., Php 1:3–8 [26] Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Clarendon Press, 1996), 1955. [27] Stephen Dr Voorwinde, “More of Paul’s Emotions in Philippians,” Reform. Theol. Rev. 77.1 (2018): 45–67. [28] Köstenberger, Merkle, and Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament, 359; Naselli, How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology, 98. [29] Naselli, How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology, 98. [30] Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, 9. Repr. (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2001), 192–96. [31] Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics, 196.Wallace deals with this text and says that “The context must be determinative. But this has been argued both ways. In cases such as this, the best approach isto bring in word order—not as though nothing else mattered, but as the factor that tips the scales..” [32] Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics, 196. [33] Matthew V Novenson, “‘God Is Witness’: A Classical Rhetorical Idiom in Its Pauline Usage,” Novum Testam. 52.4 (2010): 355–75, https://doi.org/10.1163/004810010X12591327956385. [34] Arndt et al., 326.