So, then, my beloved, even as you always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, cultivate your salvation with fear and trembling,
Phil 2:12 [LITV]
So, then, my beloved, even as you always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, cultivate your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for the sake of His good pleasure.
Phil 2:12-13 [LITV]
So, then, my beloved, even as you always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much rather in my absence, cultivate your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for the sake of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that you may be blameless and harmless, children of God, without fault in the midst of a crooked generation, even having been perverted, among whom you shine as luminaries in the world, holding up the Word of Life, for a boast to me in the day of Christ, that I ran not in vain, nor laboured in vain. But if indeed I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice; yea, I rejoice with you all, and you also rejoice in the same and rejoice with me.
Phil 2:12-18 [LITV]
I want to set you a challenge as we look at this verse in context. As indicated in the title, take particular note how this verse is connected with the flow of thought around it. We don’t speak or even think in isolated portions. Our thoughts and therefore our sentences are connected. Ideas flow on from one another. Look at the passage then from the point of view of how it is glued together; take note of the punctuation marks. I know it may seem strange that I have given you the same verse above in three different ways. Firstly, the verse stands alone without a context. Then I have given you the next literal segment with the following verse and finally I have given you the division of the passage. Take note of the punctuation marks and the higher level markers. I have given you the Literal version for a reason so you track the punctuation in Greek. The full stops come at the end of verses 13, 16 and 18.
Note also the passage begins with a conjunction which connects to what went before this passage. This passage is connected back to That Majestic Passage. Notice in the versions I have given you below there are variations on how this verse is connected to what precedes it and what follows it. Some omit the translation of the Greek conjunction [Ωστε] altogether.
[Ωστε] has the sense of “For this reason”, “Therefore”, “So then”, “So”,- What part of the Majestic Passage represents the connection?
- What is the main thought Paul is wanting us to note is what he has written before this?
Note in the translations below how they have handled the Greek conjunction [Ωστε] and also what they do with the end of verse 12 in terms of punctuation.
How the Versions have Presented Verse 12
(ASV) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
(BBE) So then, my loved ones, as you have at all times done what I say, not only when I am present, but now much more when I am not with you, give yourselves to working out your salvation with fear in your hearts;
(CEV) My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved.
(CJB) So, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey now when I am away from you: keep working out your deliverance with fear and trembling,
(ERV) My dear friends, you always obeyed what you were taught. Just as you obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important for you to obey now that I am not there. So you must continue to live in a way that gives meaning to your salvation. Do this with fear and respect for God.
(ESV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
(GNB) So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation,
(GW) My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
(ISV) And so, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I am absent, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
(KJV) Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
(MKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, cultivate your own salvation with fear and trembling.
(MSG) What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God.
(NLT) Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
(RV) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
(TLB) Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease him.
(TLV) Therefore, my loved ones, just as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence—work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
(TS2009) So that, my beloved, as you always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much rather in my absence – work out your own deliverance with fear and trembling,
- In other words how do they punctuate the end of verse 12 ?
- Is it closed with a full stop or is it clearly dependent on what follows it in verse 13 by the punctuation used at the end of the verse?
You decide!
Some of you may have stopped concentrating already and are preparing to put this Gem into the bin or into the to-read-another-time category. I trust that you can see how the versions of the Bible influence you on how to put the pieces together. I am simply highlighting the fact that it is important how we put the pieces together in order to understand the whole. Bare with me. If you don’t get my point, chill out; I will explain in the next Gem.
Instead of a quote this time here is a puzzle to solve. I will give you the answer in the next Gem.
Add the punctuation to the following sentences in order to make sense of this letter.
dear john I want a man who knows what love is all about you are generous kind thoughtful people who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior you have ruined me for other men I yearn for you I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart I can be forever happy will you let me be yours gloria