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Philippians 3:7-12 translation

Posted by on Apr 24, 2010 in translation | 2 comments

My translation:

But, whatever was gain for me, I consider these things loss through Christ. Indeed, I also consider all things loss compared to the overwhelming greatness of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. Because of him, I forfeited all things. I also consider them garbage so that I can gain Christ and be in him, not because I have made myself righteous by keeping the law, but because I have righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. This righteousness from God depends on the faith of knowing him, the power of his resurrection, and sharing in his sufferings while being conformed to his death, since somehow I will gain the resurrection of the dead. But, it’s not that I have already attained this nor have I become perfect. Instead, I keep going forward and grab on to it for myself, because I have been grabbed by Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:7-12)

Greek Text:

[ἀλλὰ] ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν. ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, δι’ ὃν Ï„á½° πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω καὶ εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ, μὴ ἔχων ἐμὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ νόμου ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει, τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ [τὴν] κοινωνίαν [τῶν] παθημάτων αὐτοῦ, συμμορφιζόμενος Ï„á¿· θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ, εἴ πως καταντήσω εἰς τὴν ἐξανάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Οὐχ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον á¼¢ ἤδη τετελείωμαι, διώκω δὲ εἰ καὶ καταλάβω, ἐφ’ ᾧ καὶ κατελήμφθην ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ [Ἰησοῦ].

Here is another translation for comparison:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:7-12 ESV)

Related posts:

  1. Philippians 1:18b-26 translation
  2. Philippians 1:1-6 translation
  3. Philippians 1:12-18a translation
  4. Philippians 1:7-11 translation

2 Comments

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  1. 4-24-2010
    andrew bowden says:

    The end of v. 7 is often rendered “I count these things loss FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST.” You said “through Christ”… another interesting possibility.

    2. Most versions, including USB ends the paragraph at v. 11, you continued through v. 12. Was this in light of the “Brothers” in v. 13?

    3. I like how you said “grab it for myself, because I was grabbed” (v. 12). This puts an oft’ quoted verse in fresh light while capturing the heart of the original.

  2. 4-25-2010
    Alan Knox says:

    Andy,

    Yes, I broke the paragraph between 12 and 13 because of the vocative “brothers”. Really, vs 12 seems to connect the previous section to the next section, so it could go either way.

    Sometimes I like to translate things in different ways to force me to think about what its actually saying. That was the case in vs. 12.

    -Alan