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Webster's Bible: Philippians

English Bible TranslationsNew TestamentNoah Webster

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This is the Epistle to the Philippians, a first-century Christian letter attributed to the Apostle Paul (with Timothy), written from prison to a congregation he founded in Philippi, Macedonia. The letter's central thrust is joy and perseverance in faith despite suffering: Paul argues that his imprisonment has paradoxically advanced rather than hindered the gospel, and that even death would be gain for him personally, though he expects to remain alive for the community's benefit. A theologically distinctive passage in chapter 2 presents the "kenotic" hymn — the claim that Christ, though equal with God, emptied himself to take human form and die on the cross, and was therefore exalted above all — offered as a model for the community's own humility and unity. Paul sharply contrasts righteousness earned through Jewish law (which he held impeccably) against the righteousness received through faith in Christ, explicitly counting his former credentials as worthless by comparison. The letter closes with practical exhortations — resolving a dispute between two named women, commanding contentment in all circumstances, and thanking the Philippians for their financial support — grounded in the famous assertion that one can endure all things through Christ's strength.

Webster's Bible: Philippians

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