Philippians 4:11-13

Context

Philippians 4:10-20 is the section in which Paul thanks the Philippian church for the support it sent by Epaphroditus (Philippians 4:18). Paul wrote the letter while imprisoned (Philippians 1:13). The place of writing is traditionally identified as Rome, though some scholars propose Ephesus or Caesarea.

In verse 10 Paul rejoices that the church's care for him has flourished again. In verse 11 he then makes clear that he is not speaking out of a desire to receive more, and he says that he has learned to endure both poverty and abundance: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Yet in verse 14 he commends the church for sharing in his affliction: "Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction." The passage is therefore not a refusal of support. It expresses gratitude while making clear that Paul's circumstances are not bound to that support.

Interpretation

• Contextual reading: Many commentators read the "all things" of verse 13 together with verse 12, taking it to refer to enduring every kind of circumstance: being abased or abounding, being full or being hungry. On this reading, verse 13 is not a promise that one can accomplish anything but a statement of the source of the strength that enables endurance in any situation.
• The concept of contentment: The Greek word autarkēs, translated "content," was used in Stoic philosophy for a self-sufficiency unshaken by external conditions. Scholars explain that Paul borrowed the term but grounded contentment not in himself but in "him who strengthens me," that is, in Christ. The verb behind "I am instructed" (or "I have learned the secret") in verse 12 is likewise known to have originally referred to initiation into the mystery religions, and Paul is understood to have used it figuratively.
• Devotional reading and sanctification: The Reformed tradition, especially the Puritans, frequently treated this passage as a text on Christian contentment. The seventeenth-century Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs's collection of sermons, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, is known as a representative work based on this passage.

Debates and Issues

• Manuscripts and translation: Manuscripts of the Byzantine tradition, and the Textus Receptus that follows them, include "Christ" in verse 13. This is why the King James Version reads "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Modern critical texts lack the word, and the Korean Revised Version, the New Korean Revised Version, and the New Korean Standard Version render the phrase as "him who gives strength." Either way, there is little interpretive disagreement that the one who gives strength is Christ.
• Quotation out of context: Verse 13 is often quoted in settings where people pursue goals, such as athletic competitions, examinations, and business ventures. Many preachers and scholars point out that what was originally a confession that "I can endure even want" has been turned into a promise that "I can obtain what I desire." This criticism is closely related to criticism of prosperity theology. On the other hand, those who use the verse as encouragement hold that relying on Christ in taking on difficult tasks is not at odds with the spirit of the text.

Related Passages

• 1 Timothy 6:6-9 — Contentment and godliness
• Hebrews 13:5-6 — "Be content with such things as ye have"
• 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 — Strength made perfect in weakness
• Philippians 1:21-23 — Paul's attitude toward life and death, expressed in the same letter