The Bible Student's Guide to
New Testament Textual Variants

Paul's Letter to the Philippians

Philippians 1:14-4:16

Philippians 1:14:

TEXT: "speak the word without fear"
EVIDENCE: p46 Dc K 614 630 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect one lat syr(h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV NRSV ESV TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: D

NOTES: "speak the word of God without fear"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א) A B {D*} P Psi 33 81 104 1241 most lat {two lat} vg syr(p,h+) cop
TRANSLATIONS: ASV RSV NRSVn ESVn NASV NIV NEB REB TEVn CSBn

OTHER: "speak the word of the Lord without fear"
EVIDENCE: G (both Greek and Latin)

COMMENTS: The evidence listed in braces has a different word order from the majority of manuscripts having this reading. Although the evidence for including "of God" is very strong, the fact that the words are found in different places seems to indicates that they were added by copyists to make clear what "the word" was.

Philippians 1:16-17:

TEXT: verse 16 ("out of love") before verse 17 ("out of selfish ambition")
EVIDENCE: p46 Aleph(א) A B D* F G P 33 81 1175 1241supp 1739 1881 lat vg syr(p) cop
TRANSLATIONS: ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: -

NOTES: verse 17 ("out of selfish ambition") before verse 16 ("out of love")
EVIDENCE: D1 Psi Maj syr(h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV NASV73n

COMMENTS: Apparently later copyists reversed the order of verses 16 and 17 to show the same order as that found in verse 15. Paul often reverses the order on repeated items as a kind of chiasmus. The sense is not affected.

Philippians 2:2:

TEXT: " thinking [with] one [purpose]"
EVIDENCE: p46 Aleph(א)c B D F G K P 104 614 630 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect four lat one vg syr(p,h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: B

NOTES: "thinking the same thing"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)* A C I Psi 33 81 1241 most lat most vg
TRANSLATIONS: ASVn

COMMENTS: Apparently the word "same" was borrowed by copyists from the similar phrase in the first part of the verse.

Philippians 2:12:

TEXT: "not only as in my presence but"
EVIDENCE: p46 Aleph(א) A C D G K P Psi 81 104 614 630 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect most lat vg syr(h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSV ESV NASV [NEB REB ("as always")]
CERTAINTY: B

NOTES: "not only in my presence but"
EVIDENCE: B 33 1241 two lat syr(p) cop
TRANSLATIONS: ASVn NRSV NIV TEV CSB

COMMENTS: The word "as" may have been omitted by a few copyists as superfluous. This was perhaps also the case with the NRSV, NIV, TEV, and CSB.

Philippians 2:26:

TEXT: "he has been longing for plyou all"
EVIDENCE: {p46} Aleph(א)c B G K P Psi 614 630 1739 1881 Byz Lect most lat vg cop(south)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV NRSV ESV RSV NASV NIV NEB REB CSB
CERTAINTY: C

NOTES: "he has been longing to see plyou all"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)* A C D Ivid 33 81 104 1241 2495 two lat syr(p,h,pal) cop(north)
TRANSLATIONS: ASVn NRSVn NASVn TEV

COMMENTS: The word "for" in the text reading is implied except for the evidence listed in braces which contains the word "for" in the text. The infinitive "to see" seems to be a natural expansion here and was more likely to be added by copyists than omitted.

Philippians 2:30:

TEXT: "on account of the work of Christ he came near to death"
EVIDENCE: p46 B D G K 614 630 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect lat vg syr(p) cop(south)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: C

NOTES: "on account of the work of the Lord he came near to death"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א) A P Psi 33 81 104 1241 syr(h) cop(north)
TRANSLATIONS: ASVn NRSVn

OTHER: "on account of the work he came near to death"
EVIDENCE: C

COMMENTS: Although it is possible that the original simply had "the work" and "of Christ" or "of the Lord" were added by copyists, it is more likely that one of them was accidently omitted. The words "of Christ" seem to be supported by the better evidence. Perhaps "of the Lord" was borrowed by copyists from passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:58 and 16:10.

Philippians 3:3:

TEXT: "who serve by the Spirit of God"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)* A B C Dc G K 33 81 104 614 630 1241 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect one lat cop
TRANSLATIONS: ASV RSVn NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEBn REB CSB
CERTAINTY: C

NOTES: "who serve God in spirit" or "who serve God by the Spirit"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)c D* P Psi most lat vg syr(p,h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV RSV NRSVn ESVn NEBn REBn TEV

NOTES: "who serve in spirit" or "who serve by the Spirit"
EVIDENCE: p46
TRANSLATIONS: NEB REBn

COMMENTS: The omission of "God" from one manuscript seems to be accidental. It is likely that some copyists changed "of God" to "God" to provide an object for "serve."

Philippians 3:12:

TEXT: "I was also taken hold of by Christ Jesus"
EVIDENCE: p46 p61vid Aleph(א)2 A B D2 K L P Psi 075 33 81 104 630 1241 1739 1881 Maj vg syr(h)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSV NRSV1989 NRSV2021n ESV NASV NIV TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: -

NOTES: "I was also taken hold of by Christ"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)* D* F G 2495 lat syr(p)
TRANSLATIONS: NRSV2021 NEB REB

COMMENTS: The name Jesus is in brackets in the UBS text. Although copyists were known to expand divine names, the text reading is found in early manuscripts.

Philippians 3:13:

TEXT: "I do not reckon myself to have taken hold"
EVIDENCE: p46 B Dc G K Psi 630 1739 1881 2495 Byz most lat vg syr(p,h) cop(south)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASVn RSV NRSV ESV NASV2020 ("yet" in italics) TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: C

NOTES: "I do not yet reckon myself to have taken hold"
EVIDENCE: p16vid p61vid Aleph(א) A D* P 33 81 104 614 1241 one lat syr(h+) cop(north)
TRANSLATIONS: ASV NRSVn NASV95 NIV NEB REB TEVn CSBn

COMMENTS: Apparently some copyists who considered Paul to be too modest changed "not" to "not yet."

Philippians 4:3:

TEXT: "Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose"
EVIDENCE: p46 Aleph(א)c A B D G Ivid K P Psi 33 81 104 614 630 1241 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect lat vg syr cop
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: B

NOTES: "Clement and my fellow workers and the rest, whose"
EVIDENCE: p16vid Aleph(א)*
TRANSLATIONS: NEBn

COMMENTS: Apparently a couple of copyists overlooked "the rest" when their eye jumped from the end of the definite article to the end of "rest" and then they added it back in after "my fellow workers" with an "and."

Philippians 4:13:

TEXT: "I can do all things in the One who strengthens me."
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)* A B D* I 33 1739 lat cop
TRANSLATIONS: ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB CSB
CERTAINTY: -

NOTES: "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א)2 D2 (F G) K L P Psi 075 81 104 630 1241 1881 Maj syr
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV TEV CSBn

COMMENTS: The text reading is supported by the majority of early manuscripts of multiple text types.

Philippians 4:16:

TEXT: "plyou sent [money] for my need"
EVIDENCE: Aleph(א) B {Dc} G K {P} Psi 33 {614 630} 1739 1881 2495 Byz Lect most lat {two lat} vg
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV ASV RSVn NRSV ESV NASV NIV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: C

NOTES: "plyou sent me need"
EVIDENCE: p46 A {D*} 81 104 1241 syr(h)
TRANSLATIONS: RSV

OTHER: "plyou sent me [money] for my needs"
EVIDENCE: syr(p) cop

COMMENTS: The evidence listed above in braces reads "my" instead of "me." The Greek word for "for" was apparently accidently overlooked when copyists read DISEIS as DIS. Since "me" occurs after "need" some copyists changed it to "my."

Philippians 4:23:

TEXT: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [be] with plyour spirit."
EVIDENCE: B G 1739*vid 1881 two lat cop(south)
TRANSLATIONS: ASV RSV NRSV ESV NASV NEB REB TEV CSB
CERTAINTY: B

NOTES: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ [be] with plyour spirit. Amen."
EVIDENCE: p46 Aleph(א) A D K L P Psi 33 81 104 614 630 1241 1739cvid 2495 Byz Lect most lat vg syr cop(north)
TRANSLATIONS: KJV NKJV NRSVn NIV CSBn

COMMENTS: Copyists often added "Amen" to the end of a book they had copied.

Bruce Terry's Home Page
Bruce Terry's Home Page   Index Page
Page maintained by    Copyright © 1985, 1998, 2021, 2022 Bruce Terry
Last Modified July 8, 2022
https://bterry.com/tc2/lay20phi.htm