Philippians 2:21 BSB

Philippians 2:21

For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

KJV

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.

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Commentary

2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

For all seek their own,.... Meaning not every individual, but the greatest part; and not merely such as were manifestly false teachers, but such as were with the apostle, as ministers of the word; and we may suppose him to be stripped, by one means or another, of the more valuable preachers of the Gospel, and to be in much such a case as he describes himself to be, in 2Ti 4:

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

In that golden age of the church, could St. Paul throughly approve of one only, among all the labourers that were with him? chap. i, 14, 17. And how many do we think can now approve themselves to God? Not the things of Jesus Christ - They who seek these alone, will sadly experience this.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

For all seek their own - That is, all who are with me. Who Paul had with him at this time is not fully known, but he doubtless means that this remark should apply to the mass of Christians and Christian ministers then in Rome. Perhaps he had proposed to some of them to go and visit the church at Philippi, and they had declined it because of the distance and the dangers of the way.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

This is spoken, by comparison with Timothy; for Php 1:16, 17 implies that some of those with Paul at Rome were genuine Christians, though not so self-sacrificing as Timothy. Few come to the help of the Lord's cause, where ease, fame, and gain have to be sacrificed. Most help only when Christ's gain is compatible with their own (Jud 5:17, 23).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

10 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
οἱ	hoi	Those	G3588 →
πάντες	pantes	all	G3956 →
γὰρ	gar	for	G1063 →
τὰ	ta	the [things]	G3588 →
ἑαυτῶν	he'autōn	their own	G1438 →
ζητοῦσιν,	zētousin	are seeking,	G2212 →
οὐ	ou	not	G3756 →
τὰ	ta	the [things]	G3588 →
Ἰησοῦ	Iēsou	Jesus	G2424 →
Χριστοῦ·	Christou	of Christ;	G5547 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

G1438he'autontheir own322×

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Philippians 2:4
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 10:24
  No one should seek his own good, but the good of others.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Romans 15:1
  We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
- James 2:8
  If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
Through
Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
leads to
- Matthew 10:38
  and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
- Luke 14:27
  And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
- 1 Peter 4:1–2
  Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
- Luke 9:23–27
  Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
- Mark 10:21
  Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then…

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No single title carries him. Scripture names Jesus by a constellation of titles — Christ, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Logos, High Priest, King of Kings — and each one is a door. This hub gathers every title page on the site and anchors the rest to the verses that confer them.

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About Philippians

The Arrival at Calvary — obedient unto death — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

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01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Philippians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Philippians