Philippians 1:9
in Philippians 1And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;
KJV
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
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This verse in Philippians 1
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And this I pray - We pray for those whom we love, and whose welfare we seek. We desire their happiness; and there is no way more appropriate of expressing that desire than of going to God, and seeking it at his hand. Paul proceeds to enumerate the blessings which he sought for them; and it is worthy of observation that he did not ask riches, or worldly prosperity, but that his supplications were confined to spiritual blessings, and he sought these as the most desirable of all favors.
This site's exposition
may abound more and more
on Philippians 1:9-11
Paul prays that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, epignosis and aisthesis, a trained moral perception. The aim is practical, to test and prove what is best, dokimazein.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The elements are worshipped,-the air by Diogenes, the water by Thales, the fire by Hippasus; and by those who suppose atoms to be the first principles of things, arrogating the name of philosophers, being wretched creatures devoted to pleasure. "Wherefore I pray," says the apostle, "that your love may abound yet more and more, in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent." "Since, when we were children," says the same apostle, "we were kept in bondage under the rudiments of the world.
He wishes, with God's assistance, to pour into them pure Christian doctrine, that their faith will be firm and that they will see clearly all the vast implications of their faith. He wants them to be able to distinguish what is useful from what is …
"And this," saith he, "I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more." For this is a good of which there is no satiety; for see, being so loved he wished to be loved still more, for he who loves the object of his love, is willing to stay at no point of love, for it is impossible there should be a measure of so noble a thing. Paul desires that the debt of love should always be owing; "Owe no man any thing, save to love one another." (Rom. xiii. 8.) The measure of love is, to stop nowhere; "that your love," says he, "may abound yet more and more." Consider the character of the expression, "that it may abound yet more and more," he says, "in knowledge and all discernment." He does not extol friendship merely, nor love merely, but such as comes of knowledge; that is, Ye should not apply the same love to all: for this comes not of love, but from want of feeling. What means he by "in knowledge"? He means, with judgment, with reason, with discrimination. There are who love without reason, simply and any how, whence it comes that such friendships are weak.
The Medieval Church2 voices
Though he is loved so much, he still desires to be loved even more, because it is the nature of love never to stand still. Pay attention to his turn of phrase, which he intensifies further when he says: "grew more and more." He says …
Then when he says, and it is my prayer, he mentions his prayer. He asks three things: the first pertains to increasing charity within. For the interior affections are perfected by charity; therefore, if one lacks charity, he should desire to obtain it; if he …
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
May abound yet more and more - The fire which burned in the apostle never says, It is enough. In knowledge and in all spiritual sense - Which is the ground of all spiritual knowledge. We must be inwardly sensible of divine peace, joy, love; otherwise, we cannot know what they are.
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The subject of his prayer for them (Php 1:4). your love--to Christ, producing love not only to Paul, Christ's minister, as it did, but also to one another, which it did not altogether as much as it ought (Php 2:2;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
This I pray - This is the substance of all my prayers for you, that your love to God, to one another, and to all mankind, may abound yet more and more, ετι μαλλον και μαλλον περισσευη, that it may be like a river, perpetually fed with rain and fresh streams so that it continues to swell and increase till it fills all its banks, and floods the adjacent plains. In knowledge - Of God’s nature, perfections, your own duty and interest, his work upon your souls, and his great designs in the Gospel. And in all judgment - Και πασῃ αισθησει· In all spiritual or moral feeling; that you may at once have the clearest perception and the fullest enjoyment of those things which concern your salvation; that ye may not only know but feel that you are of God, by the Spirit which he has given you; and that your feeling may become more exercised in Divine things, so that it may he increasingly sensible and refined.
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τοῦτο | touto | this | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| προσεύχομαι, | proseuchomai | I pray, | G4336 → | |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἀγάπη | agape | love | G26 → | 114 times |
| ὑμῶν | humon | of you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ἔτι | eti | yet | G2089 → | |
| μᾶλλον | mallon | more | G3123 → | 81 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| μᾶλλον | mallon | more | G3123 → | 81 times |
| περισσεύῃ | perisseue | may abound | G4052 → | 39 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἐπιγνώσει | epignosei | knowledge | G1922 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πάσῃ | pase | in all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| αἰσθήσει | aisthesei | discernment | G144 → |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τοῦτοthis
toutoG3778 →1381 times
προσεύχομαι,I pray,
proseuchomaiG4336 →
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
ἀγάπηlove
agapeG26 →114 times
ὑμῶνof you
humonG4771 →2973 times
ἔτιyet
etiG2089 →
μᾶλλονmore
mallonG3123 →81 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
μᾶλλονmore
mallonG3123 →81 times
περισσεύῃmay abound
perisseueG4052 →39 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἐπιγνώσειknowledge
epignoseiG1922 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πάσῃin all
paseG3956 →1235 times
αἰσθήσειdiscernment
aistheseiG144 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Colossians 3:10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
it leads to
- Ephesians 4:23–24
to be renewed in the spirit of your minds;
- Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of…
- Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- Ephesians 4:23–24
Through
Colossians 1:9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and…
it leads to
- Philippians 1:9–11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
- Ephesians 1:15–20
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
- Philippians 1:9–11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies10
About Philippians
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 1.11; Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 1; J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Philippians; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Philippians 2; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Philippians and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Philippians.