Philippians 1:17

Amplified Bible

but the former preach Christ [insincerely] out of selfish ambition [just self-promotion], thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
But those others tell about Christ because of their selfish ambition. Their reason for doing it is wrong. They only do it because they think it will make trouble for me in prison.

Revised Standard Version
the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The other parte of love because they se that I am set to defend the gospell.

Hebrew Names Version
but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Good News.

New American Standard Bible
the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

New Century Version
But the others preach about Christ for selfish and wrong reasons, wanting to make trouble for me in prison.

Update Bible Version
but, the ones [that] proclaim Christ insincerely from faction, think to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

Webster's Bible Translation
But the other from love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.

English Standard Version
The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

World English Bible
but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But the others out of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

Weymouth's New Testament
while the others proclaim Him from motives of rivalry, and insincerely, supposing that by this they are embittering my imprisonment.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But summe of strijf schewen Crist not cleneli, gessynge hem to reise tribulacioun to my boondis.

English Revised Version
but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

Berean Standard Bible
The former, however, preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing they can add to the distress of my chains.

Contemporary English Version
But the ones who are jealous of us are not sincere. They just want to cause trouble for me while I am in jail.

American Standard Version
but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

Bible in Basic English
But those are preaching Christ in a spirit of competition, not from their hearts, but with the purpose of giving me pain in my prison.

Complete Jewish Bible
while the former announce the Messiah out of selfish ambition, with impure motives, supposing they can stir up trouble for me in prison.

Darby Translation
but those out of contention, announce the Christ, not purely, supposing to arouse tribulation for my bonds.

International Standard Version
The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition and without sincerity, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment.Philippians 1:7;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But those who preach the Meshiha from contention do it not sincerely, [fn] but think to add affliction to my bonds.

Murdock Translation
And they who herald the Messiah in contention, do it not sincerely; but they hope to add pressure to my bonds.

King James Version (1611)
But the other of loue, knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel.

New Living Translation
Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.

New Life Bible
The others preach about Christ for what they get out of it. Their hearts are not right. They want to make me suffer while I am in prison.

New Revised Standard
the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But the others of loue, knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospell.

George Lamsa Translation
But those who preach Christ out of contention, do it not sincerely, but do it expecting to increase the hardship of my imprisonment.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, those, out of faction, are declaring, the Christ, not purely - supposing to rouse up, tribulation, with my bonds.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And some out of contention preach Christ not sincerely: supposing that they raise affliction to my bands.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the others of loue, knowing that I am set to the defence of the Gospell.

Good News Translation
The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison.

Christian Standard Bible®
the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.

King James Version
But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

Lexham English Bible
The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction in my imprisonment.

Literal Translation
But these others out of love, knowing that I am set for defense of the gospel.

Young's Literal Translation
and the other out of love, having known that for defence of the good news I am set:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The other parte of loue, for they knowe that I lye here for the defence of the Gospell.

Mace New Testament (1729)
the others act from affection, as knowing that I suffer for having defended the gospel.

New English Translation
The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.

New King James Version
but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Those others who preach for the wrong reasons, they do so to make trouble for me. They are cowards who talk big when I'm in jail and cannot get to them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

Legacy Standard Bible
the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me affliction in my chains.

Contextual Overview

¹²Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me [this imprisonment that was meant to stop me] has actually served to advance [the spread of] the good news [regarding salvation]. ¹³My imprisonment in [the cause of] Christ has become common knowledge throughout the whole praetorian (imperial) guard and to everyone else. ¹⁴Because of my chains [seeing that I am doing well and that God is accomplishing great things], most of the brothers have renewed confidence in the Lord, and have far more courage to speak the word of God [concerning salvation] without fear [of the consequences, seeing that God can work His good in all circumstances]. ¹⁵Some, it is true, are [actually] preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry [toward me—for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition], but others out of goodwill and a loyal spirit [toward me]. ¹⁶The latter [preach Christ] out of love, because they know that I have been put here [by God on purpose] for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷but the former preach Christ [insincerely] out of selfish ambition [just self-promotion], thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.¹⁸What then [does it matter]? So long as in every way, whether in pretense [for self-promotion] or in all honesty [to spread the truth], Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice [later as well], ¹⁹for I know [with confidence] that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being, through your prayers and the [superabundant] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [which upholds me]. ²⁰It is my own eager expectation and hope, that [looking toward the future] I will not disgrace myself nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech, even now as always, Christ will be magnified and exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that: Philippians 1:7, Romans 1:13-17, 1 Corinthians 9:16, 1 Corinthians 9:17, Galatians 2:7, Galatians 2:8, 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11, 2 Timothy 1:12, 2 Timothy 4:6, 2 Timothy 4:7, Luke 21:14, Acts 22:1, Acts 26:1, Acts 26:24, 2 Timothy 4:16,*Gr.

Reciprocal: 1 Corinthians 9:3 - answer Philippians 1:15 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 9:13
I set My rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

Job 38:12
"Since your days began, have you ever commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place,

Psalms 8:1
O LORD, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.

Psalms 8:3
When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,

Acts 13:47
"For that is what the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, SO THAT YOU MAY BRING [the message of eternal] SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the other of love,.... Those that were truly brethren in the Lord, who had received the grace of God in truth, to whom the Gospel was come in power, and who had a spiritual and experimental knowledge of Christ, and of the mysteries of his grace; these preached Christ of love, "out of the love of him", as the Ethiopic version reads; that is, out of love to Christ, who to them was exceeding precious, altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousands, and their hearts being hot and burning with love to him, they therefore spoke of him with their tongues; and out of love to the Gospel of Christ, which with them was the pearl of great price, and every truth of it more valuable than gold, silver, and precious stones; and out of love to the church of Christ and the members of it, that their souls might be fed and nourished with the wholesome words of Christ, might be comforted with the doctrines of grace, and be established and built up in their most holy faith; and out of love to the souls of others, knowing their miserable estate by nature, and the danger they were in, and therefore preached Christ as the only way of salvation, whereby they could escape the wrath to come; and out of love to the apostle likewise, which the following clause shows;

knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel; meaning either that they knew he was a chosen vessel, to bear the name of Christ, and preach his Gospel in the world; that he was ordained and appointed a minister of it before the world was; separated to it from his mother's womb, and was called unto, and sent to preach it by Christ, and was set apart for it by the church; and was in a very eminent manner qualified to defend it, by preaching, disputing, writing, and suffering: or that they knew that he was laid, or lay, as the words may rendered, in prison, for defending the Gospel of Christ; yea, they knew that his lying in prison was in defence of the Gospel; and therefore, out of love to him, they joined issue with him to defend the Gospel; as he by suffering for it, so they by preaching it, which they knew full well would be matter of great joy to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But the other of love - From pure motives, and from sincere affection to me.

Knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel - They believe that I am an ambassador from God. They regard me as unjustly imprisoned, and while I am disabled, they are willing to aid me in the great cause to which my life is devoted. To alleviate his sorrows, and to carry forward the great cause to defend which he was particularly appointed, they engaged in the work which he could not now do, and went forth to vindicate the gospel, and to make its claims better known. Coverdale renders this: “for they know that I lie here for the defense of the gospel.” So Piscator, Michaelis, and Endius render it: supposing that the meaning is, that he lay in prison for the defense of the gospel, or as a consequence of his efforts to defend it. But this is not in accordance with the usual meaning of the Greek word κεἶμαι keimai. It means to lie, and, in the perfect passive, to be laid, set, placed. If the apostle had referred to his being in prison, he would have added that fact to the statement made. The sense is, that he was appointed to be a defender of the gospel, and that they being well convinced of this, went forth to promulgate and defend the truth. That fact was one of Paul’s chief consolations while he was thus in confinement.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. The other of love — Through a sincere desire, not only to make known the way of salvation to the people, but also to vindicate and help the apostle, because they considered him as appointed by God to preach and defend the Gospel. The 16th and 17th verses are transposed by ABDEFG, and several others; the Syriac, Arabic of Erpen, Coptic, Sahidic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fathers. On this evidence Griesbach transposed them in his edition.