The Meaning of Philippians 4:17 Explained

Philippians 4:17

KJV: Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

YLT: not that I seek after the gift, but I seek after the fruit that is overflowing to your account;

Darby: Not that I seek gift, but I seek fruit abounding to your account.

ASV: Not that I seek for the gift; but I seek for the fruit that increaseth to your account.

Discover Philippians 4:17

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Philippians 4:17?

MEANING: What does Philippians 4:17 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Philippians 4:17 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Philippians 4:17?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Not  because  I desire  a gift:  but  I desire  fruit  that may abound  to  your  account. 

What does Philippians 4:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

However the most important thing to Paul was not the gifts themselves. It was the spiritual reward that would come to the Philippians because of their financial investments in his ministry.
"They themselves will be Paul"s eschatological "reward" ( Philippians 2:16; Philippians 4:1); their gift to him has the effect of accumulating "interest" toward their eschatological "reward."" [1]
Throughout this section dealing with gifts Paul used common business terminology (i.e, "the matter of giving and receiving," Philippians 4:15; "profit" [2] or "credited to your account" [3], Philippians 4:17; "received ... in full" [2], Philippians 4:18). Paul was very aware of business matters. Perhaps this reflects his Jewish heritage. His writings reveal a consistent concern over good investments that he regarded mainly as investments yielding eternal rewards.

Context Summary

Philippians 4:10-23 - "my God Shall Supply Every Need"
The Apostle had been glad to receive the gifts of his friends, because these evidenced their earnest religious life. It was fruit that increased to their account. On his own part he had learned one of the greatest of lessons-contentment with whatever state he found himself in. This is a secret that can only be acquired by our experience of life in the will of God. When once the soul lives in God and finds its highest ideal in the fulfillment of His will, it becomes absolutely assured that all things which are necessary will be added. All things are possible to those who derive their daily strength from God.
It is wonderful to hear Paul say that he abounded, Philippians 4:18. A prison, a chain, a meager existence! The great ones of the world would have ridiculed the idea that any could be said to abound in such conditions. But they could not imagine the other hemisphere in which Paul lived; and out of his own blessed experience of what Christ could do, he promised that one's every need would be supplied. God's measure is his riches in glory; and his channel is Jesus Christ. Let us learn from Philippians 4:18 that every gift to God's children which is given from a pure motive is acceptable to Him as a fragrant sacrifice. That reference in Philippians 4:22 shows that Paul was making good use of his stay in Rome [source]

Chapter Summary: Philippians 4

1  From particular admonitions,
4  he proceeds to general exhortations,
10  showing how he rejoiced at their generosity toward him while in prison
19  And so he concludes with prayer and salutations

Greek Commentary for Philippians 4:17

I seek for [επιζητω]
Old verb, in N.T. only here and Romans 11:7 (linear present, I am seeking for). Lightfoot calls it “the Apostle‘s nervous anxiety to clear himself” of wanting more gifts. Why not say his delicate courtesy? [source]

What do the individual words in Philippians 4:17 mean?

Not that I seek after the gift but the fruit - abounding to [the] account of you
Οὐχ ὅτι ἐπιζητῶ τὸ δόμα ἀλλὰ τὸν καρπὸν τὸν πλεονάζοντα εἰς λόγον ὑμῶν

ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἐπιζητῶ  I  seek  after 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐπιζητέω  
Sense: to enquire for, seek for, search for, seek diligently.
δόμα  gift 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: δόμα  
Sense: a gift.
καρπὸν  fruit 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: καρπός  
Sense: fruit.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ὁ  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πλεονάζοντα  abounding 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: πλεονάζω  
Sense: to superabound.
λόγον  [the]  account 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.

What are the major concepts related to Philippians 4:17?

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