Philippians

Second Edition

MOISÉS SILVA

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

©1992, 2005 by Moisés Silva

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Silva, Moisés.

Philippians / Moisés Silva.—2nd ed.

  p.      cm. — (Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 0–8010-2681–4 (hardcover)

1. Bible. N.T. Philippians—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Series.

  BS2705.53.S58 2005

  227´.607—dc22 2004015093

A mis queridos padres

Contents

Series Preface

Author’s Preface to the Second Edition

Author’s Preface to the First Edition

Abbreviations

Transliteration

Map

Introduction to Philippians

I. Opening (1:1–11)

II. Paul’s Missionary Report (1:12–26)

A. Paul’s Circumstances (1:12–17)

B. Paul’s Attitude (1:18–26)

III. A Call to Sanctification (1:27–2:30)

A. Christian Citizenship (1:27–2:4)

B. Christian Humility (2:5–11)

C. Christian Obedience (2:12–18)

D. Resumption of Paul’s Missionary Report (2:19–30)

IV. Doctrinal Polemics (3:1–4:1)

A. Judaizers as the Context for Theology (3:1–6)

B. The Essence of Pauline Theology (3:7–11)

C. Practical Theology (3:12–4:1)

V. Final Concerns (4:2–23)

A. Exhortations (4:2–9)

B. A Word of Thanks (4:10–20)

C. Closing (4:21–23)

Excursus: Scribal Tendencies in the Pauline Epistles

Works Cited

Index of Subjects

Index of Authors

Index of Greek Words

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings

Series Preface

The chief concern of the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (to be known as BECNT) is to provide, within the framework of informed evangelical thought, commentaries that blend scholarly depth with readability, exegetical detail with sensitivity to the whole, attention to critical problems with theological awareness. We hope thereby to attract the interest of a fairly wide audience, from the scholar who is looking for a thoughtful and independent examination of the text to the motivated lay Christian who craves for a solid but accessible exposition.

Nevertheless, a major purpose is to address the needs of pastors and others who are involved in the preaching and exposition of the Scriptures as the uniquely inspired Word of God. This consideration affects directly the parameters of the series. For example, serious biblical expositors cannot afford to depend on a superficial treatment that avoids the difficult questions, but neither are they interested in encyclopedic commentaries that seek to cover every conceivable issue that may arise. Our aim, therefore, is to focus on those problems that have a direct bearing ...