Daily Verse Philippians 4:7 | Daily verse by Faithlife

[SC Facilitator]

 

[Lori Jane]

Cross References:​

Jn 14:27 | “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you—not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
Col 3:15 | And the peace of Christ must rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.
Is 26:3 | You will protect a firm inclination in peace, in peace because he trusts in you.
Ro 5:1 | Therefore, because we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ga 5:22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Nu 6:26; Job 22:21; Ps 86:8; Is 26:3; Jn 14:27; Ro 1:7; 5:1; 14:17; 16:7; 2 Co 2:11; 10:5; Ga 5:22; Eph 2:6; 3:19; Php 1:1, 15; 2:3; 4:9, 19, 21; Col 3:15; 1 Pe 1:5; 5:14

 

[Lori Jane]

Commentaries:​

4:7 peace The Greek word used here, eirēnē, conveys a range of meanings, including well-being, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies.

guard your hearts and your minds Paul envisions God’s peace as a soldier who protects the hearts and minds of believers from anxiety, fear, and doubt.


John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Php 4:7.

7. Ἡ εἰρήνη, the peace) Peace, free from all anxiety [the companion of joy; comp. ver. 9.—V. g.]—ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν) that exceedeth all understanding, and therefore every request; Eph. 3:20.—φρουρήσει) will keep; it will defend you against all inroads (assaults) and anxieties, and will correct whatever is wanting to the suitableness (dexteritati, to the spiritual skilfulness, happiness of expression) of your desires, Rom. 8:26, 27.—καρδίας—νοήματα, hearts—thoughts) The heart is the seat of the thoughts.

Johann Albrecht Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament, ed. M. Ernest Bengel and J. C. F. Steudel, trans. James Bryce, vol. 4 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1860), 152–153.

7. And—The inseparable consequence of thus laying everything before God in “prayer with thanksgiving.”

peace—the dispeller of “anxious care” (Php 4:6).

of God—coming from God, and resting in God (Jn 14:27; 16:33; Col 3:15).

passeth—surpasseth, or exceedeth, all man’s notional powers of understanding its full blessedness (1 Co 2:9, 10; Eph 3:20; compare Pr 3:17).

shall keep—rather, “shall guard”; shall keep as a well-garrisoned stronghold (Is 26:1, 3). The same Greek verb is used in 1 Pe 1:5. There shall be peace secure within, whatever outward troubles may besiege.

hearts and minds—rather, “hearts (the seat of the thoughts) and thoughts” or purposes.

through—rather as Greek, “in Christ Jesus.” It is in Christ that we are “kept” or “guarded” secure.


Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 368.

4:6–7. Joy and gentleness (vv. 4–5), accompanied with an awareness of Christ’s imminent return, should dispel anxiety. Paul’s appeal to the Philippians is do not be anxious about anything. But this was not a call to a carefree life. To care and be genuinely concerned is one thing. To worry is another. Paul and Timothy cared for the people they ministered to (2 Cor. 11:28; Phil. 2:20), yet they retained trust in God. Jesus warned against worry which obviously eliminates trust in God (Matt. 6:25–33).

Paul exhorted the Philippians to prayer instead of anxiety. Praying with thanksgiving involves trusting God. Four words are used here to describe a believer’s communion with God. Prayer (proseuchē) describes a believer’s approach to God. Petition (deēsei) emphasizes requesting an answer to a specific need. Thanksgiving (eucharistias) is an attitude of heart which should always accompany one’s prayers. Requests (aitēmata) speak of definite and specific things asked for.
When the exhortations of verses 4–6 are heeded, the peace of God (v. 7) will flood one’s troubled soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is a believer’s peace (Eph. 2:14), and every child of God has peace with God through justification by faith (Rom. 5:1). But the peace of (or from) God relates to the inner tranquility of a believer’s close walk with God.

This peace of God transcends all understanding, that is, it is beyond man’s ability to comprehend. This peace guards the believers. Guard (phrourēsei, also used in 1 Peter 1:5) translates a military term which means “to protect or garrison by guarding.” Like soldiers assigned to watch over a certain area, God’s peace garrisons the hearts and … minds, that is, the emotions and thoughts, of God’s children.


Robert P. Lightner, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 663–664.

7 καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ, “as a result God’s peace.” The καί here is consecutive: “as a result.” The expression ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ, “the peace of God,” is found nowhere else in the NT. With it Paul is not now referring to the peace with God that the Philippians had as a result of their being justified by faith in Jesus Christ (τοῦ θεοῦ, “of God,” viewed as an objective genitive, as in Rom 5:1); such peace is presupposed. Nor is he exclusively referring to that “inward peace of soul which comes from God, and is grounded in God’s presence and promise … the fruit of believing prayer” (Vincent, 135; τοῦ θεοῦ, “of God,” viewed as a subjective genitive; cf. Rom 14:17; 15:13; Col 3:15). Paul seems here to be referring to the tranquility of God’s own eternal being (Caird), the peace that God himself has (Barth), the calm serenity that characterizes God’s very nature and that grateful, trusting Christians are welcome to share (τοῦ θεοῦ, “of God,” viewed as a descriptive genitive; cf. Phil 4:9; Gnilka cites Sipre 42 on Num 6:26; cf. W. Foerster, TDNT 2:411–17). If they do, then not only will inner strife resulting from worry cease, but external strife resulting from disagreements among Christians has the potential of coming to an end as well. εἰρήνη, “peace,” here reflects the Heb. šālôm, harmony and good order, when all parts of life are working according to God’s plan and purpose (for the Greco-Roman background, see Dinkler, Eirene, and for an overview of Paul’s teaching, see Porter, DPL, 695–99).

ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν, “which excels all human planning.” Paul now describes this peace by a participial phrase, lit. “which rises above every mind.” This phrase is open to more than one interpretation: (1) the peace of God “surpasses all human understanding” (cf. MOFFATT, RSV, PHILLIPS, GNB, NIV); i.e., it is so marvelously vast that no human mind can ever fully comprehend its significance. (2) God’s peace is able to produce exceedingly better results than human planning, or it is far superior to any person’s schemes for security, or it is more effective for removing anxiety than any intellectual effort or power of reasoning (Plummer). Any of these interpretations is possible, although the latter one better fits the context in which this phrase appears. The context certainly argues against the attempt to see in these words a subtle rebuke to Paul’s enemies who claimed superior knowledge or to those Philippians who were jockeying for position by wanting to surpass or to outstrip their fellow Christians. The fact that the verb ὑπερέχειν, “to go beyond,” appears three times in this letter, out of the total of four times Paul uses it in all of his letters (Phil 2:3; 3:8; 4:7; Rom 13:1), although striking, cannot override the context. However, it allows one to say that the expression “the peace of God which passes all understanding” means that “the ‘understanding’ (‘nous’) which the Philippians put into their dissensions ought in the end to be subjected to the peace which God gives” (Collange, 145; cf. Bonnard; Martin [1976]; O’Brien, 497, argues for the thought of God’s peace surpassing all our powers of comprehension; Black, NovT 37 [1995] 41–45, however, seeks to explain the verses as another bid by Paul to encourage the Philippians to live “in harmony with one another”). This expression is found in a section where the apostle seeks to help his friends to cope with anxiety through prayer and thanksgiving and to begin to share in the profundity of God’s peace, rather than to rebuke them for their self-centeredness. He has done that elsewhere (Phil 2:1–4; so O’Brien, 497–98).

φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, “will stand guard over your thoughts and feelings in Christ Jesus.” The verb φρουρεῖν is a military term picturing God’s peace as a detachment of soldiers “standing guard over” (cf. 2 Cor 11:32) a city so as to protect it from attack. Philippi in Paul’s time housed a Roman garrison (see Oakes, Philippians). Thus the metaphor would have been easily understood and appreciated by the Philippian Christians who read it: God’s peace, like a garrison of soldiers, will keep guard over our thoughts and feelings so that they will be as safe against the assaults of worry and fear as any fortress.

καρδία, “heart,” in the NT never means the physical organ that pumps the blood. Nor is it used solely to refer to the center of one’s emotions (Rom 9:2; 10:1; 2 Cor 2:4; 6:11; Phil 1:7). It is sometimes used to describe the source of thought (Rom 1:21; Eph 1:21) and moral choice (1 Cor 7:37; 2 Cor 9:7)—that which “gives impulse and character to action” (Vincent, 137; J. Behm, TDNT 3:611–13). But here, where Paul places καρδία, “heart,” alongside νόημα, “thought,” grammatically in such a way as to distinguish the one from the other—τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν, “your hearts and your thoughts” (note the definite articles with both nouns and also the pronoun ὑμῶν, “your”)—καρδία, “heart,” very likely has its meaning narrowed to the “seat of one’s emotions or deepest feelings” or simply to the “emotions” and “feelings” themselves. νοήματα, however, are the products of the νοῦς, “mind,” and hence “thoughts” (2 Cor 2:11; cf. NEB, JB; but see J. Behm, TDNT 4:960–61). Together these words refer to the entire inner being of the Christian—emotions, affections, thoughts, and moral choices (cf. Stacey, Pauline View of Man). This inner part of a person, then, so vulnerable to attack by the enemy, is that which God’s peace is set, like battle-ready soldiers, to protect.

But this peace that acts as guard of one’s emotions and thoughts, Paul says, is reserved for, or available only to, those who are ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, “in Christ Jesus” (see Comment on this phrase in Phil 1:1). That is to say, only in union with Christ, “in obedience to his authority and submission to his will” (Martin [1976], 157), can anyone have the secure assurance that he is indeed the object of the protection of God’s peace.


Gerald F. Hawthorne, Philippians, vol. 43, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2004), 246–248.

Verse 7. And the peace of God] That harmonizing of all passions and appetites which is produced by the Holy Spirit, and arises from a sense of pardon and the favour of God;

Shall keep your hearts] Φρουρησει· Shall keep them as in a strong place or castle. Your hearts—the seat of all your affections and passions, and minds—your understanding, judgment, and conscience through Christ Jesus; by whom ye were brought into this state of favour, through whom ye are preserved in it, and in whom ye possess it; for Christ keeps that heart in peace in which he dwells and rules. This peace passeth all understanding; it is of a very different nature from all that can arise from human occurrences; it is a peace which Christ has purchased, and which God dispenses; it is felt by all the truly godly, but can be explained by none; it is communion with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost.

Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes, New Edition., vol. 6 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation, 2014), 506.

 

[Lori Jane]

N.T. Wright:​

PHILIPPIANS 4:2–9
Celebrate in the Lord!

2 I have a special appeal which goes jointly to Euodia and Syntyche: please, please, come to a common mind in the Lord. 3 (And here’s a request for you too, my loyal comrade: please help these women. They have struggled hard in the gospel alongside me, as have Clement and my other fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.)
4 Celebrate joyfully in the Lord, all the time. I’ll say it again: celebrate! 5 Let everybody know how gentle and gracious you are. The Lord is near.
6 Don’t worry about anything. Rather, in every area of life let God know what you want, as you pray and make requests, and give thanks as well. 7 And God’s peace, which is greater than we can ever understand, will keep guard over your hearts and minds in King Jesus.
8 For the rest, my dear family, these are the things you should think through: whatever is true, whatever is holy, whatever is upright, whatever is pure, whatever is attractive, whatever has a good reputation; anything virtuous, anything praiseworthy. 9 And these are the things you should do: what you learned, received, heard and saw in and through me. And the God of peace will be with you.

You never know when it’s going to happen. Two people who one day are good friends, working alongside each other in the church or community, can suddenly get across each other. A sharp word from one, half-heard by the other; a bitter response, said hastily and without quite meaning it; then the slamming of doors, the face turned away in the street, the sense (on both sides) of hurt so great, and offence so deep, that nothing can mend it. I remember my grandfather, a pastor himself, telling me of such things. I in my turn have had to deal with a few such incidents, and I guess most pastors have done the same.

It is particularly sad and tragic when it occurs within a Christian community where the whole ethos ought to be one of mutual love, forgiveness and support; but the chances are that since each one will accuse the other of being the first to break this code, neither is prepared to back down. It then calls for a certain amount of what in international relations is called ‘shuttle diplomacy’ on the part of a pastor or wise friend before any progress is made.

But a word addressed in public to both parties might just break the deadlock (though you’d have to know what you were doing; it might make it worse). We assume from verse 2 that Paul knew what he was doing. Two women in Philippi, Euodia and Syntyche, have fallen out, and he’s appealing publicly for them to come to agreement. The commands of 2:1–4 were not, then, simply addressed to the church in general, though that was true as well; they had a particular case in mind.

These things are better dealt with sooner rather than later. I was talking yesterday to a sensible lady, a mother and grandmother, who told me that her golden rule was never to let more than two days’ ironing pile up. After that it would be too daunting to contemplate. In the same way, something that needs to be ironed out within the Christian community should be tackled as quickly as possible, before resentment solidifies and cannot be softened and melted. The present disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche must have been going on for some time, since Paul must have heard about it from Epaphroditus. Maybe, he thinks, only a word from the apostle himself will now produce some change.

Who, then, is the ‘loyal comrade’ to whom he appeals for help on the ground in this pastoral dilemma? We don’t know. Perhaps it was Epaphroditus himself, who was going to take Paul’s letter back to Philippi; this mention here would then give him the authority to act in Paul’s name. Or perhaps it was one particular church leader who Paul knew very well and who the rest of the church would recognize when addressed like this.

After this brief aside for a particular problem, Paul turns to his real final command before he moves towards the end of the letter. Everything comes under the great heading in verse 4: celebrate in the Lord!

Often the word here is translated ‘rejoice’. We normally understand that word today, I think, as meaning something that happens inside people, a sense of joy welling up and making them happy from within. All that is important, and is contained within Paul’s command; but in his world and culture this rejoicing would have meant (what we would call) public celebration. The world all around, in Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth and elsewhere used to organize great festivals, games and shows to celebrate their gods and their cities, not least the new ‘god’, Caesar himself. Why shouldn’t the followers of King Jesus celebrate exuberantly? It’s only right; and celebrating Jesus as Lord encourages and strengthens loyalty and obedience to him.

At the same time, it’s interesting that he at once says that the public image of the Christian church should be of a gentle, gracious community (verse 5). Exuberance must not turn into mere extrovert enthusiasm which squashes sensitive souls and offends those who are by nature quiet and reserved.

The three main things that will come into line if the celebration is both joyful and gentle are the prayer which overcomes anxiety (verses 6–7); the patterns of thought which celebrate God’s goodness throughout creation (verse 8); and the style of life which embodies the gospel (verse 9).

Anxiety was a way of life for many in the ancient pagan world. With so many gods and goddesses, all of them potentially out to get you for some offence you mightn’t even know about, you never knew whether something bad was waiting for you just round the corner. With the God who had now revealed himself in Jesus, there was no guarantee (as we’ve seen) against suffering, but there was the certainty that this God was ultimately in control and that he would always hear and answer prayers on any topic whatever. People sometimes say today that one shouldn’t bother God about trivial requests (fine weather for the church picnic; a parking space in a busy street); but, though of course our intercessions should normally focus on serious and major matters, we note that Paul says we should ask God about every area of life. If it matters to you, it matters to God. Prayer like that will mean that God’s peace—not a Stoic lack of concern, but a deep peace in the middle of life’s problems and storms—will keep guard around your heart and mind, like a squadron of soldiers looking after a treasure chest.

The command in verse 8, to think about all the wonderful and lovely things listed here, runs directly opposite to the habits of mind instilled by the modern media. Read the newspapers: their stock-in-trade is anything that is untrue, unholy, unjust, impure, ugly, of ill repute, vicious and blameworthy. Is that a true representation of God’s good and beautiful world? How are you going to celebrate the goodness of the creator if you feed your mind only on the places in the world which humans have made ugly? How are you going to take steps to fill your mind instead with all the things that God has given us to be legitimately pleased with, and to enjoy and celebrate?

Finally, reflect for a moment on Paul’s command in verse 9. It is one of the most demanding ethical commands anywhere in the Bible—not so much for those who receive it, though no doubt it’s that as well, but for the person who gives it. Which of us could say, after staying in a town for a few weeks, that the way to be a good Christian was to do exactly what we ourselves had done?

As so often, Paul weaves into apparently brief and unconnected strands of thought a theme which turns, teasingly, this way and that. Where does ‘the peace of God’ come from (verse 7)? Why, from ‘the God of peace’, of course (verse 9). Get to know the one and you’ll have the other.


Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 128–132.