OET interlinear PHP 3:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν

which_‹things› was ˱to˲_me gain these ˱I˲_/have/_considered because_of the Messiah loss

This entire verse is Paul’s response to the seven things he listed in 3:5–6, which he once considered to be spiritually and religiously profitable to himself. In this verse Paul contrasts his former way of viewing things when he was a Pharisee with his new way of viewing things now that he believes in Christ.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν

which_‹things› was ˱to˲_me gain these ˱I˲_/have/_considered because_of the Messiah loss

In the original language in which Paul wrote this letter, the words gains and loss were common business terms used for accounting to describe things a business person determined to be either profitable or unprofitable. Here, Paul is using these two terms metaphorically to portray the things he considers spiritually profitable and unprofitable. If your language has similar business or accounting terms that would be natural to use in this context, consider using them here. Alternate translation: “Whatever things I formerly counted as gains, these things I now count as loss for the sake of Christ” or “Whatever things I formerly accounted as gains, these things I now account as loss for the sake of Christ”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη

which_‹things› was ˱to˲_me gain

Here, the phrase Whatever things were gains for me refers specifically to the list of seven things that Paul has just listed in 3:5–6 and to anything else in which he would have put confidence before he believed in Christ. Alternate translation: “Whatever things I formerly considered profitable”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη

which_‹things› was ˱to˲_me gain

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of gains, you can express the idea behind the abstract noun gains by using an adjective such as profitable, or you can express it in some other way. Alternate translation: “Whatever things were profitable for me”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν

these ˱I˲_/have/_considered because_of the Messiah loss

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of loss, you can express the idea behind the abstract noun loss by using a verbal phrase such as “worth losing”. Alternate translation: “I consider these things worth losing for the sake of Christ”