PHP 3:20 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But our citizenship exists in heaven, from where we also eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

UST As for us, we are citizens of heaven, and it is from heaven that we eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah to return and rescue us.

BLB For our citizenship exists in the heavens, from whence also we are awaiting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

AICNT For our citizenship exists in the heavens, from which we also eagerly await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

OEB But we are citizens of heaven, and from heaven we expect a saviour to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.

WEBBE For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,

WMBB For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Saviour, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah,

NET But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

LSV For our citizenship is in the heavens, from where we also await a Savior—the Lord Jesus Christ—

FBV But our homeland is heaven, and we're waiting for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from there too.

TCNT But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await from there a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

T4T But remember that we are citizens of heaven. And we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to return from there.

LEB For our commonwealth exists in heaven, from which also we eagerly await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

BBE For our country is in heaven; from where the Saviour for whom we are waiting will come, even the Lord Jesus Christ:

Moff But we are a colony of heaven, and we wait for the Saviour who comes from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Wymth We, however, are free citizens of Heaven, and we are waiting with longing expectation for the coming from Heaven of a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,

ASV For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

DRA But our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ,

YLT For our citizenship is in the heavens, whence also a Saviour we await — the Lord Jesus Christ —

Drby for our commonwealth has its existence in [the] heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ [as] Saviour,

RV For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
(For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence/where also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: )

SLT For our citizenship is in the heavens; from whence we also expect the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Wbstr For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:

KJB-1769 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
(For our conversation is in heaven; from whence/where also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: )

KJB-1611 For our conuersation is in heauen, from whence also we looke for the Sauiour, the Lord Iesus Christ:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps But our conuersation is in heauen, from whence also we loke for the sauiour, the Lorde Iesus Christe:
(But our conversation is in heaven, from whence/where also we look for the saviour, the Lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ:)

Gnva But our conuersation is in heauen, from whence also we looke for the Sauiour, euen the Lord Iesus Christ,
(But our conversation is in heaven, from whence/where also we look for the Saviour, even the Lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ, )

Cvdl But oure conuersacion is in heauen, from whence we loke for the Sauioure Iesu Christ ye LORDE,
(But our conversacion is in heaven, from whence/where we look for the Saviour Yesu Christ ye/you_all LORD,)

TNT But oure conversacion is in heven from whence we loke for a saveour enen the lorde Iesus Christ
(But our conversacion is in heaven from whence/where we look for a saviour enen the lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ )

Wycl But oure lyuyng is in heuenes; fro whennus also we abiden the sauyour oure Lord Jhesu Crist,
(But our living is in heavens; from whence/where also we abiding the saviour our Lord Yhesu Christ,)

Luth Unser Wandel aber ist im Himmel von dannen wir auch warten des Heilandes JEsu Christi, des HErr’s,
(Our change(n) but is in_the heaven from then we/us also wait the Saviour Yesu Christi, the LORD’s,)

ClVg Nostra autem conversatio in cælis est: unde etiam Salvatorem exspectamus Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum,[fn]
(Nostra however conversation in/into/on the_heavens it_is: from_where/who also Salvatorem waitmus the_Master our Yesus Christ/Messiah, )

3.20 Nostra conversatio. Id est vivendo et intelligendo simus similes angelis. Unde etiam, id est, præter commoda quæ jam habemus, etiam Dominum exspectamus.

3.20 Nostra conversation. That it_is living and intelligendo we_are similar to/by/with_the_messengers/angels. From_where/who also, that it_is, besides commoda which already we_have, also the_Master waitmus.

UGNT ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ Σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,
(haʸmōn gar to politeuma en ouranois huparⱪei, ex hou kai Sōtaʸra apekdeⱪometha, Kurion Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston,)

SBL-GNT ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,
(haʸmōn gar to politeuma en ouranois huparⱪei, ex hou kai sōtaʸra apekdeⱪometha kurion Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston,)

RP-GNT Ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, κύριον Ἰησοῦν χριστόν·
(Haʸmōn gar to politeuma en ouranois huparⱪei, ex hou kai sōtaʸra apekdeⱪometha, kurion Yaʸsoun ⱪriston;)

TC-GNT Ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν·
(Haʸmōn gar to politeuma en ouranois huparⱪei, ex hou kai sōtaʸra apekdeⱪometha, Kurion Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–4:1: The Philippians should follow Paul’s example and trust Christ to make them righteous

Paul told the believers to watch out for those who were teaching that believers must be circumcised. He also warned them against those who were proud of doing evil. He encouraged them to follow his example instead. Paul tried to be like Christ and depended on him alone in order to become righteous.

In both 3:1 and 4:1, Paul talked about being joyful. Therefore, it is possible to consider that 3:1 is an introduction to this section and 4:1 is a summary of this section. However, some English versions consider that 3:1a is the final statement in the previous section and so attach it to the end of chapter 2 (REB, NJB, NRSV). You may want to follow whatever the national language version in your area does here.

Paragraph 3:17–21

Paul wanted the Philippians to act like citizens of heaven, as he did, and not to act like those who were proud of doing wrong.

3:20a

But our citizenship is in heaven,

But as for us^(incl), we^(incl) are citizens of heaven, not earth.
But we^(incl) should act differently, because heaven is where we^(incl) really belong.

But: In 3:20, Paul contrasted Christians with the people he had just been talking about in 3:18–19. These people were only interested in things affecting life on earth, but Christians do not belong to earth, they are citizens of heaven, and so they focus on things in heaven.

our citizenship is in heaven: This implies that those who believe in Christ really belong to heaven, not earth. The way they act on earth should show that heaven is their homeland, not earth.

our: Paul meant “as for us….” He was contrasting the true believer’s attitude with the attitude of those he described in 3:18–19. The word our includes Paul and those he was writing to.

citizenship: The Greek word that the BSB translates as citizenship can have several meanings:

It means “citizenship”; (BSB, NIV, NASB, GNT, NET, REB, GW, NLT, CEV)
It means “state,” “commonwealth,” “homeland”; (RSV, NJB, NCV)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1). Paul was reminding the Philippians that all believers were citizens of heaven, not earth. When you translate the word citizenship, think of how you would normally say that you are loyal citizens of your country.

In some languages there may be no word that means “citizen.” If this is true in your language, you could translate this part of the verse:

Heaven is where we^(incl) really belong.

3:20b

and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

We^(incl) are eagerly expecting a/our^(incl) Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to return to earth from heaven.
We^(incl) are looking forward to the return from heaven of the one who saves us (incl)—he is the Lord Jesus Christ.

we eagerly await: Paul and the Philippians were looking forward to something that they very much wanted and expected to happen. So they were eager and impatient to see it happen.

a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ: This was whom Paul and the Philippians were eagerly awaiting. They were impatiently looking forward to the day when Christ would return from heaven.

Savior: This refers to someone who would come and save God’s people.

from there: That is, from heaven.

Parallel PHP 3:20

Section 3:1–4:1: The Philippians should follow Paul’s example and trust Christ to make them righteous

Paragraph 3:17–21

3:20a

3:20b