August 24 | Philippians 3:7-16

---

DAILY READING

Philippians 3:7-16

---

REFLECTION

Digging Deep

By Dave Mann

Philippians in Early Manuscript

Sometimes we might want to understand a Bible teaching from a broad perspective.  What is the message of an entire book?  Or what does the entire Bible have to say about a general idea?  But other times, we may want to dig down deep into the meaning of just a few words.  Not many of us have the possibility of reading the Bible in its original languages.  But we can still learn a lot by comparing several different English translations side-by-side.  In this way, we can understand the depth of meaning of the passage we have chosen to study.

Perhaps you would like to study the words “the surpassing worth of knowing ...”  With the assistance of BibleGateway.com, you can lay out different translations side-by-side.  I used this website and quickly pulled up eight different versions and found five different ways of expressing a short phrase in Philippians 3:8.

NIV, ESV, & NRSV

the surpassing worth of knowing

NASB

the surpassing value of knowing

New Living Translation

 the infinite value of knowing

Easy-to-Read Version

 the greatness of knowing

KJV & Young's Literal Translation

the excellency of the knowledge of

First, we find the five perspectives – surpassing worth, surpassing value, infinite value, greatness, and excellency.  We see that knowing Christ is something far greater than anything else.  It surpasses or goes beyond everything.  It has no limit.  It is high or excellent. 

The New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the New Revised Standard Version render the phrase in exactly the same way – “the surpassing worth of knowing.” 

The New American Standard Bible uses the word “value” to give a slightly different idea.  What is the difference between “value” and “worth”?

The NLT uses another wording -- “the infinite value.”  There is no boundary to the value gained from knowing Christ.

If you are studying the Bible with someone who is just learning English, whether a young child or a recent arrival to this country, the Easy-to-Read Version might be a good choice.  The ERV simply states “the greatness.”  I think that one word manages to capture the key meaning – having high value or worth – in simple English.

Finally, Young's and the KJV render the phrase as “the excellency.”  This brings the focus on elevation, status, supremacy, and nobility.

There is no one single translation that captures completely all the meaning of the original phrase.  However, these versions together show the depth of the meaning of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for conveying to us the meaning of your Word through the inspired authors of the Bible.  Allow us to learn and to teach your Message in a way that we and others can understand, in Jesus' name, Amen.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.