What Does Philippians 2:27 Mean?
For indeed he was without strength, beside death; but God had compassion on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have pain upon pain.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.THE KEY
Mercy reaches both the body near death and the person who fears losing it, keeping sorrow from becoming sorrow upon sorrow.
THE MEANING
When illness brings death close, compassion reaches the person in danger and the person who loves them. The danger and grief are real, yet mercy can keep one sorrow from being compounded by another.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that only the sick person needs mercy falls away: the grief of the one who fears losing them also matters.
THE ROOT
ἠσθένει
ēsthenei
GROWS FROM
ἀσθεν-
asthen-
Without strength; weakness.
“without strength” in this verse is ēsthenei. The word names a loss of strength, and the verse places that weakness near death. It lets the danger remain stark while showing where compassion meets it.
ALSO GROWS
astheneia: Weakness, infirmity.
ἀσθένεια
This noun makes clear that the same word family can name weakness as well as sickness.
asthenēs: Weak, without strength.
ἀσθενής
This adjective reveals the underlying sense carried by “sick”: diminished strength.
ἠλέησεν
ēleēsen
GROWS FROM
ἐλε-
ele-
Compassion, mercy.
“had compassion” in this verse is ēleēsen. This verb belongs to the Greek mercy family: compassion is something shown, not merely felt. The verse says it reaches both the person who is sick and the one facing the possibility of loss.
ALSO GROWS
eleos: Mercy, compassion.
ἔλεος
This related noun names the compassion carried in the verb “had mercy.”
eleēmōn: Merciful, compassionate.
ἐλεήμων
This related word describes the character expressed when mercy is shown.
THE PATTERN
Compassion meets frailty and grief by extending care beyond the person directly afflicted.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those in awe of him.Who comforts us in all our pressure, so that we are able to comfort those in every pressure, through the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.But seeing the crowds, his insides moved for them, because they were loosened and thrown down, like sheep having no shepherd.THE THREAD
Through the inward faithful love of our God, in which the rising from on high has looked upon us,Luke’s “tender mercy” includes ἔλεος (eleos, mercy or compassion), from the same Greek word family as ἠλέησεν (ēleēsen, “had mercy”) in Philippians. Luke joins mercy with a visitation; Philippians shows that mercy reaching into sickness and the fear of added grief.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us