Christian Standard Bible
Philippians 1:21
21For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
- New International Version (NIV)For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
- New King James Version (NKJV)For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Context of Philippians 1:21
19because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ — which is far better —
Read all of Philippians 1Philippians 1:21 word by word
Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Philippians 1:21
- Philippians 1:20My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
- Philippians 2:21all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us — our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption —
- Galatians 6:14But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.
- Colossians 3:4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
- Philippians 1:23I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ — which is far better —
- Isaiah 57:1The righteous person perishes, and no one takes it to heart; the faithful are taken away, with no one realizing that the righteous person is taken away because of evil.
- Romans 8:35Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
- 1 Corinthians 3:22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come — everything is yours,
- 2 Corinthians 5:1For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
- Revelation 14:13Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”
Commentaries on Philippians 1:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21For to me to live is Christ - Whether I live or die, Christ is gain to me. While I live I am Christ's property and servant, and Christ is my portion; if I die - if I be called to witness the truth at the expense of my life, this will be gain; I shall be saved from the remaining troubles and difficulties in life, and be put immediately in possession of my heavenly inheritance. As, therefore, it respects myself, it is a matter of perfect indifference to me…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21For to me to live is Christ - My sole aim in living is to glorify Christ. He is the supreme End of my life, and I value it only as being devoted to his honor - Doddridge. His aim was not honor, learning, gold, pleasure; it was, to glorify the Lord Jesus. This was the single purpose of his soul - a purpose to which he devoted himself with as much singleness and ardor as ever did a miser to the pursuit of gold, or a devotee of pleasure to amusement, or an…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-26Verses 21-26 Death is a great loss to a carnal, worldly man, for he loses all his earthly comforts and all his hopes; but to a true believer it is gain, for it is the end of all his weakness and misery. It delivers him from all the evils of life, and brings him to possess the chief good. The apostle's difficulty was not between living in this world and living in heaven; between these two there is no comparison; but between serving Christ in this world and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21to die is gain: For believers, death is not something to fear. It means going to be with Christ (see 1:23; compare John 5:24; 11:25–26; Romans 8:38–39).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. For--in either event (Php 1:20) I must be the gainer, "For to me," &c. to live is Christ--whatever life, time, and strength, I have, is Christ's; Christ is the sole object for which I live (Ga 2:20). to die is gain--not the act of dying, but as the Greek ("to have died") expresses, the state after death. Besides the glorification of Christ by my death, which is my primary object (Php 1:20), the change of state caused by death, so far from being a…Read the comment
Topics related to Philippians 1:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Philippians 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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