Philippians 3:7

Philippians 3:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Context of Philippians 3:7

5I belong to Israel's people, to Benjamin's tribe. I am a true Jew. They circumcised me when I was eight days old. I was a Pharisee, and I obeyed the Jewish rules very carefully. 6I tried very much to please God. So I caused a lot of trouble and pain for the Christians. I obeyed the rules of God's Law, and nobody could say that I did anything wrong. All those ideas seemed very important to me then. But now they are worth nothing to me, because I trust in Christ. 8Yes, now that I know Christ Jesus as my Lord, that is the most valuable thing. Nothing else is important at all. I have thrown everything else away, so that I can serve Christ. All those other things are like dirt to me. I think about them like that, so that I can have Christ. 9I want to be united with him. Because I believe in Christ, God accepts me as right with him. I know that I cannot become right in any other way, even if I obey all of God's Law. When I trust in Christ, God accepts me as right because of my faith.

Philippians 3:7 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• what thingsὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• gainκέρδοςkerdos · gainG2771
• to meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• thoseοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• I countedἡγέομαιhēgeomai · to governG2233
• lossζημίαzēmia · damage/lossG2209
• forδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• Christὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for Philippians 3:7

• Philippians 3:4For myself, I could have trusted those human ideas. Perhaps somebody may think that they could trust in those things to save them. Then I would have an even better reason to trust in them.
• Genesis 19:17When they had reached a place outside the city, one of the angels said, ‘Now run! Your lives are in danger. Do not look behind you! Do not stop anywhere in this valley. Run up into the mountains or you will die.’
• Job 2:4Satan answered the Lord, ‘A man will always take care of his own body. He would do anything to save his own life.
• Proverbs 13:8A rich person may have to use his money to save his life. But poor people do not have that problem.
• Proverbs 23:23Truth, wisdom, good teaching and knowledge are valuable things. Buy them for yourself. Do not sell them.
• Matthew 13:44‘I can tell you again what the kingdom of heaven is like,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like some valuable things that a man buried in a field. Another man found it, but then he covered it over again with dirt. The second man was very happy and he went away. He sold everything that he had. Then he went and bought the field with the valuable things in it.’
• Matthew 16:26A person may get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, it will not be any good for him. There is nothing that a person can give to get back his life.
• Luke 14:26‘If someone wants to obey me, he must live like this: He must love me more than he loves his own father and mother. He must love me more than he loves his wife and his children. He must love me more than he loves his brothers and his sisters. He must even love me more than he loves himself. If he does not do that, he cannot be one of my disciples.
• Luke 16:8Jesus then said, ‘The servant in the story was not honest. But his master spoke well about what he had done. It would help the servant later in his life. People that do not obey God think carefully. They know how to do well with people who are like themselves. But people who live in God's light often think less carefully.
• Luke 17:31On that day, a person who is up on the roof of his house must not go back down into the house. He must not get his things that are inside the house to take with him. In the same way, people that are working outside in their fields must not go back to their homes.
• Acts 27:18The strong storm continued to blow against the ship. The ship was carrying many things. So the next day, the sailors threw some of these things into the sea.
• Galatians 2:15We were born as Jewish people. We are not Gentiles who have never obeyed God's rules.
• Galatians 5:2Listen carefully! I, Paul, tell you this. If you agree that someone should circumcise you, then Christ will be worth nothing to you.

Commentaries on Philippians 3:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7But what things were gain - The credit and respect which I had, as being zealously attached to the law, and to the traditions of the elders, I counted loss for Christ - I saw that this could stand me in no stead; that all my acts of righteousness were nothing on which I could depend for salvation; and that Christ crucified could alone profit me; for I found that it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7But what things were gain to me - The advantages of birth, of education, and of external conformity to the law. “I thought these to be gain - that is, to be of vast advantage in the matter of salvation. I valued myself on these things, and supposed that I was rich in all that pertained to moral character and to religion.” Perhaps, also, he refers to these things as laying the foundation of a hope of future advancement in honor and in wealth in this world…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8As a Christian, Paul now considered these things (3:5–6) worthless because of what Christ has done. A believer’s relationship with God is defined by knowing Christ and nothing else (compare 3:10; John 17:3). The only important thing is to gain Christ, thus receiving the gift of eternal salvation (see John 3:16; 1 John 5:11–13). In comparison, all other things are meaningless garbage (or rubbish).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. gain--rather as Greek, "gains"; including all possible advantages of outward status, which he had heretofore enjoyed. I counted--Greek, "I have counted for Christ's sake loss." He no longer uses the plural as in "gains"; for he counts them all but one great "loss" (Mt 16:26; Lu 9:25).Read the comment

Topics related to Philippians 3:7

• Formalism
• Love
• Obedience
• Paradox
• Righteous
• Sacrifices
• Salvation
• Self-Denial
• Testimony
• Wisdom
• Works
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Belly
• Concision
• Count
• Earthly
• Gain
• God
• Mean
• Press

Commentaries on Philippians 3

• 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