Philippians 1:23

Philippians 1:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
• New International Version (NIV)I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
• English Standard Version (ESV)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Context of Philippians 1:23

21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

Philippians 1:23 word by word

συνέχομαι δὲ ἐκ τῶν δύο, τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχων εἰς τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, πολλῷ γὰρ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον·Read the interlinear

• But I am hard-pressedσυνέχωsunechō · to hold/oppressG4912
• from bothδύοduo · twoG1417
• havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• desireἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
• to departἀναλύωanaluō · to departG360
• be with ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• is veryπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• betterκρείττωνkreittōn · strongerG2909

Cross-references for Philippians 1:23

• 2 Samuel 24:14Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
• 1 Thessalonians 2:1For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain,
• Luke 12:50But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
• 2 Corinthians 6:12You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.
• Luke 2:29“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;
• John 13:1Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
• 2 Corinthians 5:8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
• 2 Timothy 4:6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
• Job 19:26Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
• Psalms 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.
• Luke 8:38But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying,
• Luke 23:43And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
• John 14:3If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
• John 17:24Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
• Acts 7:59They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

Commentaries on Philippians 1:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23For I am in a strait betwixt two - Viz. the dying now, and being immediately with God; or living longer to preach and spread the Gospel, and thus glorify Christ among men. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ - . It appears to be a metaphor taken from the commander of a vessel, in a foreign port, who feels a strong desire , to set sail, and get to his own country and family; but this desire is counterbalanced by a conviction that the general…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23For I am in a strait betwixt two - Two things, each of which I desire. I earnestly long to be with Christ; and I desire to remain to be useful to the world. The word rendered “I am in a strait” - ́ sunechomai- means to be pressed on or constrained, as in a crowd; to feel oneself pressed or pent up so as not to know what to do; and it here means that he was in perplexity and doubt, and did not know what to choose. “The words of the original are very…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. 23I desire to depart and be with Christ: Death leads believers immediately into the Lord’s presence (see 3:20–21; 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, 51–52; 2 Corinthians 5:1–8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. For--The oldest manuscripts read, "But." "I know not (Php 1:22), BUT am in a strait (am perplexed) betwixt the two (namely, 'to live' and 'to die'), having the desire for departing (literally, 'to loose anchor,' 2Ti 4:6) and being with Christ; FOR (so the oldest manuscripts) it is by far better"; or as the Greek, more forcibly, "by far the more preferable"; a double comparative. This refutes the notion of the soul being dormant during its separation…Read the comment

Topics related to Philippians 1:23

• Death
• Epaphras
• Love
• Resignation
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Confirmation
• Conversation
• Death
• Flesh
• Furtherance
• Yea
• Commentaries
• Eschatology of the New Testament

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