Philippians 1 · Verse 9

Philippians 1:9

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Philippians 1:9, King James Version

Philippians 1:9 in other translations

BSBAnd this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
WEBThis I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
ASVAnd this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;
YLTand this I pray, that your love yet more and more may abound in full knowledge, and all judgment,
DARBYAnd this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and all intelligence,
BBEAnd my prayer is that you may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience;
WebsterAnd this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

What does Philippians 1:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. The subject of his prayer for them (Php 1:4). your love--to Christ, producing love not only to Paul, Christ's minister, as it did, but also to one another, which it did not altogether as much as it ought (Php 2:2; 4:2). knowledge--of doctrinal and practical truth. judgment--rather, "perception"; "perceptive sense." Spiritual perceptiveness: spiritual sight, spiritual hearing, spiritual feeling, spiritual taste. Christianity is a vigorous plant, not the hotbed growth of enthusiasm. "Knowledge" and "perception" guard love from being ill-judged.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 9. And this I pray. We pray for those whom we love, and whose welfare we seek. We desire theft happiness; and there is no way more appropriate of expressing that desire than of going to God, and seeking it at his hand. Paul proceeds to enumerate the blessings which he sought for them; and it is worthy of observation that he did not ask riches, or worldly prosperity, but that his supplications were confined to spiritual blessings, and he sought these as the most desirable of all favours.

That your love may abound, etc. Love to God; love to one another; love to absent Christians; love to the world. This is an appropriate subject of prayer. We cannot wish and pray for a better thing for our Christian friends, than that they may abound in love. Nothing will promote their welfare like this; and we had better pray for this, than that they may obtain abundant riches, and share the honours and pleasures of the world.

In knowledge. The idea is, that he wished them to have intelligent affection. It should not be mere blind affection, but that intelligent love which is based on an enlarged view of Divine things--on a just apprehension of the claims of God.

And in all judgment. Marg., sense. Heb 5:14. The word here means, the power of discerning; and the meaning is, that he wished that their love should be exercised with proper discrimination. It should be in proportion to the relative value of objects; and the meaning of the whole is, that he wished their religion to be intelligent and discriminating; to be based on knowledge, and a proper sense of the relative value of objects, as well as to be the tender affection of the heart.

(b) "yet more" 1Thes 3:12, 2Pet 3:18

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 This I pray - This is the substance of all my prayers for you, that your love to God, to one another, and to all mankind, may abound yet more and more, ετι μαλλον και μαλλον περισσευη, that it may be like a river, perpetually fed with rain and fresh streams so that it continues to swell and increase till it fills all its banks, and floods the adjacent plains. In knowledge - Of God's nature, perfections, your own duty and interest, his work upon your souls, and his great designs in the Gospel. And in all judgment - Και πασῃ αισθησει· In all spiritual or moral feeling; that you may at once have the clearest perception and the fullest enjoyment of those things which concern your salvation; that ye may not only know but feel that you are of God, by the Spirit which he has given you; and that your feeling may become more exercised in Divine things, so that it may he increasingly sensible and refined.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Philippians 1:8-11

Shall not we pity and love those souls whom Christ loves and pities? Those who abound in any grace, need to abound more. Try things which differ; that we may approve the things which are excellent. The truths and laws of Christ are excellent; and they recommend themselves as such to any attentive mind. Sincerity is that in which we should have our conversation in the world, and it is the glory of all our graces…

Read the full comment on Philippians 1:8-11 →

Philippians 1:9 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
τοῦτοtoutothisG3778
προσεύχομαι,proseuchomaiI pray,G4336
ἵναinathatG2443
ἡhētheG3588
ἀγάπηagapēloveG26
ὑμῶνhumōnof youG4771
ἔτιetiyetG2089
μᾶλλονmallonmoreG3123
καὶkaiandG2532
μᾶλλονmallonmoreG3123
περισσεύῃperisseuēmay aboundG4052
ἐνeninG1722
ἐπιγνώσειepignōseiknowledgeG1922
καὶkaiandG2532
πάσῃpasēin allG3956
αἰσθήσειaisthēseidiscernmentG144

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Philippians 1:9

  • 1 Thessalonians 3:12

    And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

  • Colossians 1:9

    For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

  • Philemon 1:6

    That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

  • 2 Peter 1:5-6

    And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

  • Colossians 3:10

    And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

    But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

  • 2 Corinthians 8:7

    Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

  • 1 Peter 1:22

    Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:3

    We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

  • 1 Corinthians 14:20

    Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.

  • 2 Peter 3:18

    But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

  • Ephesians 5:17

    Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
this.
4
your.
3:15,16; Job 17:9; Pr 4:18; Mt 13:31-33; 2Co 8:7; 1Th 3:12; 4:1,9,10
2Th 1:3; Phm 1:6; 1Pe 1:22
in knowledge.
1Co 14:20; Eph 5:17; Col 1:9; 3:10; 2Pe 1:5,6; 3:18
judgment. or, sense.
Heb 5:14; *Gr:

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Philippians 1:8

    For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

  • Philippians 1:9

    And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

  • Philippians 1:10

    That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

Read all of Philippians 1

Philippians 1:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y esto ruego, que vuestro amor abunde aun más y más en ciencia y en todo conocimiento,
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je demande ceci dans mes prières, que votre amour abonde encore de plus en plus en connaissance et toute intelligence,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und um dieses bete ich, daß eure Liebe noch mehr und mehr überströme in Erkenntnis und aller Einsicht,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et hoc oro, ut caritas vestra magis ac magis abundet in scientia, et in omni sensu: