Tagging in Philippians 2:2

I was looking at Philippians 2:2 and the phrase "being one in spirit and purpose" (NIV).

If I hover over any of those words it shows they are associated with four underlying Greek words

If I right-click on one and select the first word σύμψυχος and do a BWS it shows the translation is "being one in spirit and purpose".

If I do the same thing on the ESV, it breaks the clause into its constituent parts as I would have expected.

Is this just the way the NIV translators did it or is there some problem with tagging here?

Graham

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Dave Hooton

Is this just the way the NIV translators did it or is there some problem with tagging here?

The NIV treats the phrase as a Greek idiom whereas the ESV is more literal. However, I'm less impressed by the ESV treatment of the first part of the verse.

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/194365#Comment_194365

Thanks Dave.

Your response made me look at some commentaries - which I should have done first! This gave some useful, additional insight so I thought I would attach it for interest.

σύμψυχοι (lit. ‘one-souled’), ‘harmonious, united in spirit’, is parallel with τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες (‘having the same love’) and is probably to be taken as an independent statement, although some attach this adjective to the following words τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες and render the whole phrase as ‘striving with one mind towards a single goal’. σύμψυχος appears only here in the NT, but it is one of several compounds of the ψυχή word-group found in Philippians: εὐψυχέω (2:19), ἰσόψυχος (2:20), and note ψυχή (2:30) as well as μιὰ ψυχή at 1:27. This last reference has to do with ‘Paul’s concern for the unity of the congregation in [the] face of persecution and heresy’,97 while σύμψυχος at 2:2 points to an inner harmony in place of strife and self-interest.

τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες (which stands in a chiastic relationship with ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε) is to be rendered ‘intent on one purpose’ and speaks of a life directed towards a single goal. τὸ ἕν describes the one aim on which the readers ought to focus. K. Barth may be right when he claims that ‘the concrete details are all hidden from us’.100 But in the light of: (1) the orientation of both Paul and the Philippians in chap. 1 towards the ‘gospel’ (vv. 5, 7, 12, 16, 27) and the proclamation of Christ (vv. 14–18), (2) the suggestion that ‘living worthily of the gospel’ (1:27) is a comprehensive admonition that stands as a heading to the whole section 1:27–2:18 (styled ‘The Situation of the Philippians’), and (3) the subsequent exhortations, it is possible to state what this goal is. τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες focusses on the need for the members of the congregation to be ‘gospel oriented’ as they relate to and care for one another.

Peter Thomas O'Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians : A Commentary on the Greek Text, 178-79 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1991).

2:2. σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἕν φρονοῦντες (NASB: “united in spirit, intent on one purpose”): Meyer, followed by Alford (1871–75: 3.165), Vincent, et al., makes of these words one clause: “with harmony of soul cherishing the one sentiment.” There is much to be said for this construction, which is perhaps reflected in the NIV (“being one in spirit and purpose”), but it has not been picked up by recent scholars. The change from ἕν to αὐτό in some manuscripts (including the first hand of Sinaiticus), whether accidental or intentional, is evidence that the two words were (properly) understood as interchangeable in this context (contrast Heriban 1983: 191, who stresses the function of the article).

Moisés Silva, Philippians, 2nd ed., Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament, 91 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005).

What are your concerns over the ESV rendering of the first part of the verse?

Graham

Dave Hooton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/194387#Comment_194387

What are your concerns over the ESV rendering of the first part of the verse?

The treatment rather than rendering of "by being of the same mind"; where "by" is directly attributed to ἵνα in NIV, the ESV includes it as part of the translation for "mind"

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/194394#Comment_194394

Interesting - I see what you mean.