Philippians 2:13
New International Version
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

New Living Translation
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

English Standard Version
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Berean Standard Bible
For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

Berean Literal Bible
For God is the One working in you both to will and to work according to His good pleasure.

King James Bible
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

New King James Version
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

New American Standard Bible
for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

NASB 1995
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

NASB 1977
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Legacy Standard Bible
for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Amplified Bible
For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

Christian Standard Bible
For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.

American Standard Version
for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

Contemporary English Version
God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.

English Revised Version
for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him.

Good News Translation
because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

International Standard Version
For it is God who is producing in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases him.

Majority Standard Bible
For God it is who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

NET Bible
for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort--for the sake of his good pleasure--is God.

New Heart English Bible
For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

Webster's Bible Translation
For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Weymouth New Testament
For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.

World English Bible
For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Berean Literal Bible
For God is the One working in you both to will and to work according to His good pleasure.

Young's Literal Translation
for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Smith's Literal Translation
For God is working in you also to will and to work by benevolence.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For it is God who works in you, both so as to choose, and so as to act, in accord with his good will.

New American Bible
For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.

New Revised Standard Version
for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For it is God who inspires you with the will to do the good things which you desire to do.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For God is carefully working in you both to desire and to do that thing which you desire.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
for it is God, who, of his good pleasure, works in you both the will and the power to perform.

Godbey New Testament
for God is the one working in you both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure.

Haweis New Testament
For it is God who worketh effectually in you both to will and to perform of his good pleasure.

Mace New Testament
for it is God that influences your desires and endeavours, out of his benevolence to you.

Weymouth New Testament
For it is God Himself whose power creates within you the desire to do His gracious will and also brings about the accomplishment of the desire.

Worrell New Testament
for it is God Who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Worsley New Testament
for it is God that worketh in you both to will, and to work, out of his own good-pleasure.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Shining as Stars
12Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose. 14Do everything without complaining or arguing,…

Cross References
Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,

Hebrews 13:21
equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.

Colossians 1:29
To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.

1 Corinthians 12:6
There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people.

John 15:5
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is also now at work in you who believe.

2 Thessalonians 1:11
To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Ezekiel 36:27
And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Isaiah 26:12
O LORD, You will establish peace for us. For all that we have accomplished, You have done for us.

Psalm 37:23
The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.


Treasury of Scripture

For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

God.

2 Chronicles 30:12
Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the LORD.

Isaiah 26:12
LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.

Jeremiah 31:33
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

to will.

1 Kings 8:58
That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.

1 Chronicles 29:14-18
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee…

Ezra 1:1,5
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, …

good.

Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Romans 9:11,16
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) …

Ephesians 1:5,9,11
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, …

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Accomplishment Act Acts Cause Creates Desire Desires Good Gracious Pleasure Power Purpose Willing Within Work Worketh Working Works
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Accomplishment Act Acts Cause Creates Desire Desires Good Gracious Pleasure Power Purpose Willing Within Work Worketh Working Works
Philippians 2
1. Paul exhorts them to unity, and to all humbleness of mind, by the example of Christ's humility;
12. to a careful proceeding in the way of salvation, that they be as lights to a wicked world,
16. and comforts to him their apostle, who is now ready to be offered up to God.
19. He hopes to send Timothy to them, and Epaphroditus also.














For it is God
This phrase emphasizes the divine initiative in the believer's life. The Greek word for "God" here is "Theos," which underscores the supreme deity, the Creator, and Sustainer of all things. In the context of Philippians, Paul is reminding the believers that their ability to live out their faith is not self-generated but is empowered by God Himself. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that God is actively involved in His creation and in the lives of His people, guiding and sustaining them.

who works in you
The Greek word for "works" is "energeo," from which we derive the English word "energy." This implies an active, dynamic force at work within believers. The phrase "in you" indicates an internal transformation, suggesting that God's influence is not merely external or superficial but deeply personal and transformative. Historically, this reflects the Christian doctrine of sanctification, where God is continually at work in the believer's life, shaping them into the likeness of Christ.

to will and to act
Here, "to will" (Greek: "thelein") and "to act" (Greek: "energein") highlight both the desire and the ability to do what pleases God. This dual aspect of willing and acting suggests that God not only gives believers the desire to follow His ways but also empowers them to carry out those desires. This is a profound encouragement, as it reassures believers that they are not left to their own devices but are supported by divine power in their spiritual journey.

on behalf of His good purpose
The phrase "His good purpose" refers to God's ultimate plan and intention for His creation. The Greek word for "purpose" is "eudokia," which can also be translated as "good pleasure" or "delight." This indicates that God's work in believers is not arbitrary but is aligned with His benevolent and perfect will. Historically, this reflects the Christian understanding that God's purposes are always good, even when they are beyond human comprehension. It reassures believers that their lives are part of a larger, divine narrative that is ultimately for their good and His glory.

(13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do.--In this famous paradox St. Paul calls on men to work by their own will, just because only God can grant them power both to will and to do. The origination of all in God, and the free action (which is in some sense origination) of man, are both truths recognised by our deepest consciousness, but to our logic irreconcilable. In one passage only (Romans 9:14-24) does St. Paul touch, and that slightly and suggestively, on their reconcilement: generally Holy Scripture--in this confirming human reason--brings out each vividly and profoundly in turn, and leaves the problem of their reconcilement untouched. Here the paradoxical form of the sentence forces on the mind the recognition of the co-existence of both. If that recognition be accepted, the force of the reasoning is clear. The only encouragement to work, in a being weak and finite like man, is the conviction that the Almighty power is working in him, both as to will and deed.

The word "worketh in you" is constantly applied to the divine operation in the soul (see 1Corinthians 12:6; 1Corinthians 12:11; Galatians 2:8; Ephesians 1:11; Ephesians 1:20; Ephesians 2:2); rarely, as here (in the word rendered "to do") to the action of men. It must necessarily extend to the will as well as the action; otherwise God would not be sovereign in the inner realm of mind (as, indeed, Stoic philosophy denied that He was). We are familiar with the influence of one created will over another--an influence real, though limited, yet in no sense compulsive. From this experience we may catch a faint glimpse of the inner working of the Spirit of God on the spirit of man. Hence, while we cannot even conceive the existence of freedom under an unbending impersonal law or force, the harmony of our will with a Supreme Personal Will is mysterious, indeed, but not inconceivable. . . .

Verse 13. - For it is God which worketh in you. "Prmsens vobis," says Bengel, "etiam absente me." Worketh (ἐνεργῶν); not the same word as "work out" (κατεργάζεσθε) in Ver. 12; acts powerfully, with energy. In you; not lnerely among you, but in the heart of each individual believer. Both to will and to do; translate, with R.V., to work; the same word as before, ἐνεργεῖν. "Nos ergo volumus, sed Deus in nobis operatur et velle: nos ergo operamur, sed Deus in nobis operatur ct operari" (Augustine, quoted by Meyer). The grace of God is alleged as a motive for earnest Christian work. The doctrines of grace and free-will are not contradictory: they may seem so to our limited understanding; but in truth they complete and snpplement one another. St. Paul does not attempt to solve the problem in theory; he bids us solve it in the life of faith (comp. 1 Corinthians 9:24. he "So run that ye may obtain;" and Romans 9:16, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy"). Of his good pleasure (εὐδοκίας). As the glory of God is the ultimate end (Ver. 11), so the good will of God is the first cause of our salwttiou: "God will have all men to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γάρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

it is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

God
Θεὸς (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

who
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

works
ἐνεργῶν (energōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1754: From energes; to be active, efficient.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

you
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

to will
θέλειν (thelein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

to act
ἐνεργεῖν (energein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 1754: From energes; to be active, efficient.

on behalf of
ὑπὲρ (hyper)
Preposition
Strong's 5228: Gen: in behalf of; acc: above.

[His]
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

good pleasure.
εὐδοκίας (eudokias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2107: From a presumed compound of eu and the base of dokeo; satisfaction, i.e. delight, or kindness, wish, purpose.


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