The "obeyed" was used a few verses earlier in reference to Jesus.


The ancient Greek word "ὁμολογέω" ≈ "agree" and means, literally, "same word" in the sense of "same reasoning" or "same explanation".

More: Philippians 2:9-11 every knee shall bow

This brings to mind the hymn "Trust and obey".

The words for "presence" and "absence" have as a root word a word Aristotle used often as a "substance" of reality.



This word for "absence" is used only once in the GNT (Greek New Testament), by Paul in Philippians 2:12.

It appears that without using the technical philosophical term "ousia", one of Aristotle's four "causes", Paul wanted to use "ousia" twice in this verse, right after the poem that appears to allude to those causes, as the Greek words for "presence" and "absence".

More: John 1:1-5 Four causes in a design and implementation model

More: Philippians 2:5-8 form of God and Aristotelian causes

Most of the usage of "presence" in the GNT is for the "coming" and "presence" of Jesus. Paul uses it once his coming (here), once for Satan, a few times for the coming of his helpers and another time for himself but worded somewhat strangely.

From "substance" we get "presence" and "absence".

• The modern Greek word "ουσία" (u-SEE-a) ≈ "substance".
• The modern Greek word "απουσία" (a-pu-SEE-a) ≈ "absence".
• The modern Greek word "παρουσία" (pa-ru-SEE-a) ≈ "presence" which also means "advent" or "coming" as in making a presence known, whereas Latin has a different word for each meaning.
• The Latin word "substantia" ≈ "substance".
• The Latin word "absentia" ≈ "absence".
• The Latin word "preesentia" ≈ "presence".
• The Latin word "adventus" ≈ "advent".

Paul used a word related to «ουσια» for "substance" in the first verse of Philippians as those whose "substance" or "being" are in Philippi where the "bishops" and "deacons" are targeted - or singled out.


Note: Paul uses this same word in the first verse of some other letters, so this may be a "coincidence" with later content in the letter.

In Philippians, Paul will use the Greek word for "target" which is part of the Greek word for "bishop" more than should happen by chance.

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Another meaning of "work out" is to sit down and design some solution to a problem.

Neither of these is the "work out" used by Paul and as translated by the KJV (King James Version) but is related to another verse and how Aristotle defined that word.

What does the word "work" mean?

• The modern Greek word "έργο" (EHR-go) ≈ "work" which is the source of the physics term for work as "erg".
• The German word "das Werk" ≈ "the work" (noun).
• The German word "wirken" ≈ "work" (verb).
• The old English word "worke", etc. (Tyndale version)
• The old English word "worchen", "worche", "werk", etc. (Wycliffe version)

The original Greek word «έργο» began with a now missing digamma «ϝ » or «Ϝ » which had the sound of the English "v" or "w" that disappeared over time.

More: An opus on the workings of work

In Greek, the prefix "a" or «α» negates what follows. So, interestingly, the negation of "work" as «έργο» is «αργός» and the source of the name for the chemical element argon.

The English meaning of "work out" is that of sitting down and making plans on how to design a solution to something. Engineers do this all the time. This is not the meaning of the Greek.

The Greek "work out" is, literally, that of "get down to work" with the idea of implementing a solution that God has already designed.

The ancient Greek word "κατεργάζομαι" ≈ "effect by labor" as in "get down to work".


Paul uses Aristotle's word for "actualization" twice in this verse.

The modern Greek word "κατεργάζομαι" (ka-tehr-GA-zo-meh) ≈ "process, work, fashion" as in build or construct.

To see this, the next verse will use the Greek which means, literally, "in working" but that had a specific philosophical meaning due to Aristotle.

It appears that since the Greek is "in working" the translation of, literally, "get down to work", was changed to "out working" or "work out" to fit the perceived pattern that ignores the technical meaning of the word from Aristotle (and that some in that Greek audience would recognize).

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What is the "whisper game", sometimes called the "telephone game"? Each culture appears to have their own name for this game.

More: Whisper game

What does it mean to "work out your own salvation"?

In the same way that the whisper game works, translations can slide the meaning of phrases over time. In logic terms (or logical fallacy terms) this is called an equivocation. Aristotle defined and named the fallacy of equivocation.

More: Equivocation deception between names and meanings

Using the terminology of Aristotle, the "worketh" and "to do" is that of "thinking" more than "doing".

The Greek for "good pleasure" is that of "good opinion". From God, such a "good opinion" is important. We are to do the "good opinion" of God and not teach the "good opinion" of ourselves - which Paul brought out in Philippians 1:12.

Paul continued the idea of "good opinion" in Philippians 2:3 where "vainglory" is "empty opinion".

The "work out" is "get down to work". Using the terminology of Aristotle, the "worketh" and "to do" is that of "thinking" more than "doing".

Paul appears to be saying that instead of "head knowledge" and "mind games" one should "get down to work" by "doing something" for Christ.