to make known · verb — present passive imperative, 3rd person singular
your
ὑμῶνhymōn
G5216
of (from or concerning) you
requests
αἰτήματαaitēmata
G155
a thing asked or (abstractly) an asking · noun — nominative plural neuter
known
γνωρίζωgnōrízō
G1107
to make known
unto
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
God
θεόν·theon
G2316
figuratively · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Matthew 6:25-33 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put…
Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Psalms 34:5-7 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Matthew 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Philippians 4:1-9
The apostle begins the chapter with exhortations to divers Christian duties.
I. To stedfastness in our Christian profession, Phi 4:1. It is inferred from the close of the foregoing chapter: Therefore stand fast, etc. Seeing our conversation is in heaven, and we look for the Saviour to come thence and fetch us thither, therefore let us stand fast. Note, The believing hope and prospect of eternal life should engage us to be steady, even, and constant, in our Christian course. Observe here,
1. The compellations are very endearing: My brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown; and again, My dearly beloved. Thus he expresses the pleasure he took in them, the kindness he had for th…
Translate, "Be anxious about nothing." Care and prayer are as mutually opposed as fire and water [BENGEL].
by prayer and supplication--Greek, "by the prayer and the supplication" appropriate to each case [ALFORD]. Prayer for blessings; and the general term. Supplication, to avert ills; a special term, suppliant entreaty (see on Eph 6:18).
thanksgiving--for every event, prosperity and affliction alike (Th1 5:18; Jam 5:13). The Philippians might remember Paul's example at Philippi when in the innermost prison (Act 16:25). Thanksgiving gives effect to prayer (Ch2 20:21), and frees from anxious carefulness by making all God's dealings matter for praise, not merely for resignation, much less…
Be careful for nothing - Μηδεν μεριμνατε· Be not anxiously solicitous; do not give place to carking care, let what will occur; for anxiety cannot chance the state or condition of any thing from bad to good, but will infallibly injure your own souls.
By prayer and supplication - God alone can help you; he is disposed to do it, but you must ask by prayer and supplication; without this he has not promised to help you.
By prayer - solemn application to God from a sense of want.
Supplication - continuance in earnest prayer. With thanksgiving, for innumerable favors already received; and for dangers, evils, and deaths turned aside. And let your souls be found in this exercise, or in the dispositio…
The Church Fathers
"Do not be anxious about anything." This means: Do not be concerned for yourselves. Do not give unnecessary thought to or be anxious about the world or worldly things. For all that is needful for you in this life God provides. And it will be even better in that life which is eternal.
"In nothing be anxious." If ye are kindly affected toward those who prepare evil against you, yet it shall not at last turn out to their profit. Already the recompense is at hand, if poverty, if death, if aught else that is terrible be upon you. "But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." There is this for one consolation, "the Lord is at hand." And again, "I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. xxviii. 20.) Behold another consolation, a medicine which healeth grief, and distress, and all that is painful. And what is this? Prayer, thanksgiving in all things. And so He wills that our prayers should not simply be requests, but thanksgivings too for what we have. For how should he ask for future things, who is not thankful for the past? "But in everything by prayer and supplication." Wherefore we ought to give thanks for all things, even for those which seem to be grievous, for this is the part of the truly thankful man. In the other case the nature of the things demands it; but this springs from a grateful soul, and one earnestly affected toward God. God acknowledgeth these prayers, but others He knoweth not. Offer up such prayers as may be acknowledged; for He disposeth all things for our profit, though we know it not. And this is a proof that it greatly profiteth, namely, that we know it not.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Care · WORLDLY — WORLDLY
Care, Overmuch · Be without — Be without
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
Communion With God · Saints: Have, in prayer — Saints: Have, in prayer
Happiness Of Saints In This Life · Is derived from: Trust in God — Is derived from: Trust in God
Prayer · Commanded — Commanded
Thanksgiving · Commanded — Commanded
Trouble · BORROWING — BORROWING
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Be careful for nothing,.... This must be understood not in the most extensive sense, but with a limitation and restriction. There are many things that saints are to be careful for, as men and Christians; they are to be careful of their bodies, as well as of their souls; of the health of them, which is to be preserved by all lawful means, and not exposed to unnecessary danger; and for their families, to provide things honest for them, proper food and raiment, and the necessaries of life; for whoever does not do that, denies the faith, and is worse than an infidel; and even for the things of this world in a moderate way, using all diligence and industry in obtaining them; men ought to be caref…
Philippians 4:4-9
4. Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
4. Gaudete in Domino semper, iterum dico, gaudete.
5. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
5. Moderatio vestra nota sit omnibus hominibus. Dominus prope est.
6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
6. De nulla re sitis solliciti: sed in omnibus, oratione et precatione, cum gratiarum actione, petitiones vestrae innotescant apud Deum.
7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
7. Et pax Dei, quae exsuperat omnem intelligentiam…
Believers need not worry about anything because the heavenly Father loves his children and cares about their needs, and he has invited his children to pray about everything (see Matt 6:25-34; 7:9-11; Rom 12:12; Eph 6:18; 1 Thes 5:17; 1 Pet 5:7).
