Nuance and Self-Interest
Are we never allowed to consider our own needs?
July, 2023
Among the most important tools in interpreting the Bible is context. Other than Proverbs, Scripture wasn't intended to be read as individual tidbits of text. It's important to consider the background and connections involved in a biblical statement. That process starts before a person reads Scripture in English. Languages don't use the exact same number of words, or the same word order, as one another. The translation process includes using context to determine what the original author meant. The translator then chooses the best way to represent that concept in the new language. This is just one reason there's value in using more than one translation of Scripture: every so often, a particular translation can make a choice that other translators would not.
An interesting example of this is Philippians 2:4, which refers to personal interests versus the interests of other people. Reading the NIV, we see a black-and-white distinction. This commands "not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Taken at face value, one might think this means believers are not to think of their own needs, at all. Beyond common sense and a broader look at the Bible, we can examine other renderings of the verse to see what they say:
ESV: "not only…but also"Most translators seem to interpolate "not only" from the context of verse 3, as well as the inclusion of the phrase for "but also," which is "alla kai," even though there are no literal words for "only" in that verse:
NASB: "not merely…but also"
CSB: "not…but rather"
KJV: "not…[but] also"~
…mē skopountes ta heautōn hekastoi, alla kai ta heterōn hekastoi.In other words, the original Greek simply says "don't," and the rest comes from context. The NASB, for example, puts the term "merely" in italic font, indicating that it's not directly represented in the original text. The context of the passage gives a meaning in keeping with the interpretation provided in our parent ministry's article. Verse 3 says "in humility value others above yourselves," and our article about self-love notes that…
"loving others requires…a conscious effort to put others' interests first…None of this should be taken to mean that we should see ourselves as 'worthless.'"This verse should not be interpreted to mean one ought "never" to consider their own interests. Or, that the interests of others ought to override what's best for us in all ways and in all circumstances. For example, it's "better" for a stranger's interests if they are not late for work, but that does not mean I'm morally obligated to sacrifice my arm in a subway train door so they can make it on board.
In this editor's opinion, the NIV and CSB using an unqualified "not" in that location is puzzling, given the context. To a lesser extent, that also applies to the KJV, though that translation includes a helpful "also" later. And yet, neither the CSB nor the NIV are inaccurate to the Greek; the original does not explicitly qualify the concept of "looking." That's yet another reason we're meant to read and understand Scripture both contextually and through discipleship. That helps us hold ourselves, and others, accountable to truth (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:15).
-- Editor
