Philippians 4:13 (ASV)

Passage

I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.

Nearby Context

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.

Philippians 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:14 Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction.

Philippians 4:15 And ye yourselves also know, ye Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things" and "strengtheneth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "strengtheneth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "I know how to be abased and..." into verse 14's "Howbeit ye did well that ye had...", so "all things" and "strengtheneth" belong inside that flow. In Philippians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "strengtheneth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.