Philippians 4:11 (GNV)

Passage

I speake not because of want: for I haue learned in whatsoeuer state I am, therewith to bee content.

Nearby Context

Philippians 4:9 Which yee haue both learned and receiued, and heard, and seene in mee: those things doe, and the God of peace shalbe with you.

Philippians 4:10 Nowe I reioyce also in the Lord greatly, that nowe at the last your care for mee springeth afresh, wherein notwithstanding ye were careful, but yee lacked opportunitie.

Philippians 4:11 I speake not because of want: for I haue learned in whatsoeuer state I am, therewith to bee content.

Philippians 4:12 And I can be abased, and I can abounde: euery where in all things I am instructed, both to be full, and to be hungrie, and to abounde, and to haue want.

Philippians 4:13 I am able to do al things through the helpe of Christ, which strengtheneth me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speake", "want", "haue", "learned", "whatsoeuer", "state", "therewith", and "content". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speake" and "want", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Nowe I reioyce also in the Lord..." into verse 12's "And I can be abased and I...", so "speake" and "want" 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 "speake" and "want" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.