Philippians 4:17 (GNV)

Passage

Not that I desire a gift: but I desire the fruit which may further your reckoning.

Nearby Context

Philippians 4:15 And yee Philippians knowe also that in the beginning of the Gospell, when I departed from Macedonia, no Church communicated with me, concerning the matter of giuing and receiuing, but yee onely.

Philippians 4:16 For euen when I was in Thessalonica, yee sent once, and afterward againe for my necessitie,

Philippians 4:17 Not that I desire a gift: but I desire the fruit which may further your reckoning.

Philippians 4:18 Now I haue receiued all, and haue plentie: I was euen filled, after that I had receiued of Epaphroditus that which came from you, an odour that smellleth sweete, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasant to God.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall fulfill all your necessities through his riches with glorie in Iesus Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "desire", "gift", "fruit", "further", and "reckoning". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "desire" and "gift", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "For euen when I was in Thessalonica..." into verse 18's "Now I haue receiued all and haue...", so "desire" and "gift" 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 "desire" and "gift" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.