Philippians: An Expositional Commentary

by James Montgomery Boice

This expositional commentary on what James Montgomery Boice calls Pauls great and very personal letter to the Philippians combines careful scholarship and clear communication in a way that is informative and helpful. Based on messages preached at Philadelphias Tenth Presbyterian Church, these expositions on one of the Bibles most joyous books are ideal models for preachers and excellent resources for teachers of classes and small groups. From serious Bible students to interested laypersons, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers. In addition to explaining the meaning of the text verse by verse and section by section, the author relates the texts concerns to the world in which we live, the life of the church, and the realities of the Christian life. He occasionally interrupts the verse-by-verse commentary for more extended treatment of key themes. An earlier edition of this commentary, based on the KJV text, was published by Zondervan in 1971. This edition has been totally redesigned and uses the NIV.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Reference, Audiobook, Christianity, Biblical Studies

1 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 1971

About the author

James Montgomery Boice was a Reformed theologian, Bible teacher, and pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death in 2000. He was also president and cofounder of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the parent organization of The Bible Study Hour on which Boice was a speaker for more than thirty years.

Reviews

[Lara Girgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good commentary. I tried to read a chapter each day and each day I got something good out of it.

[Ryan Trzeciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful devotional commentary on a book of the Bible that encourages joy in the Christian walk. Boice provides wonderful stories and helpful explanations that bring the truths of Philippians down to earth so that the reader can see how these verses impact our Day to Day living. It has been a great addition to my morning quiet times with the Lord.

[Bill Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great practical commentary on the book of Philippians. Dr. Boice does an outstanding job taking the reader into the deep and beautiful truths of the Scripture while keeping it understandable and applicable. Great help for the pastor and the parishioner to find joy in Christ through Philippians.

[Jimmy]

Good commentary on Philippians. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it was a good commentary to accompany my own personal devotional through Philippians. Insightful observations were given from the text, especially when Boice makes observations from Greek word studies, things that the general reading audience would not pick up themselves. Examples include his explanation about the Praetorian Guard are only in Rome, what citizenship meant to the Philippians who were loyal to the Roman Empire and also the Greek word for form in Philippians 2 refer to the inward true nature of something (thus form does not just mean "image" but that Jesus was truly God in essence). I appreciated this commentary a lot. The first 96 pages was devoted to the first chapter alone, though towards the end of the book Boice picked up the pace; I would have appreciated if he would have been able to give the same attention and care of slowly going through the text towards the last half of the book just as he did in the first half. I recommend this commentary for the expositor and the lay reader.

[Suzanne Roq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good commentary. I appreciated the short chapters (to make up for their brevity, there are 45 of them lol.
best quote:
"For instance, there is not much difference between the belief of a person who leans against a papier-mâché column, thinking it will hold him up, and the belief of a person who leans on a real one. But the real column will support the person while the artificial one will collapse and let him fall down."
James Montgomery Boice
Expositional commentary on Phillipians

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This commentary consists of a series of sermons on Philippians. As such, it’s very accessible and not particularly technical. I kind of wished it went into more depth, but Boice is a trustworthy guide, and his applications were quite helpful, especially in the section about dealing with Christian troublemakers! I’m glad I read this, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

[Ming Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to it as an audiobook via Audible+.

A clear, sound, and practical exposition of Philippians. As well as commenting on the text, Boice delves into some themes present in Philippians and shows where they are mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.

Great.

[Cale Fauver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boice has some great books and sermons. This book was sound doctrinally, just not always the best exposition for a commentary.

Overall, it’s been encouraging as I’m ending my preaching through the book of Philippians.

[Jelte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of my favorite books of all time. What an incredibly clear message. I love how the author explains each verse in detail. He draws from many examples that really helped me understand the text better. I'm looking forward to reading more of James' books!

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. In Boice's exegesis of Paul's letter to the Philippians, he really utilizes, seemingly, the entire Bible. Such a thorough and heartfelt study, complete with relevant anecdotes and practical applications to our modern lives. This slapped. I will definitely be seeking out more Voice commentary.

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. As advertised - An exegetical commentary. Readable, practical and some helpful insights into understanding the book of Philippians

[Joshua Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Pastoral commentaries I’ve ever used. Boice is thorough but not overly technical. If I could only use on book of Philippians I would use it.

[Sue Peck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very deep study.

[Pig Rieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I only listened to this one on Hoopla.

In this book, the late James Montgomery Boice provides a loose exposition and commentary of the book of Philippians. The work has been written at a lay level such that any Christian can find it accessible and helpful.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent series of sermons on Philippians by the late James Boice.

I was a bit surprised at how topical they were, though. He pulls out a theme from a text of only one or two verses, and then would often go to another Scripture that dealt more fully with that theme and almost exposit THAT text instead! This gives folks more exposure to the Bible, though, which is good.

Also, he goes so slowly through the text that you sometimes lose the big picture of the whole letter. He could have come back to the context more often, but that’s what comes of delving deep, as he does well. This is not to say he missed the point of the text – he is very seldom off base about what the text is saying.

This commentary is solidly and reliably true to Scripture. It is not a “for-pastors-only” kind of commentary, since it is a collection of sermons and not a critical analysis of the text. Any believer will be helped in their walk with Christ by reading this volume along with Philippians.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love James Montgomery Boice and his commentaries. They read more devotionally than technically, which is where I'm at and what I need/want. Anyhow, I felt like in his Philippians commentary, he went off track with too many stories. And half the time I was wondering what the story had to do with the text. I still enjoyed it but, maybe was hoping for a tad bit more technical than what he gave. It is still a very good commentary for the lay person and would highly recommend it.

[Justin Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good sermonic commentary.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent. so readable and warm - not dry or purely academic but full of ricj application. Best single commentary on philippians.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Best commentary on Philippians. Everyone in my group really liked it and it was
a great study!