Philippians 1:8
“For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul calls God to witness how deeply he yearns for the Philippians with the very affection of Christ.
What Does Philippians 1:8 Mean?
The older English word bowels named what we would call the heart, the seat of the deepest emotions. Paul calls on God himself as witness to the intensity of his longing for these believers.
Strikingly, Paul says he longs for them with the affection of Jesus Christ, as though the Lord's own tenderness flows through him toward them. This is what happens when a heart is filled with Christ: it begins to love others with his love, not merely human warmth but something deeper and purer. Paul's yearning is not sentimentality but the compassion of Christ taking shape in a man's chest. To be loved like this, and to learn to love others like this, is one of the quiet miracles of life in Christ.
In the Original Language
splanchna (σπλάγχνον), 'bowels' -- the inward parts, used for the seat of deep affection and compassion.