Word Study for G5374 (Φιλιππήσιος)

Philippḗsios /fil-ip-pay'-see-os/ Ask about this word

Meaninga Philippesian (Philippian), i.e. native of Philippi

KJV usagePhilippian.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Philippḗsios — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word Philippḗsios, represented by G5374, is a term for a Philippian, a native of Philippi. It appears 2 times across 2 unique verses in the Bible. This word directly identifies the people from the city of Philippi, connecting them to a specific geographical and communal identity within the New Testament narrative.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, G5374 identifies the recipients and subjects of the Apostle Paul's commendation and instruction. Paul directly addresses the believers as Philippians when he recalls their unique financial support, noting that at the beginning of his ministry in the region, no other church partnered with him in "giving and receiving" except for them Philippians 4:15. The word also appears in the subscription of the letter, clarifying that the epistle was written "To the Philippians" Philippians 4:23, cementing their identity as the intended audience of this important apostolic text.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the context in which the Philippians are mentioned:

G2098 euangélion (a good message, i.e. the gospel): The generosity of the Philippians is framed as taking place "in the beginning of the gospel" Philippians 4:15.
G3109 Makedonía (Macedonia, a region of Greece): This specifies the region where the Philippian's support for Paul began, as he mentions the event occurred when he "departed from Macedonia" Philippians 4:15.
G1577 ekklēsía (a calling out, i.e. ... church): Paul highlights that no church supported him in this way except for the one at Philippi Philippians 4:15.
G2841 koinōnéō (to share with others ... communicate): This word describes the action of the Philippians, stating that their church was the only one that communicated with him regarding financial partnership Philippians 4:15.

Theological Significance

The significance of G5374 is tied directly to the actions of the people it describes.

Model of Generosity: The identity of the Philippians is immortalized in scripture as a model of sacrificial giving. They are singled out for their willingness to partner with Paul's ministry financially when others did not Philippians 4:15.
Partnership in Ministry: The term is used to highlight a practical partnership. The Philippians didn't just receive the gospel; they actively "communicated with" Paul, sharing in the work through their support.
Apostolic Relationship: Being identified as Philippians marks this community as having a special and commended relationship with the Apostle Paul, receiving a letter filled with affection, encouragement, and apostolic teaching.

Summary

In summary, G5374 is more than a simple geographical identifier. It designates a specific community of believers whose identity in the biblical record is defined by their notable generosity and their active partnership in the gospel. The use of the term Philippians serves as a permanent testimony to a church that uniquely supported the apostolic mission from its earliest days in their region.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists one rendering for this word. It is counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the number is how many of them use it. Select it to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a noun across 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

Φιλιππησίους
Φιλιππήσιοι

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

2 verses, all in Philippians — and none of the other 26 New Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.