Philippians 4:7 KJV

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.King James Version

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The same verse in modern English

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:7, World English Bible (WEB)

Philippians 4:7 in the WEB, with its own quiet pause

KJV and WEB compared

Here the KJV says peace will “keep your hearts and minds”; the WEB says it will “guard your hearts and your thoughts.” The Greek word in the second place usually means thoughts, the things the mind produces. The KJV’s “through Christ Jesus” becomes “in Christ Jesus” in the WEB, the most common sense of the small Greek word used, though it can also mean by means of. Both keep the same order, hearts first and then minds or thoughts, and both promise a peace that guards rather than explains.

Sitting with this verse

The old word “passeth” means goes past or surpasses: this peace runs ahead of anything the mind can explain. Writing to Philippi, a Roman colony used to garrisons, Paul chooses a soldier’s word for “keep.” Notice where the peace is located: in Christ Jesus. It follows prayer with thanks, not the solving of every problem. Let your thoughts rest there a while, without needing to understand it first.

Older words in this verse

-eth (passeth): the old way of writing -s: maketh means makes, leadeth means leads

Read all of Philippians 4 slowly, with its meditation prompt

Stilling Waves also makes devotional journals for a few honest minutes with God each day.

Other well-loved verses in the KJV: 2 Timothy 1:7 Hebrews 11:1 Ephesians 2:8

Scripture: King James Version (1769 text), from eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society; public domain outside the United Kingdom, and in the United Kingdom under Crown patent, administered by Cambridge University Press. About the KJV here.