The Greek word merimnao is used 19 times in the Greek New Testament and generally means “to worry, have anxiety, be concerned” (Bill Mounce/Greek NT Scholar).
Imagine my surprise when I was doing some exegetical work many years ago for my book The Anxious Christian and I realized that Paul uses the exact same Greek word in Philippians 4:6, that he uses in Philippians 2:20.
Same word.
Different contexts.
Different meaning.
In Philippians 2:20 Paul writes about his co-worker Timothy:
20 I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
The Greek word for anxiety, merimnao is translated in this verse as concerned.
Whereas in Philippians 4:6 Paul writes:
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Same Greek word for anxiety, merimnao, but translated as worry here.
Paul uses the same word for anxiety merimnao in two different passages.
One is literally saying that Timothy’s anxiety is rooted in care and concern for the community at Philippi. It’s an anxiety that reflects the care embodied in a relationship. I often say to people in marriage counseling that if you don’t have any anxiety when in conflict with your spouse, you may actually not care about that person that much. This type of anxiety is an anxiety that propels us towards others as it’s rooted in concern for another.
The other passage is literally saying, don’t worry — don’t have anxiety. As I’ve said before, by the time we get to this passage in 4:6, there is so much context to Paul’s life and this letter, that I’ve completely reinterpreted the meaning of this passage over the years.
But the purpose for today is to simply take note that anxiety is complex and multifaceted. This word alone is used 19 times in the NT, often with different meanings. It’s used two times in Philippians, but each meaning something different. And it’s not the only word for anxiety used in Philippians which we will be looking at.
Anxiety can have different meanings for us in our lives, but it is the context of our lives that will determine that meaning. And understanding that difference will be crucial in how we see anxiety showing up in our lives and the purpose behind it.