Philippians 3

Philippians 3:1

To conclude, my brethren, I salute you in the Lord: somewhat I have to write to you, which flows not from any cowardice in me, though I have tasted of the sharpness of it, but from my great care to preserve you from the great dangers into which I have fallen myself.

[a] grievous] What ὀκνηρὸς here signifies will be clear enough out of Phavorinus. Ὀκνῶν, saith he, is used by Homer for ὀκνηρὸς ἔχειν, and is τὸ οὐ κονεῖν, or ἐνεργεῖν, not to work, or do any thing: thence δκνος, saith he, ῥαθυμία, cowardice or idleness, and φυγὴ πόνων, avoiding of labours, and φόβος μελλούσης ἐνεργείας, fear of approaching action: and again of ὀκνεῖν, it is ἀλόγῳ καὶ ἀναιτίῳ ῥαθυμίᾳ κατέχεσθαι, ὅθεν καὶ ὀκνηρὸς, to be held or possessed with an irrational and causeless sluggishness, and from thence the word ὀκνηρὸς comes, which here we speak of. So then it signifies avoiding of danger or labour, fear of action when it is near, an unreasonable and causeless cowardice: and from thence it comes in Homer, saith he, generally or for the most part (ἡ πλείων χρῆσις) to signify φόβος, fear, cowardice, and so it is often used in Sophocles, πολλὴ ἡ χρῆσις παρὰ Σοφοκλεῖ, saith he, in this sense. And therefore this will be a proper rendering of it, ὀκνηρὸν, cowardly, and so the context best bears also; that to write what he is about to write next, viz. those cautions against the dogs, the evil workers, the concision, (βλέπετε, take heed of them, thrice in a verse,) οὐκ ὀκνηρὸν ἐμοί, is not cowardice in the apostle, (that is the notion of ῥαθυμία,) but yet safe for them, viz. to be so warned and admonished by him.

Philippians 3:2

There are a sort of men I would have you take especial heed of, very malicious persons, that bark at and bite every orthodox professor, and that live themselves in all villainy—I mean the heretical Gnostics, ver. 18. Others also there are to beware of, as with whom the Gnostics combine, viz. the Jewish believers; which still observe the Mosaical law, and require all to Judaize, and persecute them that do not. These take upon them to be the circumcision, but are only the concision, those that tear the church in pieces, condemn and separate from their brethren, Rom. xiv.

[b] concision] That κατατέμνειν signifies to cut, or rend asunder, there is no question, but the reason why the word κατατομὴ, concision or cutting asunder, is here used for a sort of men called before dogs and evil workers, is the only thing to be considered. That the Jews are called περιτομὴ, the circumcision, meaning by it those that are circumcised, is clear from many places, Gal. ii. 8, 9. Now the Gnostics, which were not all of them Jews, nor themselves circumcised, did yet comply with, and take upon them to be very zealous Jews, and would constrain all others to be circumcised, Gal. vi. 12. Hence it is that Rev. ii. 9, they are expressed by λέγοντες ἑαυτοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, they that say they are Jews, but are not; see note [e] on Rev. ii. And hereupon, because these Judaizers that pretend such zeal to the law, and particularly for circumcision, do neither perform any part of the law, (but are evil workers here, the synagogue of Satan, Rev. ii. 9,) nor are circumcised themselves, (οὐδὲ περιτεμνό-

• In Gulba. Q 2

Philippians 3:3

For sure we are the true children of Abraham, and the circumcision indeed, who live piously, and confess Christ crucified, and depend upon God’s mercy only through that promise sealed to us in Christ’s blood, and so place no confidence in circumcision, nor any such outward performance.

Philippians 3:4

Though, if you speak of confidence upon privileges and advantages of a Jew, no man hath more reason for it, more right unto it, than I:

Philippians 3:5

Having been circumcised at eight days old, as the law prescribes the native Jews, and so no proselyte; my parents and antecessors Israelites, of an eminent tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, so dearly beloved by Jacob; both my parents of Abraham’s, not of a proselyte’s, race; and in respect of my zeal to the Mosaical law, of the strictest sect among the Jews;

Philippians 3:6

And so zealous for the law, that I persecuted the Christians with great rage and fury, as thinking them enemies to the law; and for all legal observances, I never neglected any, as long as I lived in that course.

Philippians 3:7

But whatever advantages I enjoyed as a Jew, I may part with well for Christ; and if they would keep me in the least manner from embracing the Christian doctrine, they would be very far from being advantages to me, but losses rather.

Philippians 3:8

Yea and whatsoever I should place any confidence in, I should be a great loser by it, in comparison to the huge advantages of being a Christian, for which I am content to be stripped of all, and count them nothing worth, despise them all, that I may have the favour of Christ, the highest of all privileges,

Philippians 3:9

And be ingraffed into him, become a member of the Christian church, not pretending to justification by any performance of mine own, by the way of the law, but by that other evangelical course that is set down in the gospel, that from God’s pardoning of sins to all penitent believers.

Philippians 3:10

The condition of which, or terms whereon we are justified, are these: to acknowledge Christ, and the virtue which his resurrection hath toward the raising me out of sin; and the participation of his sufferings (see note [e] Acts ii.) in my conforming myself to his death, dying to sin, as he died to the world.

Philippians 3:11

That so dying with him, or after his example, I may consequently obtain to rise with him to everlasting life.

Philippians 3:12

Not as if I had already gotten my crown or reward, but I am, as the racer, in my pursuit, on the way, running as hard as I can, in some hope that I may at length possibly catch or receive that prize; to which very end it is that Christ himself hath contended for me as for a prize of his; suffered infinite agonies on the cross, that he may purchase unto himself a peculiar pious people; make me and others such, who were far from being so.

[c] attained] What λαμβάνειν signifies among the agonistical writers hath been formerly noted, the receiving the reward that is due to the conqueror; see note [l] on Rom. ix., and note [f] on 1 Cor. ix., and accordingly it is used of him that hath finished his race and course, conquered, and gained the prize, although he have not yet received it; and so it is here taken, οὐκ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον, not that I have finished my course, or that my crown is so immutably and irreversibly yet assigned me, (for that he was not yet in heaven, he needed not have said, it was sufficiently known to all,) as that I should speak confidently of it. That which is fitter for me to entertain myself with is, to use all diligence that I miscarry not.

[d] perfect] The word τετελείωμαι is an agonistical word, and signifies likewise the being crowned, or receiving the reward. So in Gregory Nyssen, speaking of the martyrs, the phrase used is τελείωσις ἀθλητοῦ (in the same sense that we had κατάρτισις, 2 Cor. xiii. 10,) agreeable to the use of τέλεια νικητήρια, perfect prizes in the agonies. For of their prizes there were some more valuable than others, the meaner, such as the tripods, and shields and cups, but the more esteemed, the crowns, which had nothing of mean profit in them, but only the glory and renown of victory, the crowns being made but of leaves only, as hath been formerly said. Now the more illustrious were called τέλεια νικητήρια, the perfect rewards or prizes; and to this, saith Peter Faber, refers that of St. James, ch. i. 17, where πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ is every good donative, parallel to those of the meaner first kind of reward, and πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον, this more illustrious of a crown. And proportionably to this, τελειοῦσθαι will be to receive this crown. So Heb. xi. 40, speaking of the saints of the Old Testament, which, saith he, were afflicted in this life, and received not personally the completion of the promises that were made unto them, but received them by faith then, and we their posterity now really; and that he there calls τελειωθῆναι, to be perfected, all one with κομίζεσθαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, receiving the promise, ver. 39, for which Œcumenius puts, στεφανωθῆναι, καὶ πέρας ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαβείν, to be crowned, and receive the perfection of good things. So Heb. ii. 10, God was pleased τελειῶσαι τὸν ἀρχηγὸν σωτηρίας, to crown, or consummate, the captain of our salvation, (that hath rescued us out of the sins and hazards of this life,) διὰ παθημάτων, by sufferings. So Heb. xii. 23, δίκαιοι τετελειωμένοι, the just that have received their reward. Thus the Hebrew word עקב signifies both

[e] follow after] Διώκων is the word that expresses the contention ἐν δρόμῳ, in the race, and it signifies, to endeavour to get before those that are before us, to labour and stretch, ἵνα καταλάβῃ, that he may get the prize by being foremost.

[f] am apprehended] The word κατελήφθην here is still in the agonistical sense, and being now applied to Christ, it signifies most elegantly, that Christ doth, as in a race, contend and strive, and that for no other reward that he hath in his eye, but only the faithful disciple, whom when he converts and brings to repentance, he conceives himself to have attained his reward or crown; and so we are, as it were, the crown that is caught and wore by him, as Ephes. i. 11, we are said κληροῦσθαι, that is, to be the κλήρος, or portion, which he hath for his patrimony, as it were, or as he is said to purchase, λαόν, a people, Tit. ii. 14, and as the church. 1 Pet. ii. 9, is said to be λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν, a people purchased, or acquired, by him, Acts xx. 23.

Philippians 3:13

Beloved Christians, I do not think that I have my crown, or am so sure of it that I cannot miss it; but this one thing I do, without marking or considering how much of my race I have overcome and got through, I stretch as hard as I can to get to the end of that which is still behind unfinished, and so,

[g] forgetting those things which are behind] This phrase of ἐπι-λανθανόμενος τὰ ὀπίσω, not looking at that which is behind, or passed, refers likewise to the custom of the racer, who doth not use to stand still, and look behind him, to see either how much of his journey he is past, or how far the rest are behind him, (for this is the sluggard’s trick,) but sets bodily to his business, to overtake and outrun all that are before, and to get through the remainder of his race, and that is, ἐπεκτείνεσθαι τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, to stretch himself as vigorously as he can (for so saith Hesychius, Ἐπέκτασις, ἡ ἐπὶ πολὺ τάσις) to get to the goal first. This hath Horace expressed distinctly in his description of a racer in a chariot, Serm. l. 1. Satyr. 1.

Ut cum carceribus missos rapit ungula currus, Instat equis auriga suos vincentibus, illum Præteritum temnens, extremos inter euntem.

“The ruler of the chariot presseth to overtake those horses that are before his, but contemns and never looks after him that is behind, and outrun by him.”

Philippians 3:14

[h] the mark] That σκοπός signifies the goal hath been said already, note [g] on 1 Cor. ix., and that βραβείον is the prize, or crown, which either hung over the goal or was given the conqueror by the judges: and so the meaning of κατὰ σκοπὸν εἰς βραβείον is, that the racer takes the goal in the way to the crown, first conquers, and then

On Job xxiii.

Philippians 3:15

As many therefore of us as are sincere in our Christian course, the orthodox, faithful, pure Christians, let us take care of this: and if any body differs in understanding any particular thing, there is no reason that such a difference should breed any division among you, disturb or break the peace which is most precious to be preserved; for though at present ye are not, yet hereafter ye may, no doubt, be instructed in all that is necessary to you.

Philippians 3:16

But, or, in the mean time, though we are advanced some before others, yet let not that hinder our unity or peace; let us observe our way, that we run not over the lines, and to that end, that we run not one one way, another another, but that all take the same course, chalked out before us: see note [b] ch. iv.

Philippians 3:17

All of you together follow my steps, and consider and emulate those that do so, that follow our pattern, our example, that ye may do likewise.

Philippians 3:18

For many there are nowadays abroad in the church, of a most unhappy, unchristian temper, that will not suffer any thing for Christ, or venture that that may bring any affliction or suffering upon them, (see note [b] Apoc. ii,) and therefore comply with the Jews, to avoid persecutions from them,

Philippians 3:19

But shall in fine gain little by it, but be destroyed with the Jews in their approaching ruin,

Philippians 3:20

To which yet all Christians belong, and have the right of citizens, though they dwell on this earth, as in a province out of the city: and as those provinces are ruled and defended by some governor sent them out of the city, so do we expect Christ from thence as our prince and Saviour (who by his care will in the mean time defend us from all enemies):

Philippians 3:21

Who shall change this our vilified, persecuted, calamitous state, incident to this our mortal life, and

¹³ supernal, τῆς ἄνω. ¹⁴ mind this, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν. ¹⁶ In the mean while, as far as

we have gotten the start. ¹⁶ we are citizens of heaven, or, heaven is the city of which we

are free. ¹⁷ transform, μετασχηματίσει. ¹⁸ virtue, or, energy of his being able, τὴν

ἰνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι. S 2