Philippians 4

Philippians 4:2-3

πόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, οὕτως στήκετε ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.

² Εὐοδίαν παρακαλῶ καὶ Συντύχην παρακαλῶ τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν Κυρίῳ. ³ ναὶ ἐρωτῶ καὶ σέ, γνήσιε σύν-

οὕτως στήκετε] ‘stand fast so, as you are guided by my precept and my example, as becomes citizens of a heavenly kingdom.’ On στήκετε see the notes, i. 27, Gal. v. 1.

2. The Apostle at length returns from his long digression (see the notes on iii. 1, 2) to the subject of the dissensions at Philippi. His injunctions here take the form of a direct personal appeal to those chiefly at fault; and two ladies especially are mentioned by name.

2, 3. ‘I appeal to Euodia, and I appeal to Syntyche, to give up their differences and live at peace in the Lord. Yes I ask you, my faithful and true yokefellow, who are now by my side, who will deliver this letter to the Philippians, to reconcile them again: for I cannot forget how zealously they seconded my efforts on behalf of the Gospel. I invite Clement also, with the rest of my fellow-labourers, whose names are enrolled in the book of life, the register of God’s faithful people, to aid in this work of reconciliation.’

Εὐοδίαν κ.τ.λ.] Both these names occur in the inscriptions: Euhodia or Euodia for instance in Gruter p. 695. 4, p. 789. 5, Muratori p. 107. 9, p. 932. 5, p. 1161. 4, p. 1185. 7, p. 1340. 8, p. 1362. 2, p. 1671. 3, 5 (comp. Tertull. ad Scap. 4); Syntyche, Suntyche, or Syntiche, in Gruter p. 890. 7, p. 987. 8, Muratori, p. 857. 7, p. 972. 5, p. 1315. 17, p. 1569. 4, p. 1664. 4. The English Version treats the first as a man’s name; and others have in like manner interpreted the second. No instance however of either ‘Euodias’ or ‘Syntyches’ has been found in the inscriptions. The former indeed might be considered a contraction of Euodianus which occurs occasionally: but the masculine form of the latter is Syntychus, a very rare name (Gruter p. 372. 5). But, though it were possible to treat the words in themselves as masculine, two female names are clearly required here, as there is nothing else in the sentence to which αὐτοῖς can be referred. Euodia and Syntyche appear to have been ladies of rank, or possibly (like Phœbe, Rom. xvi. 1) deaconesses in the Philippian church. On the position of women in Macedonia and on their prominence in the history of the Gospel there, see the introduction, p. 55 sq.

παρακαλῶ] St Paul repeats the word as if, says Bengel, ‘coram adhortans seorsum utramvis.’

3. ναὶ] ‘γκα,’ introducing an affectionate appeal, as Philæu. 20 ναὶ, ἀδελφὲ, ἐγώ σου ὀναίμην. The καὶ of the received text must be considered a misprint, or a miswriting of a few late xss.

ἐρωτῶ] ‘I ask’; a late use of the word which in the classical language signifies not ‘rogo’ generally, but ‘interrogo’ specially. In this late sense of ‘requesting,’ ἐρωτῶ differs from αὐτῷ, as ‘rogo’ from ‘peto’; the two former being used towards an equal, the two latter towards a superior; see Trench N. T. Syn. § xl. p. 135.

γνήσιε σύνεγνε] ’true yoke-fellow,’ comp. Æsch. Ag. 842; so 2 Cor. vi. 14 ἐτεροξυγούντες. It is doubtful whom the Apostle thus addresses. On the whole however it seems most probable that Epaphroditus, the bearer of the letter, is intended; for in his case alone there would be no risk of making the reference unintelligible by the suppression of the name. Different commentators have explained it of Barnabas, of Luke, of Silas, of Timotheus, of

Philippians 4:4

ζυγε, συνλαμβάνου αὐταῖς, αἵτινες ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ συνήθλησάν μοι, μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς.

⁴ Χαίρετε ἐν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.

the chief presbyter or bishop of Philippi. Others again have taken Σύν-ζυγος itself as a proper name, explaining γνήσιο ’truly called.’ The case for this interpretation is well stated by Laurent Neutest. Stud. p. 134. It would be plausible, if Σύνζυγος occurred commonly, or occurred at all, in the inscriptions. The passage would then present a parallel to the play on the name Onesimus in Philem. 11. Less can be said in favour of another expedient which makes Γνήσιος the proper name. A very ancient interpretation again (Clem. Alex. Strom. iii. p. 535 Potter, Orig. Rom. I. p. 461 Delarue) takes ‘yokefellow’ to mean St Paul’s wife; but the Apostle would doubtless have written γνησία in this case, and it seems clear moreover from 1 Cor. vii. 8 that he was either unmarried or a widower. The grammatical objection applies equally to Renan’s suggestion (St Paul p. 148) that Lydia is meant. For γνήσιο comp. Ecclus. vii. 18, and see the note on γνησίως ii. 20.

συνλαμβάνου, κ.τ.λ.] ‘assist them, Euodia and Syntyche, since they laboured with me etc.’ They may have belonged to the company of women to whom the Gospel was first preached at Philippi, Acts xvi. 13 ταῖς συνελθοῦσαις γυναιξίῳ. For αἵτινες, ‘inasmuch as they,’ comp. e.g. Acts x. 41, 47, Rom. ii. 15, vi. 2, etc. While ὃς simply marks the individual, ὅστις places him in a class, and thus calls attention to certain characteristic features; hence the meaning ‘quippe qui.’ On the distinction of ὃς and ὅστις see the notes on Gal. iv. 24, 26, v. 19. The rendering adopted by the English version, ‘Help those women who laboured etc.’ is obviously incorrect, and would require ἐκείναις αἱ συνήθλησαν.

μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος κ.τ.λ.] ‘with Clement also.’ These words ought perhaps to be connected rather with συνλαμβάνου αὐταῖς than with συνήθλησάν μοι. The Apostle is anxious to engage all in the work of conciliation. On the Clement here meant see the detached note p. 168. The καὶ before Κλήμεντος seems to be retrospective (referring to γνήσιο σύνζυγε) rather than prospective (referring to καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου); as in John ii. 2. For its position comp. Clem. Rom. § 59 σὺν καὶ Φορτουνάτῳ.

ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα κ.τ.λ.] ‘whose names, though not mentioned by the Apostle, are nevertheless in the book of life.’ The ‘book of life’ in the figurative language of the Old Testament is the register of the covenant people: comp. Is. iv. 3 οἱ γραφέντες εἰς ζωὴν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, Ezek. xiii. 9 ἐν παιδεία τοῦ λαοῦ μου οὐκ ἔσονται οὐδὲ ἐν γραφῇ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ οὐ γραφήσονται. Hence ’to be blotted out of the book of the living’ means ’to forfeit the privileges of the theocracy,’ ’to be shut out from God’s favour,’ Ps. lxix. 28; comp. Exod. xxxii. 32. But the expression, though perhaps confined originally to temporal blessings, was in itself a witness to higher hopes; and in the book of Daniel first (xii. 1 sq.) it distinctly refers to a blessed immortality. In the Revelation τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς is a phrase of constant recurrence, iii. 5, xiii. 8, xvii. 8, xx. 12, 15, xxi. 27, xxii. 19; comp. Hermas Vis. i. 3. See also Luke x. 20, Heb. xii. 23. It is clear from the expression ‘blotting out of the book’ (Rev. iii. 5), that the image suggested no idea of absolute predestination. For the use of the phrase in rabbinical writers see Wetstein here. 4. χαίρετε] This word combines a

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ τὸ ἐπιεικὲς ὑμῶν γνωσθήτω πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις. ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς. ⁶ μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε, ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετ’ εὐχαριστίας τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. ⁷ καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ

parting benediction with an exhortation to cheerfulness. It is neither ‘farewell’ alone, nor ‘rejoice’ alone. Compare for this same combination of senses the dying words of the Greek messenger χαίρετε καὶ χαίρομεν quoted above on ii. 18; see the notes on ii. 18, iii. 1.

πάλιν ἐρῶ] ‘again I will say’; for ἐρῶ seems to be always a future in the New Testament as in Attic Greek. Compare Æsch. Eum. 1014 χαίρετε, χαίρετε δ’ αὖθις, ἐπανδιπλοίζω. See the notes on i. 4.

5—7. ‘Let your gentle and forbearing spirit be recognised by all men. The judgment is drawing near. Entertain no anxious cares, but throw them all upon God. By your prayer and your supplication make your every want known to Him. If you do this, then the peace of God, far more effective than any forethought or contrivance of man, will keep watch over your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.’

5. τὸ ἐπιεικὲς ὑμῶν] ‘your forbearance,’ the opposite to a spirit of contention and self-seeking. The ἐπιεικὴς stands in contrast to the ἀκριβοδίεως, as being satisfied with less than his due, Arist. Eth. Nic. v. 10. The word is connected with ἄμαχος, πᾶσαν ἐνδεικνύμενος πραΰτητα (Tit. iii. 2, comp. 1 Tim. iii. 3), with εἰρηνικός, εὐπειθής, μεστὸς ἐλέους κ.τ.λ. (James iii. 17), with χρηστός, πολυελείας (Ps. lxxxv. 5), with ἀγαθός (‘kind’, 1 Pet. ii. 18), with φιλάνθρωπος (2 Macc. ix. 27). This quality of ἐπιείκεια was signally manifested in our blessed Lord Himself (2 Cor. x. 1).

ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς] The nearness of the Lord’s advent is assigned as a reason for patient forbearance. So similarly in St James v. 8, μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς… ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου ἤγγιετε κ.τ.λ. The expression ὁ Κύριος ἐγγύς is the Apostle’s watchword. In 1 Cor. xvi. 22 an Aramaic equivalent is given, Μαρὰν ἀθῶ, whence we may infer that it was a familiar form of mutual recognition and warning in the early Church. Compare Barnab. § 21 ἐγγύς ἡ ἡμέρα ἐν ᾗ συναπολείται πάντα τῷ πονηρῷ, ἐγγύς ὁ Κύριος καὶ ὁ μισθὸς αὐτοῦ. See also Luke xxi. 31, 1 Pet. iv. 7. Thus we may paraphrase St Paul’s language here: ‘To what purpose is this rivalry, this self-assertion? The end is nigh, when you will have to resign all. Bear with others now, that God may bear with you then.’ On the other hand a different interpretation is suggested by such passages as Ps. cxix. 151 ἐγγύς εἰ Κύριε, cxiv. 18 ἐγγύς Κύριος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν (comp. xxxiv. 18), Clem. Rom. § 21 ἴδωμεν πῶς ἐγγύς ἐστιν κ.τ.λ. (comp. Hermas Vis. ii. 3; Clem. Alex. Quis div. 41, p. 958); but this is neither so natural nor so appropriate here.

6. μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε] ‘have no anxieties’; for μέριμνα is anxious harassing care. See Trench, On the Authorized Version p. 13 sq. (on Matt. vi. 25); and comp. 1 Pet. v. 7, where μέριμνα is used of human anxieties, μέλει of God’s providential care.

τῇ προσευχῇ κ.τ.λ.] While προσευχῇ is the general offering up of the wishes and desires to God, δέησις implies special petition for the supply of wants. Thus προσευχῇ points to the frame of mind in the petitioner, δέησις to the act of solicitation. The two occur together also in Ephes. vi. 13, 1 Tim. ii. 1, v. 5. In αἰτήματα again the several objects of δέησις are implied. More on the distinction of these words may be

Philippians 4:8

ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

⁸ Τὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῇ, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἀγνά, ὅσα προσφιλῇ, ὅσα εὔφημα, εἴ

seen in Trench, N. T. Syn. § li. p. 177 sq.

πρὸς τὸν Θεόν] ‘before God,’ ’to Godward,’ not simply τῷ Θεῷ.

μετ’ εὐχαριστίας] Since thankfulness for past blessings is a necessary condition of acceptance in preferring new petitions. Great stress is laid on the duty of εὐχαριστία by St Paul; e.g. Rom. i. 21, xiv. 6, 2 Cor. i. 11, iv. 15, ix. 11, 12, Ephes. v. 20, Col. ii. 7, iii. 17, 1 Thess. v. 18, 1 Tim. ii. 1. All his own letters addressed to churches, with the sole exception of the Epistle to the Galatians, commence with an emphatic thanksgiving. In this epistle the injunction is in harmony with the repeated exhortations to cheerfulness (χαρά) which it contains; see the note on i. 4.

7. καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη κ.τ.λ.] ’then the peace of God’; again an indirect allusion to their dissensions. So too in ver. 9 ὁ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης. Compare 2 Thess. iii. 16 αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριος τῆς εἰρήνης δώῃ ὑμῖν τὴν εἰρήνην κ.τ.λ.

ὑπερέχουσα κ.τ.λ.] ‘surpassing every device or counsel’ of man, i. e. which is far better, which produces a higher satisfaction, than all punctilious self-assertion, all anxious forethought. This sense seems better adapted to the context, than the meaning frequently assigned to the words, ‘surpassing all intelligence, transcending all power of conception.’ In favour of the latter however may be quoted Ephes. iii. 20 τῷ δυναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἡ νοούμεν.

φρουρήσει κ.τ.λ.] A verbal paradox, for φρουρεῖν is a warrior’s duty; ‘God’s peace shall stand sentry, shall keep guard over your hearts.’ Compare 1 Thess. iv. 11 φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζειν for a similar instance. The νοήματα reside in and issue from the καρδία (comp. 2 Cor. iii. 14, 15); for in the Apostle’s language καρδία is the seat of thought as well as of feeling.

8. Τὸ λοιπόν] ‘Finally.’ Again the Apostle attempts to conclude; see the note on τὸ λοιπὸν iii. 1, and the introduction, p. 69 sq.

ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῇ κ.τ.λ.] Speaking roughly, the words may be said to be arranged in a descending scale. The first four describe the character of the actions themselves, the two former ἀληθῇ, σεμνά, being absolute, the two latter δίκαια, ἀγνά, relative; the fifth and sixth προσφιλῇ, εὔφημα, point to the moral approbation which they conciliate; while the seventh and eighth ἀρετή, ἔπαινος, in which the form of expression is changed (εἶτις for ὅσα), are thrown in as an afterthought, that no motive may be omitted.

ἀληθῇ] not ‘veracious,’ but ’true’ in the widest sense. So St Chrysostom, ταῦτα ὄντως ἀληθῇ ἡ ἀρετή, ψεῦδος δὲ ἡ κακία. In like manner the most comprehensive meaning must be given to δίκαια (‘righteous,’ not simply ‘just’), and to ἀγνά (‘pure, stainless’) not simply ‘chaste’: comp. Cic. Fin. iii. 4 ‘Una virtus, unum istud, quod honestum appellas, rectum, laudabile, decorum, erit enim notius quale sit, pluribus notatum vocabulis idem declarantibus.’ προσφιλῇ] ‘amiable, lovely’; see Ecclus. iv. 7, xx. 13. It does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. Comp. Cic. Lat. 28 ‘Nihil est amabilius virtute, nihil quod magis alliciat ad diligendum.’ εὔφημα] not ‘well-spoken of, well-reputed,’ for the word seems never to have this passive meaning; but with

PHIL.

Philippians 4:9-10

τις ἀρετή καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος, ταῦτα λογίζεσθε· 9ἀ καὶ ἐμάθετε καὶ παρελάβετε καὶ ἠκούσατε καὶ εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί, ταῦτα πράσσετε, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ’ ὑμῶν.

10Ἐχάρην δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ μεγάλως, ὅτι ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνε-

its usual active sense, ‘fair-speaking,’ and so ‘winning, attractive.’ Compare Plut. Vit. Thes. 20 ἀ δὲ εὐφημότατα τῶν μυθολογουμένων, Mor. 84 D τιμὴν εὔφημον, Lucian Prom. 3 πρὸς τὸ εὐφημότατον ἐξηγούμενος τὸ εἰρημένον, i. e. putting the most favourable construction on the account.

εἴ τις ἀρετή] St Paul seems studiously to avoid this common heathen term for moral excellence, for it occurs in this passage only. Neither is it found elsewhere in the New Testament, except in 1 Pet. ii. 9, 2 Pet. i. 3, 5, in all which passages it seems to have some special sense. In the Old Testament it always signifies ‘glory, praise’ (as in 1 Pet. ii. 9); though in the Apocrypha (e.g. Wisd. iv. 1) it has its ordinary classical sense. Its force here is doubtful. Some treat εἴ τις ἀρετή, εἴ τις ἔπαινος, as comprehensive expressions, recapitulating the previous subjects under two general heads, the intrinsic character and the subjective estimation. The strangeness of the word however, combined with the change of expression εἴ τις, will suggest another explanation; ‘Whatever value may reside in your old heathen conception of virtue, whatever consideration is due to the praise of men’; as if the Apostle were anxious not to omit any possible ground of appeal. Thus Beza’s remark on ἀρετή seems to be just; ‘Verhum nimis humile, si cum donis Spiritus Sancti comparetur.’ With this single occurrence of ἀρετή, compare the solitary use of τὸ θεῖον in the address on the Areopagus, Acts xvii. 29.

9. In the former verse the proper subjects of meditation (λογίζεσθε) have been enumerated; in the present the proper line of action (πράσσετε) is indicated. The Philippians must obey the Apostle’s precepts (ἀ ἐμάθετε καὶ παρελάβετε) and follow his example (ἀ ἠκούσατε καὶ εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί).

καὶ ἐμάθετε κτ.λ.] The verbs should probably be connected together in pairs, so that the καὶ before ἐμάθετε is answered by the καὶ before ἠκούσατε. With ἐμάθετε καὶ παρελάβετε we may understand παρ’ ἐμοῦ from the ἐν ἐμοί of the next clause. The word παρελάβετε adds little to ἐμάθετε, except the reference to the person communicating the instruction: comp. Plat. Theat. p. 198 D παραλαμβάνοντα δὲ μανθάνειν.

ἐν ἐμοί] to be attached to ἠκούσατε, as well as to εἴδετε; ‘heard when I was away, and saw when I was with you’: comp. i. 30 οἷον εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί καὶ νῦν ἀκούετε ἐν ἐμοί.

10—19. ‘It was a matter of great and holy joy to me that after so long an interval your care on my behalf revived and flourished again. I do not mean that you ever relaxed your care, but the opportunity was wanting. Do not suppose, that in saying this I am complaining of want; for I have learnt to be content with my lot, whatever it may be. I know how to bear humiliation, and I know also how to bear abundance. Under all circumstances and in every case, in plenty and in hunger, in abundance and in want, I have been initiated in the never-failing mystery, I possess the true secret of life. I can do and bear all things in Christ who inspires me with strength. But, though I am thus indifferent to my own wants, I commend you for your sympathy and aid in my affliction. I need not remind you, my Philippian friends; you

Philippians 4:11-12

θάλετε τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φρονεῖν· ἐφ’ ᾧ καὶ ἐφρονεῖτε, ἠκαιρεῖσθε δέ. ¹¹οὐχ ὅτι καθ’ ὑστέρησιν λέγω· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμὶ αὐτάρκης εἶναι. ¹²οἶδα καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι, οἶδα καὶ περισσεύειν. ἐν παντὶ καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν yourselves will remember; that in the first days of the Gospel, when I left Macedonia, though I would not receive contributions of money from any other Church, I made an exception in your case. Nay, even before I left, when I was still at Thessalonica, you sent more than once to supply my wants. Again I say, I do not desire the gift, but I do desire that the fruits of your benevolence should rebound to your account. For myself, I have now enough and more than enough of all things. The presents which you sent by Epaphroditus have fully supplied my needs. I welcome them, as the sweet savour of a burnt-offering, as a sacrifice accepted by and well-pleasing to God. And I am confident that God on my behalf will recompense you and supply all your wants with the prodigal wealth which He only can command, in the kingdom of His glory, in Christ Jesus.’

10. ἐχάρην δὲ κ.τ.λ.] So Polycarp

writing to these same Philippians begins (§ 1) συνεχάρην ὑμῖν μεγάλως ἐν Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ κ.τ.λ. The δὲ arrests a subject which is in danger of escaping: see Gal. iv. 20. It is as if the Apostle said: ‘I must not forget to thank you for your gift.’

ἤδη ποτὲ ἀνεθάλετε κ.τ.λ.] ‘at

length ye revived your interest in me.’ For ἤδη ποτὲ ‘at length’ (not necessarily referring to present time) see Rom. i. 10, with the passages quoted in illustration by Kypke. For this construction of ἀνοθάλειν, ’to put forth new shoots,’ with an accusative of the thing germinated, compare Ezek. xvii. 24 (ξύλον ξηρόν), Ecclus. i. 18 (εἰρήνην, ὑγίειαν), xi. 22 (εὐλογίαν), l. 10 (καρπούς). As the two expressions ἤδη ποτὲ and ἀνεθάλετε combined might seem to convey a rebuke, the Apostle hastens to remove the impression by the words

which follow, ἐφ’ ᾧ καὶ ἐφρονεῖτε and οὐχ ὅτι καθ’ ὑστέρησιν λέγω.

ἐφ’ ᾧ κ.τ.λ.] ‘in which ye did indeed interest yourselves.’ The antecedent to ᾧ is ‘my wants, my interests,’ being involved in, though not identical with, τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φρονεῖν. Such grammatical irregularities are characteristic of St Paul’s style: compare for instance ii. 5. To obviate the fancied difficulty, it has been proposed to explain the previous clause [ὥστε] φρονεῖν τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, in which case τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ would form a strict antecedent to ᾧ. But the separation of τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ from φρονεῖν is harsh and unnatural.

ἠκαιρεῖσθε] ‘ye had no opportunity’; a late and rare word. The active ἀκαιρεῖν is found in Diod. Sic. Exe. p. 30 (Mai).

11. οὐχ ὅτι] ‘It is not that I speak, etc.’ For οὐχ ὅτι comp. iii. 12, iv. 17: see A. Buttmann p. 319. For καθ’ ὑστέρησιν, ‘in language dictated by want,’ comp. Rom. x. 2 κατ’ ἐπίγνωσιν, Acts iii. 17 κατὰ ἄγνοιαν, etc.: see Winer § xlix. p. 501 sq.

ἐν οἷς εἰμὶ κ.τ.λ.] ‘in the position in which I am placed.’ The idea of αὐτάρκεια is ‘independence of external circumstances.’ Compare 2 Cor. ix. 8 ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἔχοντες, 1 Tim. vi. 6. Socrates, when asked ‘Who was the wealthiest,’ replied, ‘He that is content with least, for αὐτάρκεια is nature’s wealth’ (Stob. Flor. v. 43). The Stoics especially laid great stress on this virtue: see Senec. Ep. Mor. 9 (passim). So M. Anton. i. 16 τὸ αὐτάρκες ἐν παντὶ, where also an11—2

Philippians 4:13-14

μεμύημαι, καὶ χορτάζεσθαι καὶ πεινᾶν, καὶ περισσεύειν καὶ ὑστερεῖσθαι. ¹³πάντα ἰσχύω ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με. ¹⁴πλήν καλῶς ἐποιήσατε συνκοινωνήσαντές μου τῇ θλί-

other phrase found in St Paul (2 Tim. iv. 5) occurs in the context, νῆφον ἐν πᾶσι. See the notes on πολίτευμα iii. 20, and on ἀπέχειν iv. 18, and the dissertation on ‘St Paul and Seneca.’

12. καὶ ταπεινοῦσθαι] This clause seems to be shaped in anticipation of the καὶ περισσεύειν which follows, so that the one καὶ would answer the other, ‘both to be abased and to abound’; but the connexion is afterwards interrupted by the repetition of οἶδα for the sake of emphasis. So too perhaps 1 Cor. xv. 29, 30 τί καὶ βαπτίζονται…τί καὶ ἡμεῖς κ.τ.λ.; comp. Rom. i. 13.

ἐν παντὶ καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν] A general expression corresponding to the English ‘all and every’; ἐν παντὶ ‘in every case’ singly, ἐν πᾶσιν ‘in all cases’ collectively: comp. 2 Cor. xi. 6 ἐν παντὶ φανερώσαντες ἐν πᾶσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς.

μεμύημαι] ‘I have been initiated, I possess the secret,’ as Plut. Mor. p. 795 Ἐ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα μανθάνων ἔτι πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ μυούμενος, τὰ δὲ ἔσχατα διδάσκων καὶ μυσταγωγῶν, Alciphr. Epist. ii. 4 πρωρατεύειν μνηθήσομαι. The same metaphor is employed by St Paul in μυστήρια applied to revealed truths, and perhaps also in σφραγίζεσθαι (Eph. i. 13). And St Ignatius also addresses the Ephesians (§12) as Παύλου συμμύσται τοῦ ἡγιασμένου, thus taking up the Apostle’s own metaphor.

χορτάζεσθαι] The word χορτάζειν, properly ’to give fodder to animals,’ is in the first instance only applied to men as a depreciatory term, e.g. Plat. Resp. ix. p. 586 Ἀ βοσκημάτων δίκην…χορταζόμενοι. Hence the earlier examples of this application are found chiefly in the Comic poets, as in the passages quoted by Atheneus, iii. p. 99 sq., where the word is discussed. In the later language however χορτάζεσθαι has lost the sense of caricature, and become a serious equivalent to κορέννυσθαι, being applied commonly to men and directly opposed to πεινᾶν, e.g. Matt. v. 6. On χορτάζειν see Sturz de Dial. Mac. p. 200. A parallel instance of a word casting off all mean associations in the later language is ψωμίζειν, 1 Cor. xiii. 3.

πεινᾶν] On this form see A. Buttmann p. 38, Lobeck Phryn. p. 61.

13. τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί με] ‘in Him that infuses strength into me,’ i.e. Christ: comp. 1 Tim. i. 12. The word occurs several times in St Paul.

14. πλήν] ’nevertheless, though I could have dispensed with your contributions.’ συνκοινωνήσαντες κ.τ.λ.] i.e. ‘by making common cause with my affliction, by your readiness to share the burden of my troubles.’ It was not the actual pecuniary relief, so much as the sympathy and companionship in his sorrow, that the Apostle valued. On the construction of κοινωνεῖν see the note on Gal. vi. 6.

15. The object of this allusion seems to be not so much to stimulate them by recalling their former zeal in contributing to his needs, as to show his willingness to receive such contributions at their hands. ‘Do not mistake my meaning,’ he seems to say, ‘do not imagine that I receive your gifts coldly, that I consider them intrusive. You yourselves will recollect that, though it was my rule not to receive such contributions, I made an exception in your case.’ καὶ ὑμεῖς] ‘ye too, ye yourselves, without my reminding you’: comp. 1 Thess. ii. 1 αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἶδατε, ἀδελφοί.

Φιλιππήσιοι] Stephanus Byzant. says, ‘Ὁ πολίτης Φιλιππεύς, Φιλιππηνὸς δὲ

Philippians 4:15

ψει. Ἰοἴδατε δὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς, Φιλιππήσιοι, ὅτι ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας, οὐδεμία μοι ἐκκλησία ἐκοινώνησεν εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήμψεως,

παρὰ Πολυβίῳ. The passage of Polybius to which he refers is not extant. Though Stephanus does not mention the form Φιλιππήσιος, it occurs in the heading of Polycarp’s letter (Iren. iii. 3. 4) as well as of this epistle. Φιλιππεύς is found three times in a Buæotian inscription in Keil p. 172 (see Dindorf’s Steph. Thes. s. v.).

ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου] ‘in the earliest days of the Gospel,’ especially in reference to Macedonia. Similarly, writing to the Thessalonians soon after his first visit, St Paul says (2 Thess. ii. 13) εἶλατο ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ἀπαρχὴν (v. l. ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς) εἰς σωτηρίαν. The expression occurs in Clem. Rom. § 47 τί πρῶτον ὑμῖν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἔγραψεν, and possibly this is the meaning of Polycarp § 11 ‘qui estis in principio epistolæ ejus’: see above, p. 141, note 4.

ὅτε ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας] ‘when I departed from Macedonia’ may mean either (1) ‘at the moment of my departure,’ or (2) ‘after my departure.’ This latter meaning is justified by the pluperfect sense which the aorist frequently has (see Winer § xl. p. 343); though in fact this is no peculiarity of Greek, but a looseness of expression common to all languages. If this meaning be adopted, the allusion is explained by the contributions sent from Macedonia to Corinth (2 Cor. xi. 8, 9). If on the other hand the former sense were rigorously pressed (though this is unreasonable), contributions might well have been conveyed to him through ’the brethren’ who escorted him from Macedonia to Athens, Acts xvii. 14, 15. The ‘undesigned coincidence’ between the history and the epistles in the matter of these contributions is well put by Paley (Hor. Paul. vii. no. 1).

εἰς λόγον κ.τ.λ.] ‘as regards’; literally ’to the account or score of’; comp. Thuc. iii. 46 ἐς χρημάτων λόγον ἰσχυούσαις, Demosth. F. L. p. 385 εἰς ἀρετῆς λόγον καὶ δόξης ἦν οὗτοι χρημάτων ἀπέδοντο, Polyb. xi. 28. 8 εἰς ἀργυρίου λόγον ἀδικεῖσθαι. In the passages quoted, as here, the original application to a money transaction is kept more or less distinctly in view; but this is not always the case, e.g. Polyb. v. 89. 6 ξύλα εἰς σφηκίσκων λόγον. With the expression here compare Cic. Læi. 16 ‘ratio acceptorum et datorum.’ δόσεως καὶ λήμψεως] ‘giving and taking,’ ‘credit and debit,’ a general expression for pecuniary transactions, derived from the two sides of the ledger: see Ecclus. xlii. 7 καὶ δόσις καὶ λήμψις παντὶ ἐν γραφῇ, xli. 19 ἀπὸ σκορακισμοῦ λήμψεως καὶ δόσεως, Arrian. Epict. ii. 9 τὸν φιλάργυρον [ἐπαύξουσιν] αἱ ἀκατάλληλοι λήψεις καὶ δόσεις, Hermas Mand. v. 2 περὶ δόσεως ἢ λήψεως ἢ περὶ τοιούτων μωρῶν πραγμάτων. The phrase refers solely to the passing of money between the two. The explanation given by St Chrysostom and followed by many later writers, εἰς λόγον δόσεως τῶν σαρκικῶν καὶ λήψεως τῶν πνευματικῶν (the Philippians paying worldly goods and receiving spiritual), is plainly inappropriate; for the intermingling of different things destroys the whole force of the clause εἰς λόγον δόσεως καὶ λήμψεως, which is added to define the kind of contributions intended.

εἰ μὴ ὑμεῖς μόνοι] So, speaking of this same period, he asks the Corinthians whether he did them a wrong in taking no contributions from them and preaching the Gospel to them gratuitously (2 Cor. xi. 7). The limitation ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου perhaps

Philippians 4:16-19

εἰ μὴ ὑμεῖς μόνοι, ¹⁶ὅτι καὶ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς [εἰς] τὴν χρείαν μοι ἐπέμψατε. ¹⁷οὐχ ὅτι ἐπιζητῶ τὸ δόμα, ἀλλὰ ἐπιζητῶ τὸν καρπὸν τὸν πλεονάζοντα εἰς λόγον ὑμῶν. ¹⁸ἀπέχω δὲ πάντα καὶ περισσεύω, πεπλήρωμαι δεξάμενος παρὰ Ἐπαφροδίτου τὰ παρ’ ὑμῶν, ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας, θυσίαν δεκτὴν εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ. ¹⁹ὁ δὲ Θεός μου πληρώσει πᾶσαν χρείαν ὑμῶν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος αὐτοῦ ἐν δόξῃ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. implies that he relaxed his rule later, when he became better known and

understood.

16. ὅτι καὶ κ.τ.λ.] ‘for not only did you contribute to my wants after my departure from Macedonia, but also in Thessalonica, before I left etc.’ So St Paul himself reminds the Thessalonians (1 Thess. ii. 5, 2 Thess. iii. 8) that he did not burden them at all.

At the same time it appears from those passages, that his bodily wants were supplied mainly by the labours of his own hands. Thus it would seem that the gifts of the Philippians were only occasional, and the same may be gathered from the words καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ dis here. On the abbreviated expression ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ‘when I was in

Thessalonica’ see Winer § 1. p. 515;

comp. below, ver. 19.

καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς] ‘more than once’:

comp. 1 Thess. ii. 18. The double καὶ is common in such cases, e.g. καὶ δίς καὶ τρίς, Plat. Phæd. p. 63 D.

εἰς τὴν χρείαν] ’to relieve my want,’ the preposition indicating the object; see Winer § xlix. p. 495. The omission of εἰς in some old copies is probably due to the similar ending of the preceding word. Otherwise the reading might claim to be adopted, though in this sense the plural τὰς χρείας would be more natural.

17. Again the Apostle’s nervous anxiety to clear himself interposes.

By thus enlarging on the past liberality of the Philippians, he might be thought to covet their gifts. This possible misapprehension he at once corrects.

οὐχ ὅτι ἐπιζητῶ] For οὐχ ὅτι see

the notes on ver. 11 and on iii. 12;

for the indirectly intensive force of the preposition in ἐπιζητῶ, the note on ἐπιποθῶ i. 8. The repetition of ἐπιζητῶ is emphatic; ‘I do not want the gift, I do want the fruit etc.’

Compare the repetition of παρακαλῶ ver. 2, and of οἶδα ver. 12.

τὸν καρπὸν κ.τ.λ.] ‘i.e. the recom-

pense which is placed to your account and increases with each fresh demonstration of your love.’

18. ἀπέχω κ.τ.λ.] ‘I have all things to the full,’ as Matt. vi. 2, 5, 16, Luke vi. 24. For the phrase ἀπ-

έχειν πάντα compare Arrian. Epict. iii. 2. 13 ἀπέχεις ἅπαντα, iii. 24. 17 τὸ γὰρ eὐδαιμονοῦν ἀπέχειν δεῖ πάντα ἃ θέλει πεπληρωμένῳ τινι ἐοικέναι: comp. Diog. Laert. vii. 100 καλὸν δὲ λέγουσι τὸ tέλειον ἀγαθὸν παρὰ τὸ πάντας ἀπέχειν tοὺς ἐπιζητουμένους ἀριθμοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς

φύσεως κ.τ.λ. See also Gataker on

M. Anton. iv. 49. Like αὐτάρκεια, it seems to have been a favourite Stoic word: see the note on ver. 11. As in ἀπολαμβάνειν (see Gal. iv. 5), the idea of ἀπό in this compound is correspondence i.e. of the contents to the capacity, of the possession to the desire, etc., so that it denotes the full complement.

The following word περισσεύω expresses an advance on ἀπέχω; ’not only full, but overflowing.’

Philippians 4:20-23

²⁰ τῷ δὲ Θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ ἡμῶν ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων, ἀμήν.

²¹ Ἀσπάσασθε πάντα ἅγιον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί. ²² ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι, μάλιστα δὲ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας.

²³ Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν. [ἀμήν.]

παρὰ Ἐπαφροδίτου κ.τ.λ.] ‘at the hands of Epaphroditus the gifts transmitted from you.’ On the preposition παρὰ see the note Gal. i. 12.

ὀσμήν εὐωδίας] A very frequent expression in the LXX for the smell of sacrifices and offerings, being a rendering of ריח ניח (e.g. Gen. viii. 21, Exod. xxix. 18, etc.). St Paul employs it as a metaphor likewise in Ephes. v. 2; comp. 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16. So too Test. xii Patr. Ievi 3 προσφέρουσι Κυρίῳ ὀσμήν εὐωδίας λογικὴν καὶ θυσίαν ἀναίμακτον.

θυσίαν δεκτὴν κ.τ.λ.] So Rom. xii. 1 παραστῆσαι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν θυσίαν ζώσαν ἅγιαν εὐάρεστον τῷ Θεῷ κ.τ.λ. comp. 1 Pet. ii. 5, Heb. xiii. 16. The expression εὐάρεστος τῷ Θεῷ occurs Wisd. iv. 10 (comp. Clem. Rom. 49, Ign. Smyrn. 8), and εὐαρεστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ is common in the LXX.

19. ὁ Θεός μου] ‘my God’: comp. i. 3. The pronoun is especially expressive here: ‘You have supplied all my wants (vv. 16, 18), God on my behalf shall supply all yours.’ ἐν δόξῃ] These words show that the needs here contemplated are not merely temporary. Πληρώσει ἐν δόξῃ seems to be a pregnant phrase, signifying ‘shall supply by placing you in glory’; comp. ver. 16 ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ. This is still further explained by ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ’through your union with, incorporation in, Christ Jesus.’

20. ἡ δόξα. See the notes Gal. i. 5.

ἡμῶν] It is no longer μου, for the reference is not now to himself as distinguished from the Philippians, but as united with them.

21. ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ] probably to be taken with ἀσπάσασθε; comp. Rom. xvi. 22, 1 Cor. xvi. 19.

οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀδελφοί] Apparently the Apostle’s personal companions and fellow-travellers are meant, as distinguished from the Christians resident in Rome who are described in the following verse: see the note on Gal. i. 2. On St Paul’s companions during or about this time see the introduction p. 11.

22. πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι] All the Christians in Rome, not his personal attendants only.

οἱ ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας] ‘The members of Cæsar’s household,’ probably slaves and freedmen attached to the palace: see the detached note p. 171, and the introduction pp. 14, 19. The expression οἰκία Καίσαρος corresponds to ‘familia’ or ‘domus Cæsaris’ (Tac. Hist. ii. 92) and might include equally the highest functionaries and the lowest menials. Compare Philo Flacc. p. 522 μ εἰ δὴ μὴ βασιλεὺς ἦν ἀλλὰ τις τῶν ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας, οὐκ ὤφειλε προνομίαν τινὰ καὶ τιμὴν ἔχειν; Hippol. Hier. ix. 12 οἰκέτης ἐτύγχανε Καρποφόρου τινὸς ἀνδρὸς πιστοῦ ὄντος ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας. See St Clement of Rome, Appendix, p. 256 sq.