Philippians 1:17

Php 1:17. Ἐξ ἀγάπης, from love) towards Christ and me.—εἰδότες, knowing) An antithesis to thinking.—εἰς ἀπολογίαν, for the defence) not on my own account.—κεῖμαι, I am laid, set) in one place. Lying [laid aside in imprisonment], or running, Paul still made advancement, 2Ti 2:9. He abode at Rome, as an ambassador does in any place on account of a somewhat lengthened negotiation.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Phi 1:17 . ἐξ ἐριθείας . Here virtually = “selfishness” (rather than “factiousness”). Originally, the character of a worker for pay. Now that which degraded the hired worker, in the estimation of antiquity, was his labouring wholly for his own interests, while it was a sign of the noble to devote himself to the common weal. This sense suits all N.T. passages (Rom 2:8 , 2Co 12:20 , Gal 5:20 , Jas 3:14 ; Jas 3:16 ). See Hpt [37] ’s valuable note from which the above is condensed. τὸν Χ . It is hard to say whether τόν ought to be retained. It would easily be accounted for as an assimilation to τὸν Χ . in Phi 1:15 . καταγγ . A distinction has been drawn between καταγγ . as confined to those sent by Christ and κηρύσς . as applying to all preachers, including our Lord Himself. Probably they are quite synonymous here. Cf. an excellent note in Westcott (on 1Jn 1:5 ) on the special signification of καταγγ . among compounds of ἀγγέλλω = “proclaim with authority, as commissioned to spread the tidings throughout those who hear them”. οὐχ ἁγν . “With mixed motives.” Cf. Pind., Ol. , iii., 37, μεγάλων ἀέθλων ἁγνὰν κρίσιν (quoted by Alf [38] ). οἰόμενοι . “Purposing.” So frequently in later Greek. Schmid ( Atticismus , i., 128) quotes from Dio Chrys., Aristides and Philostratus. Cf. Phryn. (ed. Lobeck), 190, βιβλίον … ὅπερ οἴεται δηλοῦν . There is a sharp contrast between εἰδότες in Phi 1:16 and οἰόμενοι here. θλίψιν ἐγείρειν τ . δεσμ . μ . The balance of authority is in favour of ἐγείρειν . ἐπιφέρειν is probably an ancient gloss, which may have crept into some text from the margin. The phrase apparently means “to stir up vexation for me in my imprisonment”. They attributed their own jealous feelings to the Apostle, and could not conceive a greater worry to him than that he should hear of their success in preaching.

[37] Haupt.

[38] Alford’s Greek Testament .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 17. The other of love] Through a sincere desire, not only to make known the way of salvation to the people, but also to vindicate and help the apostle, because they considered him as appointed by God to preach and defend the Gospel. The 16th and 17th verses are transposed by ABDEFG, and several others; the Syriac, Arabic of Erpen, Coptic, Sahidic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fathers. On this evidence Griesbach transposed them in his edition.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17 That for the defense. Those who truly loved Christ reckoned that it would be a disgrace to them if they did not associate themselves with Paul as his companions, when maintaining the cause of the gospel; and we must act in such a manner, as to give a helping hand, as far as possible, to the servants of Christ when in difficulty. Observe, again, this expression — for the defense of the gospel For since Christ confers upon us so great an honor, what excuse shall we have, if we shall be traitors to his cause, or what may we expect, if we betray it by our silence, but that he shall in return desert our cause, who is our sole Advocate, or Patron, with the Father? (1 John 2:1.)

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

17. I am set] Lit., “I lie.” But the A.V. and R.V. are right. See the same verb clearly in the same sense, Luk_2:34; 1Th_3:3. The thought is as of a soldier posted, a line of defence laid down. Still, there may be also an allusion in the word, used in this context, to the fact of his literal fixture in one spot.

defence] Lit., “apology,” apologia; vindication. See on Php_1:7 above.—Perhaps the point of the word here is that the loyal Christians recognized in their freedom a call to move about as active evangelists; in St Paul’s captivity, a call to him rather to clear up the difficulties and develope the intelligent faith of enquirers brought in by them. The “men of faction” might affect to see in St Paul’s chain a sign of Divine prohibition and displeasure; the “men of love” would recognize in it a sign of designation to a special and noble work.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But the other of love,.... Those that were truly brethren in the Lord, who had received the grace of God in truth, to whom the Gospel was come in power, and who had a spiritual and experimental knowledge of Christ, and of the mysteries of his grace; these preached Christ of love, "out of the love of him", as the Ethiopic version reads; that is, out of love to Christ, who to them was exceeding precious, altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousands, and their hearts being hot and burning with love to him, they therefore spoke of him with their tongues; and out of love to the Gospel of Christ, which with them was the pearl of great price, and every truth of it more valuable than gold, silver, and precious stones; and out of love to the church of Christ and the members of it, that their souls might be fed and nourished with the wholesome words of Christ, might be comforted with the doctrines of grace, and be established and built up in their most holy faith; and out of love to the souls of others, knowing their miserable estate by nature, and the danger they were in, and therefore preached Christ as the only way of salvation, whereby they could escape the wrath to come; and out of love to the apostle likewise, which the following clause shows,

knowing that I am set for the defence of the Gospel; meaning either that they knew he was a chosen vessel, to bear the name of Christ, and preach his Gospel in the world; that he was ordained and appointed a minister of it before the world was; separated to it from his mother's womb, and was called unto, and sent to preach it by Christ, and was set apart for it by the church; and was in a very eminent manner qualified to defend it, by preaching, disputing, writing, and suffering: or that they knew that he was laid, or lay, as the words may rendered, in prison, for defending the Gospel of Christ; yea, they knew that his lying in prison was in defence of the Gospel; and therefore, out of love to him, they joined issue with him to defend the Gospel; as he by suffering for it, so they by preaching it, which they knew full well would be matter of great joy to him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

Ver. 17. Knowing that I am set] κειμαι, or, laid by the heels. They of love help out at a deadlift, and do my office abroad; as Marulla, a maid of Lemnos, seeing her father slain in the gate, took up his weapons, and not only revenged his death, but helped to keep out the Turks, who hoped to have surprised the city suddenly.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But the other of love - From pure motives, and from sincere affection to me.

Knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel - They believe that I am an ambassador from God. They regard me as unjustly imprisoned, and while I am disabled, they are willing to aid me in the great cause to which my life is devoted. To alleviate his sorrows, and to carry forward the great cause to defend which he was particularly appointed, they engaged in the work which he could not now do, and went forth to vindicate the gospel, and to make its claims better known. Coverdale renders this: “for they know that I lie here for the defense of the gospel.” So Piscator, Michaelis, and Endius render it: supposing that the meaning is, that he lay in prison for the defense of the gospel, or as a consequence of his efforts to defend it. But this is not in accordance with the usual meaning of the Greek word κεἶμαι keimai. It means to lie, and, in the perfect passive, to be laid, set, placed. If the apostle had referred to his being in prison, he would have added that fact to the statement made. The sense is, that he was appointed to be a defender of the gospel, and that they being well convinced of this, went forth to promulgate and defend the truth. That fact was one of Paul’s chief consolations while he was thus in confinement.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then intimating the genuine principle and good end of the better sort, who were moved from a prevailing affection to God, the edification and salvation of souls; cordially joining with Paul in carrying on the same design that he did, who was appointed of God, Act 23:11; 1Th 3:3; both by doctrine and obedience, active and passive, to defend the gospel, unto which he was admirably called to be a minister, yea, and here a patron, Rom 1:1; Eph 3:7 with 1Co 1:1; and, as it were, to tread the devil under foot (as Tertullian speaks) in his own house. Intimating from all this, that however the former did with an ill mind, in man’s judgment, as circumstances then were with Paul, (some of which we are ignorant of), the latter with a pious desire, preach the gospel; yet the event proved, by the good hand of God, beneficial to promote the gospel: and so it may happen still, when some false brethren, moved by blind ambition and intemperate zeal, may snatch a weapon out of the gospel to vex good and godly pastors in their promulgation of it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

But the others out of love - To Christ and me. Knowing - Not barely, supposing. That I am set - Literally, I lie; yet still going forward in his work. He remained at Rome as an ambassador in a place where he is employed on an important embassy.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

17. The other of love. These are the true and earnest preachers. They knew that Paul was not sent to Rome because he was an evil doer, but because he was set for the defense of the gospel. God had sent him there to preach it.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

17. ἐξ ἐριθείας. “Prompted by faction, partizanship.” On the spelling ἐριθίας see Westcott and Hort, N. T. in Greek, II. Appendix, p. 153.—Ἐριθεία (cp. for this meaning Rom 2:8; 2Co 12:20; Gal 5:20; below, Php 2:3; Jas 3:14; Jas 3:16) is the work of an ἔρῖθος, a day-labourer; so, any work of a “sordid” kind; so, in politics, the trade of a hired canvasser, or the like; and so finally, partizan-work in general, and its spirit. Liddell and Scott call the alleged connexion of the word with ἔριον, “accidental.”

It has been suggested to render οἱ ἐξ ἀγάπης … οἱ ἐξ ἑριθείας, “the men of (i.e. siding with) love; the men of (i.e. siding with) faction.” But this strains the construction, certainly of Php 1:16, and it is needless.

τὸν Χριστὸν καταγγέλλουσιν. “Are proclaiming the Christ.” Καταγγέλλω (rare in classical Greek, where it sometimes means “to de-nounce”; nowhere in Greek O. T., except two places in Apocrypha) is to announce tidings with emphasis, or publicity.—It is a sorrowful paradox, but abundantly illustrated, that the true CHRIST could be emphatically and in a sense earnestly proclaimed with a wrong motive, οὐχ ἁγνῶς.

οἰόμενοι. The word seems to suggest, with a sort of gentle irony, that this “thought” was wide of the fact.

θλίψιν ἐγείρειν τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου. Lightfoot suggests the paraphrase “to make my chains gall me.” But the physical reference of θλίψις (not so of θλίβειν) is extremely rare, and in Biblical Greek otherwise unknown; and the phrase seems forced and unlikely. The R.V. paraphrases well, “Thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.” So Alford. Vulgate, pressuram (a word familiar for “trouble”) suscitare. These Anti-Paulines would “raise up trouble” for him, so they “thought,” by preventing the access of enquirers or converts to the imprisoned Apostle; a severe test to his faith and patience.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17.] The two classes of οἱ μέν, οἱ δέ, answering to hi and illi, take up again those of the preceding verse, the last being treated first. These last indeed (preach Christ: omitted, as having just occurred: see below) out of (induced by, reff.) love (this arrangement is better than with Mey., De W., and Ellic. to take οἱ ἐξ ἀγάπης and οἱ ἐξ ἐριθ. as generic descriptions, as in Rom 2:8, of the two classes: for in that case the words τὸν χρ. καταγγέλλουσιν would hardly be expressed in ver. 17, whereas in our rendering they come in naturally, ἐξ ἐριθείας being emphatically prefixed), knowing (motive of their conduct) that I am set (not ‘lie in prison:’ see reff.:—‘am appointed by God’) for the defence (as in ver. 7: hardly as Chrys., τουτέστι, τὰς εὐθύνας μοι ὑποτέμνοντες τὰς πρὸς τὸν θεόν,—helping me in the solemn matter of my account of my ministry to God) of the Gospel:

17.] but the former out of self-seeking (or ‘intrigue’ (Conyb.): not ‘contention,’ as E. V., which has arisen from a mistake as to the derivation of the word, see note, Rom 2:8) proclaim Christ insincerely (so Cic. pro leg. Manil. 1, ‘in privatorum periculis caste integreque versatus,’—μεγάλων ἀέθλων ἁγνὰν κρίσιν, Pind. Ol. iii. 37), thinking (explains οὐχ ἁγνῶς;—‘in that they think.’ In the οἰόμενοι is involved, ‘they do not succeed in their purpose,’ cf. ref. 1 Macc.) to raise up tribulation for (me in) my bonds (i.e. endeavouring to take opportunity, by my being laid aside, to depreciate me and my preaching, and so to cause me trouble of spirit. The meaning given by Chrys., al., ‘to excite the hatred of his persecutors and so render his condition worse, whether by the complaints of the Jews or otherwise,’—seems to me quite beside the purpose. It surely could not, from any circumstances to us unknown (Calvin’s excuse, adopted by Ellic., for the objective view of θλίψις), make his imprisonment more severe, that some were preaching Christ from wrong motives).

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. ἐριθίας: Not from ἔρις, but ἔριθος, ‘a hired servant.’ Hence ἐριθία is, primarily, ‘labor for hire’ (see Tob. 2:11), and is applied to those who serve in official positions for their own selfish purposes, and, to that end, promote party-spirit or faction. Render, ‘faction.’

καταγγέλλουσιν: Substantially the same as κηρύσσουσιν, though among the compounds of ἀγγέλλειν it signifies ‘to proclaim with authority,’ with the additional idea of celebrating or commending. Only in Paul and Acts.

οὐχ ἁγνῶς: ‘Not purely’ or with unmixed motives, summing up all that is included in διὰ φθόν. καὶ ἔρ., διʼ ἐριθ., and οἰόμ. θλίψιν ἐγ.

The οὐχ ἁγνῶς and τὸν Χτὸν are suggestively in juxtaposition. (See on 4:8.)

οἰόμενοι: Only here in Paul, and only twice besides in N.T. (See LXX, Job 11:2; Job_1 Macc. 5:61; 2 Macc. 5:21, 7:24.) It denotes, in class. Gk., a belief or judgment based principally upon one’s own feelings, or the peculiar relations of outward circumstances to himself. In its radical sense it implies the supposition of something future and doubtful. In Attic Gk., an opinion with a collateral notion of wrong judgment or conceit (so in the citations from LXX, above). The knowledge of Paul’s mission by his friends (εἰδότες) is offset by the malicious imagining (οἰόμενοι) of his enemies.

θλίψιν ἐγείρειν: ‘to raise up affliction.’

TR επιφερειν with DKL.

The phrase is unique in N.T., but a similar usage is found in LXX; Pro 10:12, Pro 10:15:1, Pro 10:17:11; Sir. 33:7. The meaning is not that they deliberately set themselves to aggravate Paul’s sufferings, but that their malice was gratified by the annoyance which their efforts to promote their own partisan ends caused him.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I am set [κειμαι] . Or appointed. See on Luk 2:34. Compare 1Th 3:3. Some, instead of rendering the one (or some) preach Christ of contention - but the other of love, join oiJ men some, oiJ de others, in each instance with the succeeding word, making one phrase, thus : " they who are of love do so knowing that I am set, etc. : they who are of faction proclaim Christ not sincerely, etc. The phrase those who are of faction occurs Rom 2:8; and a similar phrase, him who is of faith, Rom 3:26. There seems no sufficient reason for altering A. V. and Rev.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.