Philippians 2:18

Php 2:18. Συγχαίρετε μοι) rejoice with me, congratulate me, on being poured out as a libation.

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

Php_2:18. And upon the same (upon my possibly occurring σπένδεσθαι ἐπὶ τ. θυσ. κ.τ.λ., Php_2:17) rejoice ye also (because it takes place for the sake of your faith), and congratulate me thereon (on such a sacred destination). The verbs are imperatives. Postulat enim Paulus parem συμπάθειαν a Philipp., Beza. The ground of the χαίρετε may not be arbitrarily introduced (Hofmann: whatever untowardness may occur), but must by logical necessity be the same which, in Php_2:17, suggested the συγχαίρω ὑμῖν; and that of the συγχαίρετέ μοι must be the same as caused Paul to say χαίρω in Php_2:17.[135] The expositors, who do not take ΣΥΓΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ as gratulari, are here placed in the awkward position of making the apostle summon his readers to a joy which, according to Php_2:17, they would already possess. By this impossibility Weiss, in spite of the τὸ αὐτό, allows himself to be driven into taking the joy in Php_2:18, not as in Php_2:17, but (comp. also Hofmann) quite generally, of a joyful frame of mind.

τὸ αὐτό] in the same (on the accusative, comp. Mat_2:10) rejoice ye also; see also on Php_1:25. Hence it is not to be taken as equivalent to ὡσαύτως (Beza, Storr, Flatt, Heinrichs, Rheinwald, Rilliet, de Wette, Wiesinger, Weiss, Hofmann) (comp. on Php_1:6), in order thereby to avoid identifying it with the joy mentioned in Php_2:17. As to ΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ with the accusative in classical authors, see generally Lobeck, ad Aj. 131; Kühner, II. 1, p. 255 f.

[135] The difficulty which van Hengel (comp. Hofmann) urges, that the readers vix aut ne vix quidem induci potuerunt de hujus viri morte violenta gaudentes vel gavisuri, entirely mistakes the lofty standpoint of the apostle, who looks death in the face with a holy joy (comp. the frequent corresponding sentiments in the epistles of Ignatius), and also attributes to his readers a corresponding mode of looking at the possibility of his death.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Phi 2:18 . τὸ δʼ αὐτό . Adverbial use = ὡσαύτως . Cf. Mat 27:44 . συγχαίρ . This is, of course, a different joy from that which he shares with them. It is their joy in his obtaining the martyr’s crown.

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

"Do ye also rejoice" at this honor to you, "and congratulate me" on my blessed "gain" (Phi 1:21).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 18. For the same cause also do ye joy] Should I be thus offered, as I shall rejoice in it, do ye also rejoice that I am counted worthy of this high honour.

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

18 Rejoice ye. By the alacrity which he thus discovers, he encourages the Philippians, and enkindles in them a desire to meet death with firmness, inasmuch as believers suffer no harm from it. For he has formerly taught them that death would be gain to himself, (Philippians 1:21;) here, on the other hand, he is chiefly concerned that his death may not disconcert the Philippians. He, accordingly, declares that it is no ground of sorrow; nay, that they have occasion of joy, inasmuch as they will find it to be productive of advantage. For, although it was in itself a serious loss to be deprived of such a teacher, it was no slight compensation that the gospel was confirmed by his blood. In the mean time, he lets them know that to himself personally death would be matter of joy. The rendering of Erasmus, taking it in the present tense, Ye rejoice, is altogether unsuitable.

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.

(18) Do ye joy . . .—The Epistle lays great stress on joy, not only as a privilege, but as a duty, following from Christian faith and proving its reality. Joy is in itself natural in the first thoughts of childhood and youth; it is apt to be chequered or even destroyed by the second thoughts of fuller experience of life, as darkened by suffering, sin, and death; but in the third and deepest thoughts of the Christian, recognising these darker elements of life, but knowing that they were not in the beginning, and shall not be in the end, joy comes back, solemnised but deepened into thankfulness. A Christianity which has no power to rejoice, either in flashes of joy amidst tribulation, or, better still, in the calm steady light of cheerfulness, may be true, but is imperfect. It has not yet entered into the promise given by our Lord Himself of the “joy which no man taketh from us” (Joh_16:22).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. For the same cause] Better, with R.V., In the same manner. The same phrase occurs Mat_27:44.

do ye joy &c.] A loving imperative. He bids them be glad, and share their joy with him as he with them. It is an emphatic reiteration of what he has implied in the words just above, that his death would be their joy, as being, if the Lord so willed, their spiritual blessing.

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.

For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. He would not have them be sorrowful, should they hear of his death for the sake of the Gospel, and of his blood being poured out in such a cause, since it was as a libation on their faith, and for the confirmation of it, and would be gain to Christ, and his interest, and to the apostle also: and therefore they should be so far from indulging grief and sorrow on that account, that they should rather joy and rejoice with him, who was ready to be offered up, or poured out; since he had run out his race, and that not in vain, but to so good a purpose, and especially among them.

For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. He would not have them be sorrowful, should they hear of his death for the sake of the Gospel, and of his blood being poured out in such a cause, since it was as a libation on their faith, and for the confirmation of it, and would be gain to Christ, and his interest, and to the apostle also: and therefore they should be so far from indulging grief and sorrow on that account, that they should rather joy and rejoice with him, who was ready to be offered up, or poured out; since he had run out his race, and that not in vain, but to so good a purpose, and especially among them.

Philippians 2:19

phi 2:19

phi 2:19

phi 2:19But I trust in the Lord Jesus,.... Or "hope"; not in himself, his wisdom, will, resolutions, and purposes; nor in an arm of flesh, in any human aid and power; nor in princes, nor in Nero, the Roman emperor, as expecting a release from bonds by him, when he could the more easily part with Timothy; but in the Lord Jesus, in the Lord whom every tongue shall confess to be so; and in that Jesus, in whose name every knee shall bow; who is King of kings, and Lord of lords, and the only Saviour and Deliverer of his people; who has the hearts of all men in his hands, and all power in heaven and in earth: he hoped and trusted, that through the goodness and power of Christ, opening a way for him, he should be able

to send Timotheus shortly unto you; one that had known the Scriptures from his youth, and was very early converted to the Christian faith, was an eminent preacher of the Gospel, and well known to the Philippians. The apostle hoped to send him to them "shortly", in a very little time; this he said in order to encourage them, and thereby suggesting, that he thought his own deliverance was at hand: this hope did not arise from a sure and certain persuasion of the thing, but from love to these saints; he had a very great affection for them; he knew that a Gospel minister, and particularly Timothy, would be of great comfort and service to them; wherefore, from that love which hopes all things, he hoped he should, in a short time, be able to serve them in love that way: the end he proposed in it is next expressed,

that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state; not their worldly estate, their secular affairs, and whether they prospered in their trades and business, and increased in riches; nor their corporeal estate, or state of health, and whether they prospered in their bodies, not but that the knowledge of each of these would be welcome to the apostle; nor everyone's personal spiritual estate, what was the particular case and state of each member; for though it is the business of a pastor of a church to look diligently to the state of his flock, and learn the case of every particular member, the apostle could not be thought to come at such an exact knowledge of things, who had the care of all the churches upon him; but their ecclesiastical state, their church state in general; how the Gospel stood with them, and they in that; whether they held it fast, and strove for it, and what ground the false teachers got among them; how the ordinances of the Gospel were regarded and attended on by them; with what life and light, and liberty and zeal, their ministers preached the word; and what success they had to the conversion of sinners, and comfort of saints; and how they behaved towards them, in honouring, obeying, and submitting to them, and esteeming them highly for their works' sake; what an increase of gifts, grace, and numbers there was among them; and what harmony, love, peace, and concord subsisted between them; and what afflictions and persecutions they endured for the sake of Christ; and with what patience, faith, and cheerfulness they bore them. By the return of Timothy he hoped to have knowledge of these things, that so he might "also be of good comfort"; as they would be by the coming of Timothy to them, by his preaching among them, and relating to them the case and circumstances of the apostle, how cheerful he was under his afflictions, and of what use they were to the cause of Christ. The comfort and pleasure of Gospel ministers lie in the good of the churches of Christ; it puts them in good heart and soul, as the word here used signifies, when they hear of their steadfastness in the faith of Christ, of their love to one another, and all the saints, and of their patience under sufferings.

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

18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

Ver. 18. For the same cause also, &c.] The hearers’ affections and endeavours should exactly answer to the affections and endeavours of the preacher, as the elders of Ephesus did, Act 20:31; Act 20:37; and as those religious Romans did, Rom 6:17, and these Philippians, 2Co 8:5.

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.

For the same cause - Because we are united, and what affects one of us should affect both.

Do ye joy, and rejoice with me - That is, “do not grieve at my death. Be not overwhelmed with sorrow, but let your hearts be filled with congratulation. It will be a privilege and a pleasure thus to die.” This is a noble sentiment, and one that could have been uttered only by a heroic and generous mind - by a man who will not dread death, and who felt that it was honorable thus to die Doddridge has illustrated the sentiment by an appropriate reference to a fact stated by Plutarch. A brave Athenian returned from the battle of Marathon, bleeding with wounds and exhausted, and rushed into the presence of the magistrates, and uttered only these two words - χαιρετε chairete, χαιρομεν chairomen - “rejoice, we rejoice,” and immediately expired. So Paul felt that there was occasion for him, and for all whom he loved, to rejoice, if he was permitted to die in the cause of others, and in such a manner that his death would benefit the world.

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

For the same cause also do ye joy; he expects the like affection and sympathy in every one of them, that upon the account of his sufferings they would the more readily, cheerfully, and courageously believe in and suffer for Christ: considering the difference between death threatened by man, for our sticking close to God, Mat 10:28, and denounced for slipping aside from God, in whole or in part, 2Th 1:5.

And rejoice with me; and that would be a congratulation of him, who should account their being established in the faith with mutual love and unity, a fulfilling of his faith, as before, Phi 2:2.

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

18. Do ye joy—Such a death he anticipates with holy joy, and he would have them look at it for him with a like spirit, even counting it an honour that his blood accompanies the offering of their faith.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me; or, as R.V, in the m anner. Their joy is to be like his, to mingle with his joy. The second clause may be rendered, as in Ver. 17, "and congratulate me."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Congratulate me - When I am offered up.

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

18. Rejoice with me. Like me, rejoice in the prospect of death, if thereby Christ may be glorified.

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.

18. τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ. “In the same manner” (R.V.). So Mat 27:44, τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ οἱ λῃσταὶ … ὠνείδιζον αὐτόν. “The accusative [τὸ αὐτό] defines rather the character than the object of the action” (Lightfoot).

χαίρετε καὶ συνχαίρετέ μοι. Gaudete et congratulamini mihi, Vulg. The Greek leaves us free to explain it as either imperative (as Vulg.) or indicative. If the latter is chosen, it is little else than the imperative in disguise; he assumes their joy and congratulation in order to enjoin it. Lightfoot quotes from Plutarch (Mor. p. 347 c) the χαίρετε καὶ χαίρομεν of the messenger from Marathon; the χαίρετε there is probably indicative.

He bids them share his martyr-joy, as partners of the martyr-spirit.

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.

18.] These verses are closely connected with the preceding; not, as De W., al., with ch. 1:26, which is most unnatural, and never would occur to any reader. The connexion is this: in ver. 16 he had tacitly assumed (εἰς ἡμ. χ.) that he should live to witness their blameless conduct even till the day of Christ. Now, he puts the other alternative—that the dangers which surrounded him would result in his death:—and in that case equally he rejoiced, &c.

εἰ καί implies more probability than καὶ εἰ: in the former the case is presupposed, in the latter merely hypothesized. Klotz in Devar. p. 519 f., gives two examples from Xen.’s Anabasis: (1) ὁδοποιήσειέ γʼ ἂν αὐτοῖς, καὶ εἰ σὺν τεθρίπποις βούλοιντο ἀπιέναι (iii. 2. 24), a supposition evidently thought improbable: (2) ἐγώ, ὦ Κλέανδρε, εἰ καὶ οἴει με ἀδικοῦντά τι ἄγεσθαι (vi. 4. 27), where as evidently the speaker believes that Cleander does entertain the thought. The difference is explained by the common rules of emphasis. In εἰ καί, the stress is on εἰ, which is simply ‘posito,’ and the ‘even’ belongs to that which is assumed: in καὶ εἰ, the stress is on καί, even, and the strangeness belongs not to the thing simply assumed, but to the making of the assumption. In the present case then, the Apostle seems rather to believe the supposition which he makes.

σπένδομαι] not future, but present; If I am even being poured out, because the danger was besetting him now, and waxing onward to its accomplishment. He uses the word literally, with reference to the shedding of his blood. “He represents his whole apostolic work for the faith of the Philippians, as a sacrifice: if he is put to death in the course of it, he will be, by the shedding of his blood, poured out as a libation upon this sacrifice, as among the Jews (Num 28:7; Num 15:4 ff. Jos. Antt. iii. 9. 4. Winer, Realw., s. v. Trankopfer) and heathens, in their sacrifices, libations of wine were usual, which were poured over the offerings (Hom. Il. λ. 775, σπένδων αἴθοπα οἶνον ἐπʼ αἰθομένοις ἱεροῖσιν: cf. also Herod., ii. 39).” Meyer.

Wetst., al., would render it ‘affundor’ (κατασπένδομαι), and understand it of the pouring of wine over a live victim destined for sacrifice—but wrongly.

The θυσία is the sacrifice: i.e. the deed of sacrifice, not the victim, the thing sacrificed. λειτουργία, priest’s ministration, without another article, signifying therefore the same course of action as that indicated by θυσία, viz. his apostolic labours: see below.

τῆς πίστεως ὑμ., gen. objective; your faith is the sacrifice, which I, as a priest, offer to God. The image is precisely as in Rom 15:16, where he is the priest, offering up the Gentiles to God. And the case which he puts is, that he, the priest, should have his own blood poured out at, upon (i.e. in accession to: not locally “upon:” for it was not so among the Jews, see Ellic. here), his sacrificing and presentation to God of their faith.

χαίρω] not to be joined with ἐπί, as Chrys., but absolute, I rejoice for myself (οὐχ ὡς ἀποθανούμενος λυποῦμαι ἀλλὰ χαίρω, ὅτι σπονδὴ γίνομαι, Thl.) and congratulate you (so the Vulg. rightly, and all.: not, ‘rejoice with you,’ as most Commentators (even Ellic.). Meyer well observes that the following verse is decisive against this: for if they rejoiced already, what need of καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε?—congratulate you, viz. on the fact that I have been thus poured out for your faith, which would be an honour and a boast for you. De W.’s objection, after Van Hengel, that to congratulate would be συγχαίρομαι is futile: cf. Æschin. p. 34, τὴν Ἑστίαν ἐπώμοσε τὴν βουλαίαν συγχαίρειν τῇ πόλει ὅτι τοιούτους ἄνδρας ἐπὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἐξέπεμψεν:—Demosth. p. 194,—Ῥοδίοις … συγχαίρω τῶν γεγενημένων):

18.] and (‘but’ would be too strong: the contrast is only in the reciprocity) on the same account (accusative of reference, governed by χαίρ.) do ye (imperative, not indicative, as Erasm., al.) rejoice (answer to συγχαίρω above,—for this your honour) and congratulate me (answer to χαίρω above,—on this my joy).

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

18. τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συνχαίρετέ μοι: ‘for the same reason do ye also joy and rejoice with me.’

τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ: ‘for the same reason’; to wit, the advancement of the work of your salvation. For the grammatical construction, see Win. xxxii. 4 a; and comp. Rom 6:10. The verbs χαίρ. and συνχαίρ. acquire a quasi-transitive force.

Rill., Weiss, Lightf., Weizs., R.V., render ‘in the same manner.’

χαίρετε καὶ συνχαίρετέ μοι: Comp. the striking figure of the Romans forming a chorus and singing a sacrificial hymn round the martyr Ignatius. (Ign. Rom. ii.; see also Trall. i.)

He hopes soon to send Timothy to them.

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