Philippians 1:20 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Philippians 1:20
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
expectation (abstractly or concretely) or confidence · noun — accusative singular feminine
that
ὅτιhoti
G3754
demonstrative · conjunction
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
nothing
οὐδενὶoudeni
G3762
not even one (man · adjective — dative singular neuter
ashamed
αἰσχυνθήσομαιaischunthēsomai
G153
to feel shame (for oneself) · verb — future passive indicative, 1st person singular
but
ἀλλ᾽all᾽
G235
properly · conjunction
with
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
all
πάσῃpasē
G3956
all · adjective — dative singular feminine
boldness
παρρησίᾳparrēsia
G3954
all out-spokenness · noun — dative singular feminine
as
ὡςhōs
G5613
which how · particle
always
πάντοτεpantote
G3842
every when · adverb
now
νῦνnun
G3568
"now" (as adverb of date · adverb
also
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
Christ
ΧριστὸςChristos
G5547
anointed · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
magnified
μεγαλυνθήσεταιmegalunthēsetai
G3170
to make (or declare) great · verb — future passive indicative, 3rd person singular
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
my
μοῦmoû
G3450
of me
body
σώματίsōmati
G4983
the body (as a sound whole) · noun — dative singular neuter
whether
εἴτεeite
G1535
if too · conditional particle
by
διὰdia
G1223
through (in very wide applications · preposition
life
ζωῆςzōēs
G2222
life (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine
or
εἴτεeite
G1535
if too · conditional particle
by
διὰdia
G1223
through (in very wide applications · preposition
death
θανάτου.¶thanatou
G2288
(properly · noun — genitive singular masculine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Isaiah 54:4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of…
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of…
Ephesians 6:19-20 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:12-20
We see here the care the apostle takes to prevent their being offended at his sufferings. He was now a prisoner at Rome; this might be a stumbling-block to those who had received the gospel by his ministry. They might be tempted to think, If this doctrine were indeed of God, God would not suffer one who was so active and instrumental in preaching and propagating it to be thrown by as a despised broken vessel. They might be shy of owning this doctrine, lest they should be involved in the same trouble themselves. Now to take off the offence of the cross, he expounds this dark and hard chapter of his sufferings, and makes it very easy and intelligible, and reconcilable to the wisdom and goodnes…
According to my earnest expectation--The Greek expresses, "expectation with uplifted head (Luk 21:28) and outstretched neck." Rom 8:19 is the only other place in the New Testament that the word occurs. TITTMANN says, in both places it implies not mere expectation, but the anxious desire of an anticipated prosperous issue in afflictive circumstances. The subject of his earnest expectation which follows, answers to "my salvation" (Phi 1:19).
in nothing I shall be ashamed--in nothing have reason to be ashamed of "my work for God, or His work in me" [ALFORD]. Or, "in nothing be disappointed in my hope, but that I may fully obtain it" [ESTIUS]. So "ashamed" is used in Rom 9:33.
all boldness--…
Earnest expectation - He had the most confident expectation that God would stand by him, so that he should be enabled, with the utmost liberty of speech, εν πασῃ παρῥησια, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God; and, should he have the liberty of doing so, he was utterly regardless what the issue might be relative to himself. Whether life or death, was to him perfectly equal, and perfectly indifferent, providing Christ were magnified - his person, nature, doctrine, etc., shown to be, what they really are, most noble, most excellent, most necessary, and most glorious.
The Church Fathers
And if the requirements of Gentile friendships and of kindly offices call you, why not go forth clad in your own armour; (and) all the more, in that (you have to go) to such as are strangers to the faith? so that between the handmaids of God and of the devil there may be a difference; so that you may be an example to them, and they may be edified in you; so that (as the apostle says) "God may be magnified in your body." But magnified He is in the body through modesty: of course, too, through attire suitable to modesty.
"Christ is being magnified in my body, now as always, even when my body, subjected to all punishments, bears them all and preaches Christ unceasingly, not terrified by punishments and not giving way under all the tribulations." He explains the alternatives before him by adding: "Whether by life or by death: If I overcome my trials by endurance, Christ will be proclaimed. Or if I die under my punishments, he will be proclaimed all the more. All will recognize that I was not terrified by punishments or by death. In the gospel I will either live out my life beyond these punishments or bear these punishments right up to death. In any case I will have persevered in the preaching of the gospel."
"According to my earnest expectation and hope," says he, "that in nothing shall I be put to shame." Do you see how great a thing it is to hope in God? Whatever happens, he says, I shall not be put to shame, i.e. they will not obtain the mastery, over me, "but with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body." They forsooth expected to catch Paul in this snare, and to quench the preaching of the Gospel, as though their craftiness were of any power. This then, he says, shall not be so, I shall not now die, but "as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body." How so? Ofttimes have I fallen into dangers, when all men gave us up, and what is more, when I myself did. For "we had the answer of death within ourselves" (2 Cor. i. 9), but from all the Lord delivered me, so now too he shall be magnified in my body. What then? Lest any one should suppose and say, If you die, will He not then be magnified? Yes, he answers, I know He will; for this cause I did not say that my life alone shall magnify him, but my death too. At present he means "by life"; they will not destroy me; even did they so, Christ will even thus be magnified. How so? Through life, because He delivered me, but through my death, because even death itself could not persuade me to deny Him, since He gave me such readiness, and made me stronger than death. On the one hand because He freed me from peril; on the other, because He suffered me not to fear the tyranny of death: thus shall he be magnified through life and death. And this he says, not as though he were about to die, but lest on his death they should be affected as men are apt to be. But that you may know these his words did not point to immediate death, the thought that pained them most, see how he relieves it by almost saying, These things I say, not as one about to die; wherefore he soon after adds, "And having this confidence I know that I shall abide, yea and abide with you all." "In nothing," says he, "shall I be put to shame"; that is, death brings no shame to me, but rather great gain. Why so? Because I am not immortal, but I shall shine more brightly than if I were so, for it is not the same thing for one immortal, and for one who is mortal, to despise death; so that not even instant death is shame to me, yet shall I not die; "in nothing shall I be put to shame," neither in life nor death.…
Dictionary and topics
Atonement, The · Saints glorify God for — Saints glorify God for
Death · .Paul — .Paul
Devotedness To God · Should be: In life and death — Should be: In life and death
Ministers · Should be: Devoted — Should be: Devoted
Resignation · EXEMPLIFIED — EXEMPLIFIED
Tact · .In turning the preaching of his adversaries to advantage — .In turning the preaching of his adversaries to advantage
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Philippians 1:20
According to my earnest expectation and my hope,.... These words are so placed as that they may refer both to what goes before and what follows after; and the sense be either that the apostle had earnest expectation and hope, even a strong confidence of his salvation, or deliverance from his confinement; and also of his having an interest in the prayers of the saints, and that hereby a supply of the Spirit would be given him; for as he knew and was sure that his God would supply the wants of others, he had great reason to believe he would supply his own; and especially since he had been told by Christ that his grace was sufficient for him: or as in connection with what follows; he had a full…
Philippians 1:18-21
18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
18. Quid enim? Caeterum quovis modo, sive per occasionem, sive per veritatem, Christus annuntiatur: atque in hoc gaudeo, quin etiam gaudebo.
19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
19. Novi enim quod hoc mihi cedet in salutem per vestram precationem, et subministrationem Spiritus Iesu Christi,
20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be…
this will lead to my deliverance: Paul expected to be released from prison soon (see 1:25-26; 2:24; contrast 2 Tim 4:6, written from prison at a later time when Paul expected death).
