Philippians 1:23

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γάρ gár	G1063	properly
strait	συνέχομαι sunechomai	G4912	to hold together · verb — present passive indicative, 1st person singular
betwixt	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
two	δύο, duo	G1417	"two" · adjective — numeral, indeclinable
having	ἔχων echōn	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
desire	ἐπιθυμίαν epithumian	G1939	a longing (especially for what is forbidden) · noun — accusative singular feminine
to	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
depart	ἀναλῦσαι analusai	G360	to break up · verb — aorist active infinitive
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
be	εἶναι, einai	G1511	to exist · verb — present active infinitive
with	σὺν sun	G4862	with or together (but much closer than G3326 (μετά) or… · preposition
Christ	Χριστῷ Christō	G5547	anointed · noun — dative singular masculine, a title
is	πολλῷ pollō	G4183	(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — dative singular neuter
far	μᾶλλον mallon	G3123	(adverbially) more (in a greater degree)) or rather · adverb
better	κρεῖσσον· kreisson	G2908	(as noun) better · adjective — nominative singular neuter, comparative

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

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Psalms 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, th…
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for…
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
Revelation 7:14-17 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:21-26

We have here an account of the life and death of blessed Paul: his life was Christ, and his death was gain. Observe, 1. It is the undoubted character of every good Christian that to him to live is Christ. The glory of Christ ought to be the end of our life, the grace of Christ the principle of our life, and the word of Christ the rule of it. The Christian life is derived from Christ, and directed to him. He is the principle, rule, and end of it. 2. All those to whom to live is Christ to them to die will be gain: it is great gain, a present gain, everlasting gain. Death is a great loss to a carnal worldly man; for he loses all his comforts and all his hopes: but to a good Christian it is gain…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Philippians 1:23

For--The oldest manuscripts read, "But." "I know not (Phi 1:22), BUT am in a strait (am perplexed) betwixt the two (namely, 'to live' and 'to die'), having the desire for departing (literally, 'to loose anchor,' Ti2 4:6) and being with Christ; FOR (so the oldest manuscripts) it is by far better"; or as the Greek, more forcibly, "by far the more preferable"; a double comparative. This refutes the notion of the soul being dormant during its separation from the body. It also shows that, while he regarded the Lord's advent as at all times near, yet that his death before it was a very possible contingency. The partial life eternal is in the interval between death and Christ's second advent; the p…

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Adam Clarke on Philippians 1:23

For I am in a strait betwixt two - Viz. the dying now, and being immediately with God; or living longer to preach and spread the Gospel, and thus glorify Christ among men. Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ - Την επιθυμιαν εχων εις το αναλυσαι. It appears to be a metaphor taken from the commander of a vessel, in a foreign port, who feels a strong desire αναλυσαι, to set sail, and get to his own country and family; but this desire is counterbalanced by a conviction that the general interests of the voyage may be best answered by his longer stay in the port where his vessel now rides; for he is not in dock, he is not aground, but rides at anchor in the port, and may any hour weig…

The Church Fathers

What does this departure mean but the dissolution and torpor of the body, while the soul for its part is turned toward its rest and made free, if it be faithful, "to be with Christ"?
— Ambrose of Milan, ON THE BENEFIT OF DEATH 3.8

Impatience is a bad omen for our hope. It puts our faith in doubt. We wound Christ when we do not accept with equanimity his calling people away, treating them as though they were to be pitied. "I long," says the apostle, "to be taken up and be with Christ." How much better is the wish that he expresses!
— Tertullian, ON PATIENCE 9.4-5

You long for the goal, and the stage, and the dust, and the place of combat! I would have you answer me this question: Can we not live without pleasure, who cannot but with pleasure die? For what is our wish but the apostle's, to leave the world, and be taken up into the fellowship of our Lord? You have your joys where you have your longings.
— Tertullian, De Spectaculis

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Death — May be simply defined as the termination of life. It is represented under a variety of aspects in Scripture: (1.) “The dust shall return to the earth as it was” (Eccl. 12:7). (2.) “Thou takest away…
Communion With God · Saints: Desire — Saints: Desire
Death · .Paul — .Paul
Death Of Saints, The · Leads to: Christ’s presence — Leads to: Christ’s presence
Death, Natural · Is described as: Departing — Is described as: Departing
Resignation · EXEMPLIFIED — EXEMPLIFIED
Reward Of Saints, The · Described as: Being with Christ — Described as: Being with Christ

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).

Philippians 1:23

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:21-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Philippians 1:23

Adam Clarke on Philippians 1:23

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Philippians 1:23

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:21-26

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Philippians 1:23

Adam Clarke on Philippians 1:23

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Philippians 1:23

John Calvin on Philippians 1:22-26

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Philippians 1:23