Philippians 1:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Philippians 1:7
Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
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 7:3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.
Philippians 1:5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
Colossians 4:18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
2 Timothy 2:9 Where in I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
Acts 16:23-25 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
Acts 20:23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
Ephesians 3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Philippians 1:7-8
The apostle expresses the ardent affection he had for them, and his concern for their spiritual welfare: I have you in my heart, Phi 1:7. He loved them as his own soul, and they lay near his heart. He thought much of them, and was in care about them. Observe, 1. Why he had them in his heart: Inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my grace; that is, they had received benefit by him and by his ministry; they were partakers of that grace of God which by him, and through his hands, was communicated to them. This makes people dear to their ministers - their receiving benefit by their ministry. Or, "You are partakers of my grace, y…
meet--Greek, "just."
to think this--to have the prayerful confidence I expressed (Phi 1:4-6).
of you--literally, "in behalf of you." Paul's confident prayer in their behalf was that God would perfect His own good work of grace in them.
because, &c.--Punctuate and translate, "Because I have you in my heart (so Phi 1:8; otherwise the Greek and the words immediately following in the verse, favor the Margin, 'Ye have me in your heart . . . being partakers of my grace') (both, in my bonds, and in my defense and confirmation of the Gospel), you (I say) all being fellow partakers of my grace." This last clause thus assigns the reason why he has them in his heart (that is, cherished in his lov…
It is meet for me to think this - Εστι δικαιον· It is just that I should think so, because I have you in my heart - you live in my warmest love and most affectionate remembrance.
Inasmuch as both in my bonds - Because you have set your hearts upon me in my bonds, sending Epaphroditus to minister to me in my necessities, Phi 2:25, and contributing of your own substance to me, Phi 4:14, sending once and again to me while I was in bonds for the defense of the faith, Phi 4:15, Phi 4:16; those things which being a sweet savor, a sacrifice well pleasing and acceptable to God, Phi 4:18, confirm my hope concerning you; especially when I find you yet standing firm under the like afflictions, having t…
The Church Fathers
Paul had always found the Philippians to be immovable in their devotion to God. He knew how straight and unwearied their course was. He knew they were worthy to share in his own joy. People who share the same faith have good reason to rejoice together in the hope of future immortality and glory.
His praise for them is strong. He calls them "partners in grace." But by grace he is referring to his sufferings, as is made clear in what he goes on to teach, that "it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake."
But the apostle, writing to us with reference to the endurance of afflictions, says, "And this is of God, that it is given to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. If there is therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any communion of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye may be of the same mind, having the same love, unanimous, thinking one thing. And if he is offered on the sacrifice and service of faith, joying and rejoicing" with the Philippians, to whom the apostle speaks, calling them "fellow-partakers of joy," how does he say that they are of one soul, and having a soul? Likewise, also, writing respecting Timothy and himself, he says, "For I have no one like-souled, who will nobly care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's."
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
Bond — An obligation of any kind (Num. 30:2, 4, 12). The word means also oppression or affliction (Ps. 116:16; Phil. 1:7). Christian love is the “bond of perfectness” (Col. 3:14), and the influences of the…
Philippians, Epistle to — Was written by Paul during the two years when he was “in bonds” in Rome (Phil. 1:7-13), probably early in the year A.D. 62 or in the end of 61. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, their messenger,…
Minister, Christian · . — .
Ministers · Described as: Defenders of the faith — Described as: Defenders of the faith
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).
Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all,.... Some connect these words with Philippians 1:3; as if the apostle's sense was, that it became him to be thus affected to them, and mindful of them in his prayers, to make request for them with joy, and give thanks for their fellowship in the Gospel, and continuance in it; but they seem rather to refer to his confidence of the good work begun in them, being performed until the day of Christ, and which was but just and right in him to entertain and assert; and may be understood either of a judgment of faith, or a judgment of charity: in a judgment of faith the apostle might be confident, and so may every other man, that all that believe in…
Philippians 1:7-11
7. Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
7. Sicuti iustum est mihi hoc de vobis omnibus sentire, propterea quod in corde vos habeam, esse omnes participes grati? me?, et in vinculis meis, et in defensione, et confirmatione Evangelii.
8. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
8. Testis enim mihi est Deus, ut desiderem vos omnes in visceribus [41] Iesu Christi.
9. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
9. Et h…
You share with me the special favor of God: Perhaps their lives were blessed because of Paul’s suffering and witness; perhaps they had suffered together with him (see 1:29).
