Philippians 2:15 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Philippians 2:15
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
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
Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
1 Peter 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which th…
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain o…
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,…
Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
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…
1 Peter 1:14-17 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Philippians 2:14-18
The apostle exhorts them in these verses to adorn their Christian profession by a suitable temper and behaviour, in several instances. 1. By a cheerful obedience to the commands of God (Phi 2:14): "Do all things, do your duty in every branch of it, without murmurings. Do it, and do not find fault with it. Mind your work, and do not quarrel with it." God's commands were given to be obeyed, not to be disputed. This greatly adorns our profession, and shows we serve a good Master, whose service is freedom and whose work is its own reward. 2. By peaceableness and love one to another. "Do all things without disputing, wrangling, and debating one another; because the light of truth and the life of…
blameless and harmless--without either the repute of mischief, or the inclination to do it [ALFORD].
sons--rather as Greek, "the children of God" (Rom 8:14-16). Imitation of our heavenly Father is the instinctive guide to our duty as His children, more than any external law (Mat 5:44-45, Mat 5:48).
without rebuke--"without (giving handle for) reproach." The whole verse tacitly refers by contrast to Deu 32:5, "Their spot . . . not . . . of His children . . . a perverse and crooked generation" (compare Pe1 2:12).
ye shine--literally, "appear" [TRENCH]. "Show yourselves" (compare Mat 5:14-16; Eph 5:8-13).
as lights in the world--The Greek expresses "as luminaries in the world," as the s…
That ye may be blameless - In yourselves, and harmless to others.
The sons of God - Showing by your holy conduct that ye are partakers of the Divine nature.
Without rebuke - Persons against whom no charge of transgression can justly be laid.
A crooked and perverse - Probably referring to the Jews, who were the chief opponents and the most virulent enemies which the Christian Church had.
Among whom ye shine - Be like the sun and moon; bless even the perverse and disobedient by your light and splendor. Let your light shine before men; some will walk in that light, and by its shining God will be glorified. It is evident that the apostle, by φωστῃρες εν κοσμῳ, lights in the world, refers to th…
The Church Fathers
You are a light of the world, and a tree ever green.
He says not "you are" but "so that you may be," deferring it to the future and not asserting it as a present fact, to show that here there is toil and struggle and there the rewards of toil and virtue.
With the very light of truth we are to illumine those who are caught in the shadows of error, dispelling the night of ignorance.… If we do not do this, it will be apparent that our infidelity has, as it were, concealed and overshadowed the benefits of this needful light, to our own perdition as well as that of others.
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
Apphia — Increasing, a female Christian at Colosse (Philemon 1:2), supposed by some to have been the wife of Philemon.
Archippus — Master of the horse, a “fellow-soldier” of Paul’s (Philemon 1:2), whom he exhorts to renewed activity (Col. 4:17). He was a member of Philemon’s family, probably his son.
Son of God — The plural, “sons of God,” is used (Gen. 6:2, 4) to denote the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6; 38:7 this name is applied to the angels. Hosea uses the phrase (1:10) to designate the gracious…
Adoption · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Unbecoming in those called saints — Unbecoming in those called saints
Character · .Blameless and harmless — .Blameless and harmless
Character Of Saints · Blameless and harmless — Blameless and harmless
Commandments · PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES — PRECEPTS OF PAUL. EXPLICITLY STATED OR IMPLIED IN DIDACTIC EPISTLES
That ye may be blameless,.... This, and what follows, show the end to be answered, by observing the above exhortation. This respects not their being blameless in the sight of God, which the saints are not in themselves, being not without sin, though they are, as considered in Christ, clothed with his righteousness, and washed in his blood; but their being blameless before men: and this may be understood both actively and passively; actively, that they might be without blaming others; some are so unhappy in their disposition and conduct, as to be always finding fault with, and blaming all persons they are concerned with, and all things in them, and done by them, right or wrong, without any ju…
Philippians 2:12-16
12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
12. Itaque amici mei, quemadmodum semper obedistis, ne quasi in praesentia mea solum, sed nunc multo magis in absentia mea, cum timore et tremore vestram salutem operamini:
13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
13. Deus enim est, qui efficit in vobis et velle et efficere, pro bona voluntate.
14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
14. Omnia facite absque murmurationibus et disceptationibus,
15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons o…
shining like bright lights: Believers are to draw people to God by their lives (see Matt 5:13-16). • in a world full of crooked and perverse people: See Deut 32:5; Rom 1:18-32; 3:10-23.
Perfection · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Pilgrims And Strangers · As saints they: Shine as lights in the world — As saints they: Shine as lights in the world
Reproof · Saints should: Give no occasion for — Saints should: Give no occasion for
Righteous · .Lights — .Lights
Saints, Compared To · Lights — Lights
Strife · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Titles And Names Of Saints · Sons of God — Sons of God
Titles And Names Of The Wicked · Perverse and crooked generation — Perverse and crooked generation
Zeal, Religious · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
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).
