The Meaning of Philippians 1:16 Explained

Philippians 1:16

KJV: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

YLT: the one, indeed, of rivalry the Christ do proclaim, not purely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds,

Darby: These indeed out of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the glad tidings;

ASV: the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel;

Discover Philippians 1:16

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Philippians 1:16?

MEANING: What does Philippians 1:16 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Philippians 1:16 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Philippians 1:16?

What is the context of Philippians 1:16?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

What does Philippians 1:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Love for God and Paul motivated the members of this second group. Moreover they believed the apostle"s present confinement was a situation that God had ordained for the defense of the gospel. They evidently accepted this by faith even though they may not have understood how Paul"s imprisonment fit into God"s plan for the building of His church. The chiastic structure evident in Philippians 1:15-17 emphasizes these Christians who demonstrated proper motivation.

Context Summary

Philippians 1:12-21 - "to Live Is Christ, And To Die Is Gain"

It was a matter of comparative indifference to Paul what happened to himself so long as the gospel progressed, because the extension of the gospel meant the growing glory of Jesus. He was quite content to be in bonds, if only by his chains he might gain access to new realms, hitherto untrodden, for proclaiming his Lord. He could even view with equanimity the envy and strife of some, if Jesus might be named to those who had never heard of Him, He was prepared to live or to die, that Jesus might be magnified. He was willing to remain for a little longer outside of heaven, if that would better serve the cause he loved. His main argument for consistency of life on the part of his converts was that the success of the gospel might not be impeded. It seemed good to suffer, if only it were on the behalf of Christ. Oh that we might experience a similar absorption in the great interests of the gospel!

It is clear from this paragraph that death is not an unconscious sleep. It is gain. It is a loosing from anchorage so that the soul may go forth on the broad ocean of God's love. It does not interrupt our conscious fellowship with the Lord. The moment of absence here is the moment of presence there. To die is therefore gain. [source]

Chapter Summary: Philippians 1

¹ Paul testifies his thankfulness to God, and his love toward the Philippians,
⁹ daily praying for their increase in grace;
¹² he shows what good the faith of Christ had received by his troubles at Rome;
²¹ and how ready he is to glorify Christ either by his life or death;
²⁷ exhorting them to unity;
²⁸ and to fortitude in persecution

Greek Commentary for Philippians 1:16

Of love [εχ αγαπης]
Out of love to Paul as well as to Christ. Put 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 here as a flash-light. [source]

Of faction [ex eritheias)]
Out of partisanship. From eritheuō to spin wool, and that from erithos a hireling. The papyri examples suit the idea of selfish ambition (Moulton and Milligan‘s Vocabulary). See 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20. Not sincerely (ouch hagnōs). “Not purely,” that is with mixed and impure motives. To raise up affliction for my bonds Now that Paul is down they jump on him in mean and nagging ways. Dative case in desmois “To make my chains gall me” (Lightfoot). [source]

Not sincerely [ouch hagnōs)]
“Not purely,” that is with mixed and impure motives. [source]

To raise up affliction for my bonds [thlipsin egeirein tois desmois mou)]
Now that Paul is down they jump on him in mean and nagging ways. Dative case in desmois “To make my chains gall me” (Lightfoot). [source]

The one preach Christ of contention []
The order of Phlippians 1:16, Phlippians 1:17, is reversed in the best texts. Of contentions ( ἐξ ἐριθείας ). See on strife, James 3:14. Rev., better, faction. Compare Chaucer:“For mine entente is not but for to winneAnd nothing for correction of sinne”“Pardonere's Tale,” 12337-8. [source]

Sincerely [ἁγνῶς]
Purely, with unmixed motives. The adjective ἁγνός means pure, in the sense of chaste, free from admixture of evil, and is once applied to God, 1 John 3:3. See on Acts 26:10, footnote. Not sincerely is explained by in pretense, Phlippians 1:18. [source]

To add affliction [θλῖψιν ἐπιφέρειν]
Lit., to bring affliction to bear. But the correct reading is ἐγείρειν toraise up, as Rev.: to waken or stir up affliction. The phrase is striking in the light of the original meaning of θλίψις , namely, pressure. They would make his bonds press more heavily and gall him. See on Matthew 13:21. [source]

What do the individual words in Philippians 1:16 mean?

the [ones] indeed out of love knowing that for [the] defense of the gospel I am appointed

οἱ μὲν ἐξ ἀγάπης εἰδότες ὅτι εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου κεῖμαι

οἱ	the [ones]
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μὲν	indeed
Parse: Conjunction Root: μέν Sense: truly, certainly, surely, indeed.
ἐξ	out of
Parse: Preposition Root: ἐκ Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
ἀγάπης	love
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: ἀγάπη Sense: brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence.
εἰδότες	knowing
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: οἶδα Sense: to see.
ὅτι	that
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since.
ἀπολογίαν	[the] defense
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular Root: ἀπολογία Sense: verbal defence, speech in defence.
τοῦ	of the
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εὐαγγελίου	gospel
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular Root: εὐαγγέλιον Sense: a reward for good tidings.
κεῖμαι	I am appointed
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 1st Person Singular Root: κεῖμαι Sense: to lie.

What are the major concepts related to Philippians 1:16?

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