Philippians 2:30

Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death,.... Meaning either the work the church sent him about, and which he cheerfully undertook, and faithfully performed in carrying of a present to,

Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me. For the work of Christ - namely, the bringing of a supply to me, the minister of Christ.

Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death; by reason he was so zealous about the work of the ministry in the general, or in special to carry on that service, as the church’ s messenger, he was intrusted with, , not only in conveying their benevolence on so long and hazardous a journey, for the relief of the Lord’ s prisoner, which Christ would own and reward as his work, ,40, but in attending him (whom he was sent to visit) in his confinement, both within doors and abroad, as occasion required, (for it seems the Romans were so generous as to give free egress and regress to his visitants, ), whereby he contracted that forementioned disease that hazarded his life. Not regarding his life; the preservation of which with respect to the work he was about, he did not consult, but made little account of it, yea, did even despise it in the service of Christ, as the original word doth import, being borrowed from those whose lives are hazarded in being cast to be devoured by beasts in the theatre, which he himself, by sad experience, sometime knew the meaning of, . To supply your lack of service toward me; so faithful was he to his trust for the honour of his Lord, that to the very utmost of his strength, yea, and beyond it, that which he reckoned those who sent would have done themselves had they been present, , that he, Onisephorus-like, , according to his measure made supply of in their absence.

30 Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me. Ver. 30. Not regarding his life] Gr. Ill providing for his life, casting away all inordinate care of it, as if he had put on that Roman resolution, Necesse est ut eam, non ut vivam, Needsly I must go, not needsly live.

(30) Not regarding his life.—According to the true reading, the sense is “having hazarded his life; literally, having gambled with his life, not merely having staked it, but staked it recklessly. It is possible that (as Bishop Wordsworth suggests) there may be allusion to the caution money, staked in a cause to show that it was not frivolous and vexatious, and forfeited in case of loss; and that Epaphroditus, risking his life through over-exertion in the cause of St. Paul, as a prisoner awaiting trial, is therefore said to have gambled with his life. This would give a special appropriateness to the allusion. But it is, perhaps, too artificial, and the figure is in itself intelligible and striking. To supply your lack of service.—There is not in the original the touch of reproach which our version may seem to imply. Epaphroditus’ presence and activity are said to have “filled up the one thing wanting” to make the service of the Philippians effective for its purpose.

Verse 30. For the work of Christ] Preaching the Gospel, and ministering to the distressed. He was nigh unto death] Having laboured far beyond his strength. Not regarding his life] Instead of παραβουλευσαμενοςτηψυχη, not regarding his life, παραβολευσαμενος, risking his life, is the reading of ABDEFG, and is received by Griesbach into the text. His frequent and intense preaching, and labouring to supply the apostle's wants, appear to have brought him nigh to the gates of death. THE humiliation and exaltation of Christ are subjects which we cannot contemplate too frequently, and in which we cannot be too deeply instructed. 1. God destroys opposites by opposites: through pride and self-confidence man fell, and it required the humiliation of Christ to destroy that pride and self-confidence, and to raise him from his fall. There must be an indescribable malignity in sin, when it required the deepest abasement of the highest Being to remove and destroy it. The humiliation and passion of Christ were not accidental, they were absolutely necessary; and had they not been necessary, they had not taken place. Sinner, behold what it cost the Son of God to save thee! And wilt thou, after considering this, imagine that sin is a small thing? Without the humiliation and sacrifice of Christ, even thy soul could not be saved. Slight not, therefore, the mercies of thy God, by underrating the guilt of thy transgressions and the malignity of thy sin! 2. As we cannot contemplate the humiliation and death of Christ without considering it a sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and atonement for sin, and for the sin of the whole world; so we cannot contemplate his unlimited power and glory, in his state of exaltation, without being convinced that he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God through him. What can withstand the merit of his blood? What can resist the energy of his omnipotence? Can the power of sin?-its infection? -its malignity? No! He can as easily say to an impure heart, Be thou clean, and it shall be clean; as he could to the leper, Be thou clean, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Reader, have faith in Him; for all things are possible to him that believeth. 3. There are many ungodly men in the world who deny the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, and affect to ridicule those who profess to have received what they know Christ has purchased and God has promised, and which, in virtue of this, they have claimed by faith; because, say these mockers, "If you had the Spirit of God, you could work miracles: show us a miracle, and we will believe you to be inspired." Will these persons assert that St. Paul had not God's Spirit when he could neither heal himself, nor restore his friends and fellow helpers from apparent death? What then doth their arguing prove? Silly men, of shallow minds!

30. the work of Christ] One most ancient MS. (C) omits “of Christ”; and some other evidence is for “of the Lord” instead. R.V. retains the reading of A.V., mentioning in the margin the reading “of the Lord.” Alford and Lightfoot advocate the omission.—For the phrase “the work,” used without further definition, cp. Acts 15:38.he was nigh unto death] Lit., “he drew near, up to death,” a peculiar but unmistakable expression.not regarding his life] R.V., hazarding his life. The two renderings represent each a different reading, the difference lying in the presence or absence of a single letter in the Greek (parabo(u)leusamenos). On the whole that represented by R.V. has the better support. In the more ancient Latin Version this Greek word is almost transliterated:—parabolatus de animâ suâ; words which might almost be rendered, “having played the desperado with his life.” The verb (found here only) is formed on a common Greek verb of which one meaning is “to wager in a game of chance,” and so to run a risk. Bp Light-foot renders here, “having gambled with his life.”—From the same root comes the ecclesiastical word (Greek and Latin) parabolanus, a member of a “minor order” devoted to nursing the infected, and similar hazardous duties. The order originated in Constantine’s time. Unhappily it soon degenerated into a notoriously turbulent sort of club.“His life”:—lit., “his soul.” For the very frequent use of the Greek word psychê in the sense of bodily life cp. e.g. Matthew 2:20.to supply your lack &c.] More lit., “that he might fill up your deficiency in the ministration designed for me.” “Your” is slightly emphatic. Obviously, the Apostle means no reproof to the Philippians, whose “ministration” of supplies he so warmly appreciates below (Philippians 4:10-19). He means that they, as a community, were of course unable to aid him by a personal visit, without which however their “ministration” would have “lacked” a necessary condition of success. That condition Epaphroditus had supplied; he had undertaken the journey, and doubtless had thrown himself at Rome into the Apostle’s interests and efforts. And somehow, whether by accidents on the journey, or by risks run at Rome, or by both, he had incurred dangerous illness.—See for a close parallel to the language here 1 Corinthians 16:17; and cp. the important phraseology of Col 1:24, and notes there.

Because for the work of Christ - That is, either by exposing himself in his journey to see the apostle in Rome, or by his labors there. Not regarding his life - There is a difference in the mss.

30. For the work of Christ—Such it was, for, done to his apostle, it was done to Christ. The money-gift which he had brought is spoken of as their service, but it had the lack of their personally presenting it.