Philippians 4:8

Τὸ λοιπόν. See above, on Philippians 3:1. Once more he gathers up the thought towards a close.—Are their “hearts and thoughts” thus “sentinelled,” in Christ, by the peace of God? Then let them, in their safe Castle, “in the Secret of the Presence,” not sleep, but give their minds all possible pure material to work upon, with a view to holy practice. Let them reckon up, think over, estimate aright (λογίζεσθε), all things true and good; perhaps specially in contrast to the subtle “reckonings” of the teachers denounced above (Philippians 3:18-19), who would divorce the “spiritual” and the moral.

ὅσα ἐστὶν�. “All things which are true.” Truthfulness of word and act, sincerity of character, is utterly indispensable to the holiness of the Gospel.

σεμνά. “Honourable,” R.V.; almost, “dignified”; like the old English use of “solemn.”—Vulg., pudica.—Cp. 1 Timothy 3:8, where the children of the ἐπίσκοπος are to be ruled μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος: 11, where the γυναῖκες of the διάκονοι are to be σεμυναί: Titus 2:2, πρεσβύτας … εἶναι σεμνούς. The word points to seriousness of purpose and to self-respect in conduct.

δίκαια. As between man and man. The Christian will be a model of dutifulness.

ἁγνά. Probably in the special respect of true bodily chastity, in thought and act. “Ἁγνός and καθαρός differ from ἅγιος in that they admit the thought or the fact of temptation or pollution; while ἅγιος describes that which is holy absolutely, either in itself or in idea” (Westcott, on 1 John 3:3). See also Trench, Syn. II., xxxviii.

προσφιλῆ. “Pleasing,” “amiable.” The Christian must remember manner. Grace must make him gracious; he is to “adorn (κοσμεῖν) the doctrine of God his Saviour” (Titus 2:10).

εὔφημα. “Sweet spoken”; προσφιλῆ in a special respect. “Not ‘well-spoken of, well-reputed,’ for the word seems never to have this passive meaning; but with its usual active sense, ‘fair-speaking,’ and so ‘winning, attractive’  ” (Lightfoot). In the classics a frequent meaning is “auspicious,” the opposite of δύσφημος: so εὔφημον ἦμαρ, æsch. Ag. 636; and it thus glides into the meaning “silent,” with the silence which precludes δυσφημία. But such aspects of the word can hardly be supposed present here. Ellicott explains, “fair-sounding,” “high-toned.” R.V. (with A.V.) renders, “of good report”; margin, “or, gracious.”

εἴ τις�. “Whatever virtue there is.” “St Paul seems studiously to avoid this common heathen term for moral excellence.… [It is not] found elsewhere in the N.T. except in 1 Peter 2:9 [τὰς�, “the excellencies,” of God], 2 Peter 1:3 [τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς ἰδίᾳ … ἀρετῇ], 5 [ἐπιχορηγήσατε ἐν τῇ πίστει ὑμῶν τὴν�.], in all which passages it seems to have some special sense. In the O.T. it always signifies ‘glory, praise’ … In the Apocrypha it has its ordinary classical sense. Some [e.g. Alford] treat εἴ τις�., εἴ τις ἔπαινος, as comprehensive expressions, recapitulating the previous subjects under two general heads, the intrinsic character and the subjective estimation. The strangeness of the word, however, combined with the change of expression εἴ τις, will suggest another explanation; ‘Whatever value may reside in your old heathen conception of virtue, whatever consideration is due to the praise of men’; as if the Apostle were anxious not to omit any possible ground of appeal. Thus Beza’s remark on ἀρετή seems to be just; ‘Verbum nimis humile, si cum donis Spiritus Sancti comparetur’  ” (Lightfoot). By origin and usage ἀρετή is connected with thoughts of manhood and self-reliance. In the Gospel, the basis of goodness is self-renunciation, in order to the reception of χάρις, the undeserved gift of God.

ἔπαινος. It is not right to do good for the selfish pleasure of praise. But to praise good deeds is right, and so may give the recipient of the praise a pure moral pleasure. St Paul appeals to the fact of such desert of praise, and uses it to attract thought in right directions. “Make right praise an index of the things on which you should spend thought.”

λογίζεσθε. “Reckon up,” “calculate.” To illustrate negatively, ἀγαπὴ οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν (1 Corinthians 13:5), “does not reckon up the evil” done against her; does not dwell on it, brooding over it, counting up the elements of the grievance.