Philippians 1:22

But if I live in the flesh, &c. The Greek construction here is difficult by its brevity and abruptness. R.V. renders "But if to live in this flesh if this is the fruit of my work, then&c."; and, in the margin, "But if to live in the fleshbe my lot, this is the fruit of my work; and&c."; a rendering practically the same as A.V. This latter we much prefer, for grammatical reasons. It requires the mental insertion of "be my lot," or the like; but this is quite easy, in a sentence where the words "to live" are obviously echoed from the words "to live is Christ" just above. As if to say, "But if this -living" is still to be a -living in the flesh," this is fruit &c."

this is the fruit of my labour Rather better, in view of the Greek idiom, this I shall find fruit of work. This "living in the flesh," as it will be "Christ," so will be "fruit," result, of lifelong work. He means that work for Christ, the being employed by Christ, is for him the pulse of life on earth; islife for him, in a certain sense. And this he expresses with additional force by saying not merely "work" but "fruit of work." For the work is of course fruitful: he who abides in Christ "beareth much fruit," fruit that shall "remain" (John 15:5; John 15:16), whether or no he sees it. It is only the "works of darkness" that can be "unfruitful" (Ephesians 5:11).

yet Lit. and better, and. The simple word suits the great rapidity of transition.

wot An old English present indicative, of which the infinitive is to wit. It was probably a past tense originally. See Skeat's Etymological Dictionary. Wyclif has "knowe". The Greek here is, precisely, "I recognizenot"; "I do not see clearly" (Ellicott).