Philippians 1:7

meet Lit., and better, just, right.

for me The pronoun is emphatic in the Greek; "for me, whatever may be right for others."

to think this Better, to be of this mind, to feel the thankfulness and joy described above (Philippians 1:3-4). The Greek verb (a favourite with St Paul) almost always denotes not an articulate act of thought but a "state of mind." See, for some passages where this remark is important, Romans 8:5-7; Romans 8:27; Romans 12:3; Romans 12:16; below, Philippians 3:15; Philippians 3:19; Colossians 3:2. For another shade of meaning see Philippians 4:10, and note.

of you R.V., "on behalf of you."His joyful thanks were given not only "about" them but "on behalf" of them, as being an element in intercessoryworship. But the usage of the Greek preposition allows either rendering.

because, &c. Such feelings are specially right for him, becauseof the intimacy of affectionate intercourse which has brought him into living contact with the glow of their spiritual life.

I have you in my heart The Greek admits the rendering (A.V. and R.V., margins) "you have me in your heart."But the following context favours the text. For the warm thought, cp. 2 Corinthians 5:12; 2Co 6:11; 2 Corinthians 7:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:17.

in my bonds The first allusion in the Epistle to imprisonment. Here again the grammar leaves two explanations open. Grammatically, the Apostle may say eitherthat he has them in his heart both in his bonds and in his advocacy of the Gospel; orthat in both these experiences they are partners of his grace. But the latter is the far more probable. There is something artificial in the statement that he carried them in his heart bothin his imprisonment andin his work; for to him the two experiences would run up into one. But it would be natural for the Philippians (see next note but one) to isolate the two experiences of the Apostle in thought and sympathy.

the defence and confirmation The two words are linked, in the Greek, into one idea. "Defence":Greek, apologia. For the word, see Acts 20:1; Acts 25:16; below, 16; and esp. 1 Peter 3:15. Unlike our word "apology," in its every-day use, it means the statement of a good case against an accuser. Acts 28:17-23 shews us St Paul "apologizing" in his Roman prison. The early "Apologies" for Christianity, e.g. by Justin and Tertullian (cent. 2), are apologies in this sense.

ye all are partakers of my grace This has been explained to mean that they too knew by experience the power of grace under imprisonment and in evangelistic work. But we have no reason to think that "all" (if indeed any) of the Philippian converts had been imprisoned at this date. The natural meaning is that their sympathy, and active assistance (Philippians 4:10-19), had so united them with both the bearing and doing of the Apostle that in this sense they were bound with him, and worked with him, and felt the power of God with him. The word "grace" here (as in Romans 1:5; Ephesians 3:2; Ephesians 3:8) may refer to the gracious giftto him of apostolic work and trial, rather than to the internal Divine power for service. In this case, still more plainly, the Philippians were partners in "his grace." A closer rendering of the Greek is, copartners of my grace as you all are.