Philippians 4:15

Now Better, But. He suggests, with the same delicacy of love, that their previous gifts would have sufficed, without this gift, to witness and seal their hearts" cooperation with him. "You have done well in such participation; butindeed you had assured its existence before."

ye Philippians know also Better, ye yourselves too know, Philippians; ye, as well as I. "Philippians":the form used by St Paul is "Philippesians", one of several forms of the civic adjective. The same appears in the ancient "Title" (see above) and in the "Subscription" below. See Lightfoot here.

the gospel I.e. his evangelization (of their region). For this meaning of "the Gospel" cp. 2 Corinthians 10:14 (and perhaps 2 Corinthians 8:18); Galatians 2:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:2; and above, Philippians 1:5; Philippians 1:7; Philippians 1:12; Philippians 4:3.

when I departed from Macedonia He refers to about the timeof his advance into "Achaia," Roman Southern Greece; just before and just after he actually crossed the border. For the narrative, cp. Acts 17:1-15. This is a reminiscence after an interval of about ten years.

communicated with me Better, took its share with me. See last note on Philippians 4:14.

as concerning Better, with R.V., in the matter of.

giving and receiving I.e., their giving a subsidy to him, and his receiving it from them. The Greek phrase is a recognized formula, like our "credit and debit." See Lightfoot here. To bring in the thought of their "giving temporal things" and "receiving spiritual things" (1 Corinthians 9:11) is to complicate and confuse the passage.

ye only No blame of other Churches is necessarily implied. The thought is occupied with the fact of a sure and early proof of Philippian sympathy.