Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Philippians 2:20

ἰσόψυχον. “Compounds with ἰσο - usually mean not merely ‘like,' but ‘as good as,' or ‘no better than' ” (Jebb on Soph., O.T., 478). To whom does it refer? De W., Myr [9], Vinc. and others refer it to Paul. But surely it can only apply to Timothy. At least the relative sentence seems to necessitate this interpretation. “I have no one like-minded, I mean having that kind of mind (ὅστις) which will, etc.… but ye know his approvedness.” Besides, if he were thinking of himself, must he not have added ἄλλον to οὐδένα ? γνησίως, “genuinely”. There is no apparent necessity to take it (with Lft [10] and Vinc.) as = “by an instinct derived from his spiritual parentage”. γν. is used frequently in secular writers = true, genuine. Cf. Phocyl., 2, γνήσιος φίλος; Pind., Olymp., ii., 21, γνησίαις ἐπʼ ἀρεταῖς. Cf. chap. Philippians 4:3. μεριμνήσει = “give one's thoughts to a matter”. Cf. 1 Corinthians 7:33, and see a good note in Jebb on Soph., O.T., 1124.

[9] Meyer.

[10] Lightfoot.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Philippians 2:20

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