Philippians 2:26

Philippians 2:26. Since he longed after you all. St. Paul testifies to the same longing in himself in Philippians 1:8.

and was sore troubled. The strength of this word will be recognised from its being used (Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33) of Christ's agony in the garden (Authorised Version, ‘ to be very heavy'), and nowhere else in the New Testament. Its strong character is not unsuited to the feelings of one who has been very sick at a distance from all his friends, and in his recovery feels that home is the only place in which he can thoroughly recover,

because ye had heard that he had been sick. There can be no question that a considerable amount of time must have elapsed since St. Paul came to Rome before these words were written. The Philippians first had to learn of the apostle's need, to make their collection and send it. After this we cannot think that it was immediately on the arrival of Epaphroditus that he fell sick, for the apostle plainly implies that he had exerted himself and so brought on his sickness. This becomes known at Philippi, and the anxiety of his friends has been reported at Rome.