17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
If I should be offered. [1] The Greek word is spendomai, and accordingly there appears to be an allusion to those animals, by the slaughter of which agreements and treaties were confirmed among the ancients. For the Greeks specially employ the term spondas to denote the victims by which treaties are confirmed. In this way, he calls his death the confirmation of their faith, which it certainly would be. That, however, the whole passage may be more clearly understood, he says that he offered sacrifice to God, when he consecrated them by the gospel. There is a similar expression in Romans 15:16; for in that passage he represents himself as a priest, who offers up the Gentiles to God by the gospel. Now, as the gospel is a spiritual sword for slaying victims, [2] so faith is, as it were, the oblation; for there is no faith without mortification, by means of which we are consecrated to God. He makes use of the terms, kai leitourgian -- sacrifice and service, the former of which refers to the Philippians, who had been offered up to God; and the latter to Paul, for it is the very act of sacrificing. The term, it is true, is equivalent to administration, and thus it includes functions and offices of every kind; but here it relates properly to the service of God -- corresponding to the phrase made use of by the Latins -- operari sacris -- (to be employed in sacred rites [3] ) Now Paul says that he will rejoice, if he shall be offered up upon a sacrifice of this nature -- that it may be the more ratified and confirmed. This is to teach the gospel from the heart -- when we are prepared to confirm with our own blood what we teach. From this, however, a useful lesson is to be gathered as to the nature of faith -- that it is not a vain thing, but of such a nature as to consecrate man to God. The ministers of the gospel have, also, here a singular consolation in being called priests of God, to present victims to him; [4] for with what ardor ought that man to apply himself to the pursuit of preaching, who knows that this is an acceptable sacrifice to God! The wretched Papists, having no knowledge of this kind of sacrifice, contrive another, which is utter sacrilege. I rejoice with you, says he -- so that if it should happen that he died, they would know that this took place for their profit, and would receive advantage from his death.
1 - Paul's statement here is interpreted by Dr. John Brown as equivalent to the following: -- "If my life be poured out as a libation over your conversion to Christ, I joy and rejoice with you all.' It could not be better sacrificed than in the cause of his glory and your salvation." -- Brown's Discourses and Sayings of our Lord illustrated, vol. 3 p. 379. -- Ed.
2 - "Pour tuer les bestes qu'on doit sacrifier;" -- "For killing the animals that ought to be sacrificed."
3 - See Liv. 50:1, c. 31, ad fin. -- Ed.
4 - "Pour luy offrir en sacrifice les ames des fideles;" -- "To offer to him in sacrifice the souls of the believers."
Yea, and if I be offered - Margin, "poured forth." The mention of his labors in their behalf, in the previous verse, seems to have suggested to him the sufferings which he was likely yet to endure on their account. He had labored for their salvation. He had exposed himself to peril that they and others might have the gospel. On their account he had suffered much; he had been made a prisoner at Rome; and there was a possibility, if not a probability, that his life might be a forfeit for his labors in their behalf. Yet he says that, even if this should happen, he would not regret it, but it would be a source of joy. The word which is used here - σπένδομαι spendomai - properly means, to pour out, to make a libation; and is commonly used, in the classic writers, in connection with sacrifices. It refers to a drink-offering, where one who was about to offer a sacrifice, or to present a drink-offering to the gods, before he tasted of it himself, poured out apart of it on the altar. Passow. It is used also to denote the fact that, when an animal was about to be slain in sacrifice, wine was poured on it as a solemn act of devoting it to God; compare Numbers 15:5; Numbers 28:7, Numbers 28:14. In like manner, Paul may have regarded himself as a victim prepared for the sacrifice. In the New Testament it is found only in this place, and in 2-Timothy 4:6, where it is rendered, "I am ready to be offered;" compare the notes at that place. It does not here mean that Paul really expected to be a sacrifice, or to make an expiation for sin by his death; but that he might be called to pour out his blood, or to offer up his life as if he were a sacrifice, or an offering to God. We have a similar use of language, when we say that a man sacrifices himself for his friends or his country.
Upon the sacrifice - ἐπὶ τῆ θυσίᾳ epi tē thusia. The word rendered here as "sacrifice," means:
(1) the act of sacrificing;
(2) the victim that is offered; and,
(3) any oblation or offering.
Robinson's Lexicon. Here it must be used in the latter sense, and is connected with "faith" - "the sacrifice of your faith." The reference is probably to the faith, i. e., the religion of the Philippians, regarded as a sacrifice or an offering to God; the worship which they rendered to Him. The idea of Paul is, that if, in order to render that offering what it should be - to make it as complete and acceptable to God as possible - it were necessary for him to die, pouring out his blood, and strength, and life, as wine was poured out to prepare a sacrifice for the altar and make it complete, he would not refuse to do it, but would rejoice in the opportunity. He seems to have regarded them as engaged in making an offering of faith, and as endeavoring to make the offering complete and acceptable; and says that if his death were necessary to make their piety of the highest and most acceptable kind, he was ready to die.
And service - λειτουργία leitourgia - a word taken from an act of worship, or public service, and especially the ministry of those engaged in offering sacrifices; Luke 1:23; Hebrews 8:6. Here it means, the ministering or service which the Philippians rendered to God; the worship which they offered, the essential element of which was faith. Paul was willing to endure anything, even to suffer death in their cause, if it would tend to make their "service" more pure, spiritual, and acceptable to God. The meaning of the whole is:
(1) that the sufferings and dangers which he now experienced were in their cause, and on their behalf; and,
(2) that he was willing to lay down his life, if their piety would be promoted, and their worship be rendered more pure and acceptable to God.
I joy - That is, I am not afraid of death; and if my dying can be the means of promoting your piety, it will be a source of rejoicing; compare the notes at Philippians 1:23.
And rejoice with you all - My joy will be increased in anything that promotes yours. The fruits of my death will reach and benefit you, and it will be a source of mutual congratulation.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service - The metaphor appears to be still carried on. As it was customary for the weather-beaten mariner, when he had gained his port, to offer a sacrifice, θυσια, to God, of some particular animal which he had vowed while in his state of danger, and this was considered to be a religious service, λειτουργια· the apostle, pursuing the idea, states himself to be willing to become the libation, (for so much the word σπενδομαι imports), that was to be poured upon the sacrifice. Parkhurst observes that the apostle compares the faith of the Philippians to the sacrificial victim, and his own blood shed in martyrdom to the libation, i.e. the wine poured out on occasion of the sacrifice. Raphelius observes that Arrian uses the phrase σπενδειν επι τῃ θυσιᾳ for pouring out the libation after the sacrifice. The apostle had guided them safely into port; their faith in the atoning death of Christ was their sacrifice; and he was willing that his blood in martyrdom should be poured out as a libation on that sacrificial offering.
Yea, and if I be offered upon the (p) sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
(p) As if he said, I brought you Philippians to Christ, and my desire is that you present yourselves a living sacrifice to him, and then it will not grieve me to be offered up as a drink offering, to accomplish this your spiritual offering.
Yea, and if I be offered,.... Or "poured out", as the drink offerings of wine or oil were; meaning the effusion of his blood, which he compares to a libation, or drink offering, which was poured upon the sacrifice; and the laying down of his life for the sake of Christ, and his Gospel: which he knew not how soon might be, though he was in some hopes of a deliverance for the present, and therefore speaks of it in an hypothetical way: yet he expected it sooner or later; and that whenever it was, it would be as the libation upon the offering,
Upon the sacrifice and service of your faith; he had been the means of bringing them to the faith of Christ, in which they were an offering acceptable to God, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost; see Romans 15:16; and should he suffer and shed his blood in the cause of Christ, it would be as a libation on them, as a sacrifice; it would be for the sake of preaching the doctrine of faith, by which they were brought to believe on Christ; and it would be for the further confirmation of their faith, and as a drink offering acceptable unto God; upon all which accounts it would be matter of joy to him,
I joy and rejoice with you all; meaning at his sufferings and death, and the advantages thereof to Christ, to his churches, and to himself.
Yea, and if--rather as Greek, "Yea, if even"; implying that he regarded the contingency as not unlikely: He had assumed the possibility of his being found alive at Christ's coming (for in every age Christ designed Christians to stand in preparedness for His coming as at hand): he here puts a supposition which he regards as more likely, namely, his own death before Christ's coming.
I be offered--rather as Greek, "I am poured out." "I am made a libation." Present, not future, as the danger is threatening him now. As in sacrifices libations of wine were "poured upon" the offerings, so he represents his Philippian converts, offered through faith (or else their faith itself), as the sacrifice, and his blood as the libation "poured upon" it (compare Romans 15:16; 2-Timothy 4:6).
service--Greek, "priest's ministration"; carrying out the image of a sacrifice.
I joy--for myself (Philippians 1:21, Philippians 1:23). His expectation of release from prison is much fainter, than in the Epistles to Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, written somewhat earlier from Rome. The appointment of Tigellinus to be PrÃ&brvbr;torian Prefect was probably the cause of this change. See Introduction.
rejoice with you all--ALFORD translates, "I congratulate you all," namely on the honor occurring to you by my blood being poured out on the sacrifice of your faith. If they rejoiced already (as English Version represents), what need of his urging them, "Do ye also joy."
Here he begins to treat of the latter clause of Philippians 1:22. Yea, and if I be offered - Literally, If I be poured out. Upon the sacrifice of your faith - The Philippians, as the other converted heathens, were a sacrifice to God through St. Paul's ministry, Romans 15:16. And as in sacrificing, wine was poured at the foot of the altar, so he was willing that his blood should be poured out. The expression well agrees with that kind of martyrdom by which he was afterwards offered up to God.
*More commentary available at chapter level.