Philippians 1:19-26
19for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance ▼ ▼ through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20My confident hope ▼▼tn Grk “according to my eager expectation and hope.” The κατά (kata) phrase is taken as governing the following ὅτι (hoti) clause (“that I will not be ashamed…”); the idea could be expressed more verbally as “I confidently hope that I will not be ashamed…”
is that I will in no way be ashamed ▼▼tn Or possibly, “be intimidated, be put to shame.”
but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. ▼▼tn Grk “whether by life or by death.”
21For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22Now if I am to go on living in the body, ▼▼tn Grk “flesh.”
this will mean productive work ▼▼tn Grk “fruit of work”; the genitive ἔργου (ergou) is taken as an attributed genitive in which the head noun, καρπός (karpos), functions attributively (cf. ExSyn 89-91).
for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: ▼▼tn Grk “what I shall prefer.” The Greek verb αἱρέω (haireō) could also mean “choose,” but in this context such a translation is problematic for it suggests that Paul could perhaps choose suicide (cf. L&N 30.86).
▼ 23I feel torn between the two ▼▼tn Grk “I am hard-pressed between the two.” Cf. L&N 30.18.
because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, 24but it is more vital for your sake that I remain ▼▼tn Grk “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”
in the body. ▼▼tn Grk “the flesh.”
25And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress ▼▼tn Grk “for your progress.”
and joy in the faith, ▼▼sn Paul’s confidence in his release from prison (I know that I will remain and continue with all of you) implies that this Roman imprisonment did not end in his death. Hence, there is the likelihood that he experienced a second Roman imprisonment later on (since the belief of the early church was that Paul died under Nero in Rome). If so, then the pastoral letters (1-2 Tim, Titus) could well fit into a life of Paul that goes beyond any descriptions in the book of Acts (which ends with Paul’s first Roman imprisonment). Some have argued that the pastorals cannot be genuine because they cannot fit into the history of Acts. But this view presupposes that Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was also his last.
26so that what you can be proud of may increase ▼ because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you. ▼▼tn Grk “through my coming again to you.”
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