Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Philippians 1:14
And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
14. many ] Better, most. It is noticeable that the Apostle should imply that there were exceptions. Possibly, he refers here to what comes out more clearly below, the difference between friendly and unfriendly sections among the Roman Christians. We can scarcely doubt (in view of Romans 16 and Acts 28) that the friendly were the majority. If so, St Paul may here practically say that a majority of the brethren were energized into fresh efforts, by his imprisonment, while a minority, also stirred into new activity, were acting on less worthy motives. In view of the context, this seems more likely than that he should merely imply by this phrase that the revival of activity was not universal.
In any case, this verse implies that a spirit of languor and timidity had recently infected the believing community at Rome.
the brethren in the Lord ] So also R.V. Bps Ellicott and Lightfoot connect the words here otherwise; “ the brethren, having in the Lord confidence, &c.” Grammatically, either is possible. But to us the “rhythm of the sentence,” a sort of evidence not easy to define and explain, but a real item for decision, seems to plead for the connexion in the text. It is true that the precise phrase “brethren in the Lord” is not found elsewhere. But a near parallel is Rom 16:13, “Rufus, the chosen one in the Lord”; for there too the words “in the Lord” are in a certain sense superfluous. See too Rom 16:8; Rom 16:10.
waxing confident ] More strictly and simply (for the Greek participle is practically, though not in form, a present), being confident, confiding. The idea is that of a sense of rest and reassurance after misgivings.
by my bonds ] More closely, perhaps, in my bonds. The “confidence was, in a sense, reposed “in,” or on, Paul’s chains, his captivity, just so far as that captivity vividly reminded the Roman believers of the sacredness and goodness of the cause, and of the Person, for whose sake the Apostle unflinchingly incurred it and willingly bore it. The heart is the best interpreter of such words.
For the construction in the Greek, cp. Phm 1:21, the only exact N.T. parallel. It is found, but rarely, in the LXX.
are much more bold ] Lit., and better, more abundantly venture. They “venture” more often, more habitually, than of late. On the bearing of such statements on the date of the Epistle see Introduction, p. 16.
to speak the word ] “The word of the cross” (1Co 1:18); “of truth” (Eph 1:13); “of life” (below, Php 2:16); “of Christ” (Col 3:16); “of the Lord” (1Th 1:8; 1Th 4:15); &c. It is the revealed and delivered account of what Christ is, has wrought, &c. It is observable that St Paul regards such “speaking” as the work, not only of the class of ordained Christians, but of Christians in general. See further on Php 2:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And many of the brethren – Many Christians. It is evident from this, that there were already many in Rome who professed Christianity.
In the Lord – In the Lord Jesus; that is, united to him and to each other by a professed attachment to him. This is a common phrase to, designate Christians.
Waxing confident by my bonds – Becoming increasingly bold and zealous in consequence of my being confined. This might have been either:
(1)That from the very fact that so distinguished a champion of the truth had been imprisoned, they were excited to do all they could in the cause of the gospel. Or,
(2)They were aroused by the fact that the cause of his imprisonment had become generally understood, and that there was a strong current of popular favor setting toward Christianity in consequence of it. Or,
(3)They had had contact with Paul in his own hired house, and had been incited and encouraged by him to put forth great efforts in the cause. Or,
(4)It would seem that some had been emboldened to promulgate their views, and set themselves up as preachers, who would have been restrained if Paul had been at liberty.
They were disposed to form parties, and to secure followers, and rejoiced in an opportunity to increase their own popularity, and were not unwilling thus to diminish the popularity and lessen the influence of so great a man as Paul. Had he been at liberty, they would have had no prospect of success; see Phi 1:16. To this may be added a suggestion by Theodoret. Many of the brethren have increased boldness – tharsos – on account of my bonds. For seeing me bear such hard things with pleasure, they announce that the gospel (which sustains me) is divine. The same sentiment occurs in Oecumen, and Theophylact; see Bloomfield. In Paul himself they had an illustration of the power of religion, and being convinced of its truth, they went and proclaimed it abroad.
To speak the word without fear – That is, they see that I remain safely (compare Act 28:30), and that there is no danger of persecution, and, stimulated by my sufferings and patience, they go and make the gospel known.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. Waxing confident] Finding the effect produced by the public defence which the apostle made, they were greatly encouraged, and the more boldly and openly proclaimed the doctrine of Christ crucified.
The word] The doctrine of Christ; several excellent MSS. and versions add, some , others , the word of God, or the word of the Lord. This is a respectable reading, and is probably genuine.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
14. Translate as Greek,“And that (Php 1:13)most of the brethren in the Lord,” &c. “In theLord,” distinguishes them from “brethren after the flesh,”Jewish fellow countrymen. ELLICOTTtranslates, “Trusting in the Lord.”
by my bondsencouragedby my patience in bearing my bonds.
much more boldTranslateas Greek, “are more abundantly bold.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And many of the brethren in the Lord,…. This is another instance of the usefulness of the apostle’s sufferings, and another proof of their being for the furtherance of the Gospel; they were not only the means of the conversion of many that were without, but were very encouraging and strengthening to them that were within the church, and to many that were in the ministry; who are called “brethren”, some real, others nominal; being partakers of the grace of God, at least in profession, or otherwise they would not have been fit to have been ministers of the word, nor members of a Gospel church, which was necessary to their being regularly sent forth; and whom the apostle calls and owns as brethren in the ministry, being sent forth by Christ, at least some of them, and having the same commission to preach the Gospel as he had; though they had not equal gifts and qualifications with him: he styles them brethren “in the Lord”, to distinguish them from the Jews at Rome, who were his brethren according to the flesh; and to express their spiritual character and relation, and point out the work of the Lord, in which they were jointly concerned with him: now though not all the brethren, yet many of them were greatly affected with, and influenced by the apostle’s patient and cheerfully suffering for Christ; insomuch that, as he says,
waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear; or as some read it, “waxing confident in the Lord”; connecting the phrase, “in the Lord”, with this word, and so make the ground and object of their confidence the Lord; whose presence, power, grace, and Spirit, emboldened them the more by the apostle’s bonds to preach the Gospel with courage and intrepidity; the Lord being on their side, and their helper, they feared not what men could do unto them; or else being animated by the apostle’s patience and firmness of mind in suffering, and by the use they saw his bonds were of for the spread of the Gospel, they took heart and courage to “speak the word”; the word “of God”, as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read; and so the Alexandrian, Claromontane, and two of Stephens’s copies: meaning either the essential word, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the subject of their ministry; or the written word, the writings of Moses and the prophets, the books of the Old Testament, according to which they spoke; or the Gospel, called often the word, and sometimes with an addition, the word of truth, the word of faith, the word of reconciliation, the word of righteousness, the word of life, and the word of our salvation, from the several subjects of it: this they spake boldly and freely, as it ought to be spoken, and “without fear”, not without fear and reverence of God, whose word it is; nor of themselves and their own weakness and inabilities, which cause much fear and trembling; but without the fear of man, which brings a snare; they had no regard to the threats and menaces, the reproaches and persecutions of men; none of these things moved them; they feared God and not man, and so went on boldly, preaching the Gospel; which is related with pleasure, as a fruit and effect of the apostle’s sufferings, and which he doubted not would be very delightful to the Philippians to hear of.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The most of the brethren ( ). “The more part of the brethren.” The comparative with the article with the sense of the superlative as often in the Koine.
In the Lord ( ). It is not clear whether this phrase is to be connected with “brethren” or with “being confident” (), probably with . If so, then “through my bonds” ( ) would be the instrumental case and mean that by means of Paul’s bonds the brethren “are more abundantly bold” ( ).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Many [ ] . Rev., correctly, the most. Lit., the more. Implying that there were a few who held back.
Brethren in the Lord. In the Lord should be rather connected with being confident. The expression brethren in the Lord does not occur in the New Testament; while to have confidence in one in the Lord is found Gal 5:10; 2Th 3:4; compare ch. 2 24. In the Lord is thus emphatic. It may be correlative with in Christ, ver. 13; but this is not certain. 175 In the Lord trusting my bonds, signifies that the bonds awaken confidence as being the practical testimony to the power of the Gospel for which Paul is imprisoned, and therefore an encouragement to their faith.
Are much more bold [ ] . Rev., more abundantly bold, thus holding more closely to the literal meaning of the adverb. For are bold, see on 2Co 10:2. The boldness required to profess Christ within the precincts of the palace is illustrated by the graffito or wall – scribble discovered in 1857 among the ruins on the Palatine. It is a caricature of Christ on the cross, with an ass’s head, while on the left appears a christian youth in an attitude of adoration. Underneath are scrawled the words Alexamenos worships God. 176 To speak [] . The verb denotes the fact rather than the substance of speaking. See on Mt 28:18. They have broken silence.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And many of the brethren in the Lord” (kai tous pleionas ton adelphon en jury) “And the majority of the brethren in the Master;” the main body of brethren in the Lord, the Christians as a whole.
2) “Waxing confident by my bonds” (pepoithotas tois desmois mou) “Being confident in my bonds,” or “having confidence in my bonds,” being encouraged by the favorable light in which his imprisonment was being received when seen in its true character, Act 4:19-21.
3) “Are much more bold” (preposterous dolman) “(Are) more exceedingly daring or bold,” Act 4:29.
4) “To speak the word without fear” (aphobos ton logon tou theou alein) “To speak fearlessly the Word of God,” fearless of the consequences of obeying God or cowing to contradictory edicts of men, Dan 3:16-18; Act 5:27-29.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
14 Many of the brethren. By this instance we are taught that the tortures of the saints, endured by them in behalf of the gospel, are a ground of confidence (65) to us. It were indeed a dreadful spectacle, and such as might tend rather to dishearten us, did we see nothing but the cruelty and rage of the persecutors. When, however, we see at the same time the hand of the Lord, which makes his people unconquerable, (66) under the infirmity of the Cross, and causes them to triumph, relying upon this, (67) we ought to venture farther than we had been accustomed, having now a pledge of our victory in the persons of our brethren. The knowledge of this ought to overcome our fears, that we may speak boldly in the midst of dangers.
(65) “ Confiance et asseurance;” — “Confidence and assurance.”
(66) “ Courageux et inuincibles;” — “Courageous and unconquerable.”
(67) “ Estans assuerez sur ceste main et puissance du Seigneur;” — “Confidently relying upon this hand and power of the Lord.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) And many (properly, the greater number) of the brethren in the Lord.The words in the Lord should be connected with trusting, as in Php. 2:24; Gal. 5:10; 2Th. 3:4. As connected with the word brethren, they are unmeaning; whereas St. Paul constantly uses them (especially in these Epistles), generally with a verb or verbal adjective, and always to convey some distinct idea. That the words in my bonds follow constitutes no difficulty. In the Lord expresses the ground of confidence; in my bonds simply the occasion and circumstances.
Waxing confident by my bonds.There is a two-fold sense here, corresponding to the two-fold division of preachers made below. Those who preached Christ of contention trusted in St. Pauls captivity as giving them scope; those who preached of good will found in it a striking example of evil overruled to good, and so gained from it fresh encouragement.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. Waxing confident A second result was the increased boldness of Christians in preaching.
Many Rather, the greater part. Naturally, the peril of their great leader would inspire hesitancy and wariness in his friends, but his brave endurance of his situation, his persistent discourse concerning Christ to all comers, and his heroic readiness to die for him, kindled anew their courage and zeal, and multiplied their labours.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And that most of the brothers in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.’
He points out that instead of being discouraged by his presence among them in bonds, it had made most of the church in Rome and its surrounds bolder in the proclamation of the Gospel. It is often the case, especially because at such times the Spirit of God is especially at work, that persecution actually makes God’s people stronger. And it was the case here. They were being spurred on by Paul’s own bravery and confidence, and were boldly proclaiming the word of God without fear.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Php 1:14. Waxing confident by my bonds, &c. Encouraged by my bonds, preach the word with greater freedom and intrepidity.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Phi 1:14 . ] the majority , 1Co 10:5 ; 1Co 15:6 , et al . It is not to be more precisely specified or limited.
] belongs not to (Luther, Castalio, Grotius, Cornelius a Lapide, Heinrichs, van Hengel, de Wette, Ewald, Weiss, and others) in which case it would not indeed have needed a connecting article (Col 1:2 ; Col 4:7 ), yet would have been entirely superfluous but to , along with which, however, it is not to be rendered: relying upon the Lord with respect to my bonds (Rheinwald, Flatt, Rilliet, comp. Schneckenburger, p. 301). It means rather: in the Lord trusting my bonds , so that is the specific modal definition of . . ., which trust is based and depends on Christ . Comp. Phi 2:24 ; Gal 5:10 ; Rom 14:14 ; 2Th 3:4 . On the dative, comp. 2Co 10:7 ; Phm 1:21 , and the ordinary usage in the classics; in the New Testament mostly with or . is placed first as the correlative of the ., Phi 1:13 . As the apostle’s bonds had become generally known as in Christ , so also in Christ (who will not abandon the work of His prisoner that had thus become so manifest) may be found the just ground of the confidence which encourages the brethren, Paul’s fellow-Christians in Rome, . . . They trust the bonds of the apostle, inasmuch as these bonds exhibit to them not only an encouraging example of patience (Grotius), but also (comp. Phi 3:8 ; Col 1:24 f.; 2Ti 2:8 f.; Mat 5:11 f., and many other passages) a practical guarantee , highly honourable to Christ and His gospel, of the complete truth and justice, power and glory of the word , [64] for the sake of which Paul is in bonds; thereby, instead of losing their courage, they are only made all the bolder in virtue of the elevating influence of moral sympathy with this situation of the apostle in bonds. Weiss explains as if the passage ran (which would tend to the recommendation of the gospel); while Hofmann thinks that, to guard themselves against the danger of being criminally prosecuted on account of their preaching , they relied on the apostle’s imprisonment, in so far as the latter had now shown itself, in the judicial process that had at length been commenced , to be solely on account of Christ , and not for anything culpable . The essential elements, forsooth, are thus introduced in consequence of the way in which Hofmann has construed for himself the situation (see on Phi 1:13 ).
.] i.e . in a higher degree than they had formerly ventured upon, before I lay here in bonds. Their in preaching had increased . This, however, is explained by Hofmann, in accordance with the above hypothesis, by the fact that the political guiltlessness of preaching Christ had now been established, thus referring, in fact, the increase of their fearless boldness to a sense of legal security . But the reason of the increased lay deeper , in the sphere of the moral idea, which manifested itself in the apostle’s bonds, and in accordance with which they trusted those bonds in the Lord , seeing them borne for the Lord’s sake. They animated the brethren to boldness through that holy confidence, rooted in Christ , with which they imbued them.
] i.e . to let the gospel become known, to preach, Act 11:19 , and frequently. On , comp. Act 4:31 .
[64] Oecumenius well says: , , , Comp. ver. 16.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Ver. 14. Are much more bold ] This is the fruit of the saints’ sufferings. Ecclesia totum mundum sanguine et oratione convertit, saith Luther. As the lily is increased by its own juice that flows from it, so is the Church by its sufferings. This caused Julian to spare some Christians whom he could have wished out of the world. I thank our Lord God (said Bp Ridley, in a letter of his to Bradford) that since I heard of our dear brother Rogers’ departing, and stout confessing of Christ and his truth even unto death, my heart, blessed be God, rejoiced of it; neither ever since that time I have felt any lumpish heaviness, as I grant I have felt sometimes before. So Bradford in a letter to Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley, prisoners at Oxford: Our dear brother Rogers hath broken the ice valiantly. As this day I think hearty Hooper, trusty Taylor, and sincere Saunders end their course and receive their crown. The next am I, which hourly look for the porter to open me the gates after them to enter into the desired rest. God forgive me mine unthankfulaess for this exceeding great mercy.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
14 .] and (so that) most of (not ‘ many of ,’ as E. V., al.) the brethren in the Lord (this is the most natural connexion: see on , – , standing first in the sentence, above, Phi 1:5 . And so De W., al. Meyer, Ellic., Winer, 20. 2, al., take . with , as the element in which their confidence was exercised, as , Phi 1:13 . To this sense there is no objection: but the other arrangement still seems to me, in spite of Ellic.’s note, more natural. No article is required before : see reff.) encouraged by (having confidence in) my bonds ( , , , , c.) are venturing more abundantly (than before) to speak the word of God (it would certainly seem here, from the variations, as if the shorter reading were the original text) fearlessly .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Phi 1:14 . . Vaughan holds that “from the universal practice of deciding matters by the vote of a majority the term comes to mean the main body , the society as a whole ,” but this scarcely seems needful. . . These words surely make up one phrase (so Alf [21] , Weizs., Ws [22] , etc., as against Lft [23] , Lips [24] , Myr [25] , etc.). Cf. Col 1:2 . It is difficult to see where the tautology, which is said to be involved in this interpretation, comes in. Probably it is an almost technical combination. Dsm [26] ( BS [27] , p. 82) notes from Papyri a precisely similar technical use of in the language of the Serapeum at Memphis. . . . . “Having confidence in my bonds,” i.e. , being encouraged by the favourable light in which his imprisonment was beginning to be regarded when seen in its true character. [This tells in favour of (4) in Phi 1:13 .] Cf. Phm 1:21 , . . Hpt [28] believes that . is used here expressly instead of as emphasising the physiological process rather than the word spoken. In the later language these refinements were apt to be overlooked. Still it is interesting to find that in LXX is almost invariably transl. by and by .
[21] Alford’s Greek Testament .
[22] Weiss.
[23] Lightfoot.
[24]ips. Lipsius.
[25] Meyer.
[26] Deissmann ( BS. = Bibelstudien, NBS. = Neue Bibelstudien ).
[27] Bibelstudien
[28] Haupt.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
many = the majority.
waxing confident = having become confident. See Php 1:6; “in the Lord” belongs to “confident”, not to “brethren”. Compare Php 2:24. Rom 14:14. Gal 1:5, Gal 1:10. 2Th 3:4.
speak. App-121.
word. App-121. The texts add “of God”.
without fear. See 1Co 16:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
14.] and (so that) most of (not many of, as E. V., al.) the brethren in the Lord (this is the most natural connexion: see on , -, standing first in the sentence, above, Php 1:5. And so De W., al. Meyer, Ellic., Winer, 20. 2, al., take . with , as the element in which their confidence was exercised, as , Php 1:13. To this sense there is no objection: but the other arrangement still seems to me, in spite of Ellic.s note, more natural. No article is required before : see reff.) encouraged by (having confidence in) my bonds ( , , , , c.) are venturing more abundantly (than before) to speak the word of God (it would certainly seem here, from the variations, as if the shorter reading were the original text) fearlessly.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Php 1:14. , of the brethren) who had formerly been afraid.- , in the Lord) construed with are bold.- , by my bonds) They saw Paul both constant and safe in his confession of Christ.-, without fear) no one terrifying them. Fear often is no longer felt by [flies from] those who make an attempt.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Php 1:14
Php 1:14
and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear.-Courage as well as fear is contagious. Seeing Paul preach Christ and him crucified openly before the highest officers and dignitaries of the empire inspired others to do likewise. Pauls defenses of himself consisted in preaching Christ to the rulers and judges, as may be seen from his defense before Festus and Agrippa. His defense made a good impression on the public and most of the brethren were encouraged to speak the word of God without fear, and his inspiring example, his hopefulness, and cheerfulness, even in bonds, encouraged these brethren to lay hold with firmer faith upon the promises of God.
[On his coming to Rome, Paul had thanked God and taken courage at the sight of them. (Act 28:15). Now they thank God and take courage at the sight of him and his patient confidence.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
brethren: Phi 4:1, Col 4:7
waxing: Act 4:23-31, 2Co 1:3-7, Eph 3:13, Eph 6:19, Eph 6:20, Col 4:4, 1Th 2:2
without: Luk 1:74, Luk 12:5-7
Reciprocal: Isa 58:4 – and to smite Dan 6:10 – as he Mar 3:3 – he saith Mar 15:43 – and went Joh 3:2 – came Joh 7:26 – he speaketh Joh 19:38 – but Act 4:29 – that Act 13:46 – waxed Act 13:49 – was Act 28:31 – with 2Co 1:4 – that Phi 1:18 – whether Phi 1:20 – with Col 4:3 – for 1Ti 3:13 – great
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Php 1:14.) , -And the greater part of the brethren putting in the Lord confidence in my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word without fear. This verse represents another result of the apostle’s imprisonment, and shows how it rather tended to the progress of the gospel. He is happy in the majority; his imprisonment had an inspiriting effect on them. The words may be joined to , as they are by Luther, van Hengel, De Wette, and Alford; but, more probably, as Winer- 20, 2-suggests, they qualify the participle , Gal 5:10; Php 2:24; 2Th 3:4; and so Rilliet, Meyer, and Bisping take them. The words denote having, or taking confidence in the Lord. The phrase does not mean the ground of confidence, but defines its nature or sphere. Meyer and others rightly take as the ground or occasion of confidence-vertrauend meinen Banden-inasmuch as these bonds were a testimony to the entire truth, power, and glory of the gospel. They were the proofs of his inflexible integrity, of his honest and sincere convictions as to the freedom and simplicity of the gospel. The majority gathered confidence from them. They were charmed and convinced by his manly integrity, his undaunted endurance, his open and candid avowal of his past career, and his willingness to seal his testimony with his blood. What might have been supposed to damp and discourage them, had the opposite effect; it cheered and stimulated them. The result was natural; past timidity vanished, and they ventured more abundantly to speak the word without fear. The adverb is not, with Grotius, to be taken as qualifying , or as forming with it a comparative . Its position connects it with -more abundantly ventured; the comparison being -more than when he had not been imprisoned. The adverb is not pleonastic-those brethren had ventured to preach before, but perhaps with some caution; now they dared more frequently, and with perfect composure. The sight of the apostle inspired them with his own heroism. It might have been feared that his bonds would have made his friends more wary, lest they should incur a similar fate; but so far from such an ignoble result, there was a positive revival of courage and zeal among them; their labours multiplied in number, and increased in boldness, and thus the apostle’s circumstances had resulted rather to the furtherance of the gospel. Some codices have, after , , and others . On the authority of A and B, Lachmann adopts the former, as do many of the versions. But the reading seems to be a gloss, adopted from the familiar expression- word of God, as in Act 4:31.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Php 1:14. Waxing confident by my bonds. The brethren coming and going could see the chain attached to Paul’s body, and could also behold his unwavering faith in Christ. Yes, they could see the chain and also hear him as he preached the Gospel to those who came near him. Such an example had the. effect of strengthening their own faith, and causing them to go out among the people and repeat the sweet story of the cross. In this way Paul meant his persecutions had produced the good effect of furtherance (advancement) of the Gospel.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Php 1:14. And that most of the brethren in the Lord. Brethren in the Lord or in Christ (Col 1:2) is not the common expression in the New Testament, and seems to signify no more than the usual brethren. It is clear from what follows that it includes all who in any way identified themselves with the cause of Christ, whether their adherence were very sincere or not.
waxing confident by my bonds. When they saw Paul still earnest in the preaching of Christ in spite of the suffering which it had brought upon him, they were more induced to believe in the reality of his teaching, seeing him thus supported under afflictions.
are more abundantly bold. They might have been bold under other circumstances had they heard the Gospel from St. Paul while he was at liberty, but the apostle seems to declare that in the present case they are more courageous than they would then have been.
to speak the word of God without fear. All the oldest MSS. add of God. Of course the sense is the same whether they be added or omitted. The two forms are found in the same narrative (Act 4:4; Act 4:31).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 14
Waxing confident; encouraged, perhaps, by Paul’s fortitude and constancy.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
1:14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the {k} word without fear.
(k) The Gospel is called the word, to set forth the excellence of it.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
A second reason Paul felt encouraged even though he was in prison was this. His example of aggressive witness had inspired the Roman Christians to be more outspoken in sharing the gospel. Rather than taking a lower profile because their leader was in chains, most of the local believers felt inspired by Paul’s courage. They were standing up boldly for Christ and trusting Him as they had not done before.