Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Philippians 2:27
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
27. For indeed, &c.] Epaphroditus would have made light of the illness; St Paul assures them that the report was seriously true, and that the illness had a generous origin.
he was ] He has been.
God had mercy on him ] Though for him also “to die” would have been “gain” (Php 1:21), yet death in itself is a dark passage, even to the Christian (see Joh 21:18; and 2Co 5:4). And meanwhile great are the joys of service on the pilgrimage, and deep their connexion with the coming joys of the heavenly country. “Those who are departed this life,” says St Chrysostom here, “can no longer win souls. ” But perhaps the immediate thought is simply that death would have bereaved the Philippians of their friend, to whose loving heart it was thus “a mercy,” for their sakes, to recover.
on me also ] Here, as so often in St Paul, a heart glowing with holy and generous affection expresses itself in a recognition of the importance of his friends to him. See e.g. Rom 16:4.
sorrow upon sorrow ] A sore bereavement would have been added to the grief caused him by the “brethren” of Php 1:15-16, and to the pervading grief of his separation by imprisonment from so many beloved friends. Observe the perfect naturalness of his language. He abides in “the peace of God”; he “has strength for all things” (Php 4:7; Php 4:13). But that peace is no frost, or torpor, of the heart; that strength is not hardness. He is released from embitterment and from murmurs, but every sensibility is refined by that very fact. It was so with his Lord before him; Joh 11:33; Joh 11:35; Joh 11:38.
This passage among others (e.g. 2Ti 4:20) shews that the mysterious “gift of healing,” used by St Paul at Melita (Act 28:8), was not at the absolute disposal of even the faith of its recipient.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death – Dr. Paley has remarked (Hor. Paul. on Phil no. ii.) that the account of the sickness and recovery of Epaphroditus is such as to lead us to suppose that he was not restored by miracle; and he infers that the power of healing the sick was conferred on the apostles only occasionally, and did not depend at all on their will, since, if it had, there is every reason to suppose that Paul would at once have restored him to health. This account, he adds, shows also that this Epistle is not the work of an impostor. Had it been, a miracle would not have been spared. Paul would not have been introduced as showing such anxiety about a friend lying at the point of death, and as being unable to restore him. It would have been said that he interposed at once, and raised him up to health.
But God had mercy on him – By restoring him to health evidently not by miracle, but by the use of ordinary means.
On me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow – In addition to all the sorrows of imprisonment, and the prospect of a trial, and the want of friends. The sources of his sorrow, had Epaphroditus died, would have been such as these:
(1) He would have lost a valued friend, and one whom he esteemed as a brother and worthy fellow-laborer.
(2) He would have felt that the church at Philippi had lost a valuable member.
(3) His grief might have been aggravated from the consideration that his life had been lost in endeavoring to do him good. He would have felt that he was the occasion, though innocent, of his exposure to danger.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 27. Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.] The sorrows of his death, added to the sorrow he endured on account of his sickness; or he may refer to his own state of affliction, being imprisoned and maltreated.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death; by reason he was really taken with such a disease, as in its own nature was mortal, and in its tendency brought him even to deaths door, as Isa 38:1.
But God had mercy on him; but God, who is the great Physician, and unto whom it belongs to show mercy unto those who address to him, (without whom bodily physicians can do nothing), by compassionating of him in his misery, was pleased to restore him to health, as 2Ki 20:5,6. But if any say: Would it not have been great mercy to have taken him from the miseries of this life, which are here prolonged? Consider Phi 1:21. It may be answered:
1. Death itself, as it is a privation of life, and opposite to nature, was not desirable by Paul any more than by our Saviour, but might be looked upon as a kind of misery, not to be preferred to life looked upon in itself, but with respect to another, viz. as it is a passage to eternal life; so it is desirable for that life into which it leads the godly, and so is to be preferred to the miserable condition of this life. Paul speaks here of mercy respecting the former, considering that this life itself is a favour of God, for the service of him, and our neighbour. Further:
2. Gods mercy here respects not only the grievous sickness of Epaphroditus, but the joint affliction that the loss of him would be both to the Philippians and to Paul, in thus juncture, as we may see from what follows.
And not on him only, but on me also; what power had Paul for working of miracles, was chiefly to convince infidels, and he could only exert it when God saw good for his own glory. Therefore he magnifies Gods mercy here in a more ordinary way, as a return to prayer, when he was so afflicted for his colleagues illness; being upon an office of kindness and compassion, his loss would be in its tendency a ground of so much sorrow to the church, as well as to himself.
Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow; his Christianity had not extinguished his natural affections, but if the church had then been bereft of Epaphroditus, it would have added the affliction for his loss to his affliction by his suffering for Christ, it would have doubled his affliction, (yet somewhat in a different sense from that, Phi 1:16), it being an ill temper not to be grieved for the affliction of the church, Amo 6:6; yet all our affections are to be moderated according to the will of God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
27. Epaphroditus’ sicknessproves that the apostles had not ordinarily the permanent giftof miracles, any more than of inspiration: both were vouchsafed tothem only for each particular occasion, as the Spirit thought fit.
lest I should have sorrowupon sorrownamely, the sorrow of losing him by death, inaddition to the sorrow of my imprisonment. Here only occurs anythingof a sorrowful tone in this Epistle, which generally is most joyous.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For indeed he was sick nigh unto death,…. It was not a mere rumour, or a false alarm, but was real matter of fact; and it was not a light disorder, a slight indisposition, but a very dangerous illness; though the sickness was not unto death, yet near it. Good men, such as Christ loves, as he did Lazarus, are sometimes sick; though their spiritual diseases are healed, and their sins forgiven, so that the inhabitants of Zion have no more reason to say that they are sick, since Christ has took their infirmities, and bore their sickness, yet they are not exempt from bodily disorders; and which are sometimes such as bring them to the brink of the grave, and, as it were, to the gates of death; and such was this good man’s case:
but God had mercy on him: his disorder was such as was out of the reach of man; his recovery was not by man, but by God, and owing to his power, mercy, and goodness; and indeed, whenever means are made rise of, and they succeed to the restoration of health, it ought to be ascribed to the divine blessing on them. The raising up of this man is reckoned as an instance of mercy to him; as it was the removing of a grievous affliction, a return of him to his delightful work of the ministry, and the continuation of an useful life for the good of others; and so a mercy to him, and to the churches of Christ, and to the apostle also: who adds,
and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow: one affliction added to another; the death of this brother of his to his bonds: moreover the sickness of this companion of his filled him with sorrow: and had he died, it would have greatly increased it, and which would have had a fresh addition by the loss this church would sustain, and the grief and trouble they would be overwhelmed with: grace, and the doctrine of grace, though they regulate the passions, and restrain them from immoderate sorrow, they do not destroy them, nor deny the proper use of them. Christianity does not countenance a stoical apathy, but requires and encourages a Christian sympathy, and directs us to weep with them that weep within due bounds.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Sorrow upon sorrow [ ] . The accusative implies motion. Sorrow coming upon sorrow, as wave after wave.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For indeed he was sick nigh unto death,” (kai gar esthenesen paraplesion thanaton) “For he indeed ailed, coming near to death.” The best of God’s people are creatures of depravity, subject to the law of sin and death that works in their body bringing sickness, pain, and distress, culminating in death, the exit or doorway to glory for al I believers, Jas 1:15; Rom 7:22-24.
2) “But God had mercy on him” (alla ho theos eleesen auton) “But the God had mercy on him”; perhaps in answer to the fervent prayers of the righteous, Jas 5:13-16. Mercy is charitable help rendered to a needy person, without his pay or recompense. This is what God does for the trusting soul in hours of affliction, 1Pe 5:7; Psa 103:2-4.
3) “And not on him only, but on me also” (ouk auton de monon alla kai eme)”And not on him alone but also (on) me.” Paul rejoiced for God’s mercy even while in prison chains of deprivation, 2Co 1:3-4; Rom 12:1; Mercy shown to a dear friend is regarded as mercy to Paul, Mat 10:40.
4) “Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” (hine me lupen epi lupen scho) “Lest I should have grief upon grief,” or overmuch sorrow, to the point of emotional break, 2Co 2:7; Job 41:22.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
27 But God had mercy on him. He had expressed the severity of the disease — that Epaphroditus had been sick, so that life was despaired of, in order that the goodness of God might shine forth more clearly in his restored health. It is, however, surprising that he should ascribe it to the mercy of God that Epaphroditus had had his period of life prolonged, while he had previously declared that he desired death in preference to life. (Phi 1:23.) And what were better for us than that we should remove hence to the kingdom of God, delivered from the many miseries of this world, and more especially, rescued from that bondage of sin in which he elsewhere exclaims that he is wretched, (Rom 7:24,) to attain the full enjoyment of that liberty of the Spirit, by which we become connected with the Son of God? (155) It were tedious to enumerate all the things which tend to make death better than life to believers, and more to be desired. Where, then, is there any token of the mercy of God, when it does nothing but lengthen out our miseries? I answer, that all these things do not prevent this life from being, nevertheless, considered in itself, an excellent gift of God. More especially those who live to Christ are happily exercised here in hope of heavenly glory; and accordingly, as we have had occasion to see a little ago, life is gain to them. (156) Besides, there is another thing, too, that is to be considered — that it is no small honor that is conferred upon us, when God glorifies himself in us; for it becomes us to look not so much to life itself, as to the end for which we live.
But on me also, lest I should have sorrow. Paul acknowledges that the death of Epaphroditus would have been bitterly painful to him, and he recognises it as an instance of God’s sparing mercy toward himself, that he had been restored to health. He does not, therefore, make it his boast that he has the apathy ( ἀπάθειαν) of the Stoics, as if he were a man of iron, and exempt from human affections. (157) “What then!” some one will say, “where is that unconquerable magnanimity?—where is that indefatigable perseverance?” I answer, that Christian patience differs widely from philosophical obstinacy, and still more from the stubborn and fierce sterness of the Stoics. For what excellence were there in patiently enduring the cross, if there were in it no feeling of pain and bitterness? But when the consolation of God overcomes that feeling, so that we do not resist, but, on the contrary, give our back to the endurance of the rod, (Isa 50:5,) we in that case present to God a sacrifice of obedience that is acceptable to him. Thus Paul acknowledges that he felt some uneasiness and pain from his bonds, but that he nevertheless cheerfully endured these same bonds for the sake of Christ. (158) He acknowledges that he would have felt the death of Epaphroditus an event hard to be endured, but he would at length have brought his temper of mind into accordance with the will of God, although all reluctance was not yet fully removed; for we give proof of our obedience, only when we bridle our depraved affections, and do not give way to the infirmity of the flesh. (159)
Two things, therefore, are to be observed: in the first place, that the dispositions which God originally implanted in our nature are not evil in themselves, because they do not arise from the fault of corrupt nature, but come forth from God as their Author; of this nature is the grief that is felt on occasion of the death of friends: in the second place, that Paul had many other reasons for regret in connection with the death of Epaphroditus, and that these were not merely excusable, but altogether necessary. This, in the first place, is invariable in the case of all believers, that, on occasion of the death of any one, they are reminded of the anger of God against sin; but Paul was the more affected with the loss sustained by the Church, which he saw would be deprived of a singularly good pastor at a time when the good were so few in number. Those who would have dispositions of this kind altogether subdued and eradicated, do not picture to themselves merely men of flint, but men that are fierce and savage. In the depravity of our nature, however, everything in us is so perverted, that in whatever direction our minds are bent, they always go beyond bounds. Hence it is that there is nothing that is so pure or right in itself, as not to bring with it some contagion. Nay more, Paul, as being a man, would, I do not deny, have experienced in his grief something of human error, (160) for he was subject to infirmity, and required to be tried with temptations, in order that he might have occasion of victory by striving and resisting.
(155) “ Par laquelle nous soyons parfaitement conioints auec le Fils de Dieu;” — “By which we are perfectly united with the Son of God.”
(156) Calvin seems to refer here to what he had said when commenting on Phi 1:21. — Ed.
(157) Calvin, in the French version, makes reference to what he has said on the subject in the Institutes. See Institutes, vol. 2, p. 281. — Ed.
(158) “ Pour l’amour de Christ;” — “From love to Christ.”
(159) “ Ne nous laissons point vaincre par l’infirmite de nostre chair;” — “Do not allow ourselves to be overcome by the infirmity of our flesh.”
(160) “ Mesme ie ne nie pas que sainct Paul (comme il estoit homme) ne se trouué surprins de quelque exces vicieux en sa douleur;” — “Nay more, I do not deny that St. Paul (inasmuch as he was a man) might find himself overtaken with some faulty excess in his grief.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(27) God had mercy on him . . . and on me also.The passage, over and above its interest as an example of the strong personal affection which belonged to St. Pauls nature, and harmonised with his wide scope of Christian love, is notable as showing clearly that the Apostles power of miracle, great as it was, was not his own, to use at his own will. When it was needed to be the sign of an Apostle (2Co. 13:12) it was given; and at special times, as at Ephesus, it was given in special fulness (Act. 19:11). As we note, both in the Old Testament and in the New, special epochs of miracles in the history of the Church; so it would seem there were special occasions on which miracle came out prominently in the Apostles preaching. We may, perhaps, infer from certain points in the descriptions of the healing of the cripple at the Beautiful Gate (Act. 3:4), and at Lystra (Act. 14:8) that some spiritual intimation warned them when the hour of miracle was come. But an Apostle could not, as our Lord would not, work miracles for his own needs. Thus in this case, deeply as he sorrowed for Epaphroditus, there is no hint of his exercising that power on his behalf. He could only pray that God would have mercy on him, and thank God when that prayer was heard.
Sorrow upon sorrow.That is, probably, upon the sorrow of captivity the sorrow of losing one who had (see Php. 2:30) risked his life in the ardour of service to the captive.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Sorrow upon sorrow His imprisonment brought him grief enough; the death of Epaphroditus, his congenial friend and brother, would have been an additional sorrow to him, the greater because it was in rendering him assistance. In mercy to himself then, as well as to his sick friend, and, doubtless, in answer to his own intercessions, was the restoration to health.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘For indeed he was sick, nigh to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.’
Paul stresses that Epaphroditus had genuinely been seriously ill. Indeed his illness had been so serious that it had nearly proved fatal. But God’s mercy had been such that he had recovered, and Paul stresses that that mercy had not only benefited Epaphroditus, but had also benefited Paul himself who would otherwise have had another burden of sorrow added to the trials that he was already facing. Paul’s contentedness with his lot did not mean that he did not feel deeply the sorrows with which he was burdened. Contentedness, confidence and sorrow can go hand in hand.
We are given no indication of what the illness was or what caused it. It may have been an illness contracted on the way to Paul which he refused to allow to hinder his fulfilling his commission to take the Philippians’ gift to Paul. Or it may have been something contracted in Rome as a result of his service for Paul, possibly the dreaded Roman fever. There was much disease in Rome, and he may have contracted it as he moved around on Paul’s behalf among poverty stricken Christians, or even among Christians in filthy prisons (not all were Roman citizens enjoying immunity from bad treatment). Or it may have resulted from he himself being arrested, imprisoned in bad conditions, and examined by the Roman authorities as a possible criminal because of his obvious sympathy with Paul’s aims. While the authorities left it to friends to see to the wellbeing of prisoners, it could always be dangerous to be associated with them, especially for men. (It may well have been because he could not stand the pressure involved in being with Paul that Demas had gone to Thessalonica to save his own skin, in total contrast to Epaphroditus). This may well have been part of the reason why it was such a necessity for him to return to Philippi, in that he had become a marked man who was being kept under observation, something which might well have put other visitors in danger.
There is an indication here that the healing of disease was by this time no longer looked on as a foregone conclusion, even with a man like Paul present. The days when the Apostles healed instantly all who were sick were seemingly past. It is true that healing did in fact take place in the end, but it was clearly recognised that it might not have done.
There is an interesting contrast between this verse and Php 1:21, ‘to me to live is Christ, to die is gain’. If the latter is true, how then was it in God’s mercy to keep Epaphroditus alive? Would it not have been more merciful for him to go immediately to be with the Lord? The answer may lie in the fact that, as with Paul and other fellow-workers, Epaphroditus’ continuance in this life was seen as important for the churches, and for Paul. Alternatively it might simply be seen as a natural reaction against premature death when it was not by martyrdom (where clear testimony could be given). Nothing was gained by dying of disease.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Php 2:27. Sorrow upon sorrow. Some think the meaning is, “Sorrow for Epaphroditus’s death, upon sorrow for his sickness.” This may well be allowed, without excluding the other circumstances of St. Paul’s situation; for the loss of such an excellent person,and especially when his attending and serving the Apostle was the occasion of it,would have been a great addition, both to the sorrow of his confinement, and to the sorrow that he had from the opposition made against him by the Judaizers; of the latter of which we find he could not write to the Philippians without weeping. See ch. Php 3:18.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Phi 2:27 . Confirmation of that , .
. . .] for he has also (really , see Hartung, Partikell . I. p. 132; Baeumlein, p. 150) been sick .
. ] adds the specification of the mode: in a way almost equivalent to death . There is neither an ellipsis (de Wette: or some such word is to be understood before .; comp. van Hengel) nor a solecism (van Hengel); . is adverbial (equivalent to , see Polyb. iv. 40. 10, iii. 33. 17; Lucian, Cyn . 17; comp. , Plat. Polit . p. 275 C), and the dativus congruentiae (instead of which the genitive might also have been used, Bernhardy, p. 148) is governed by it.
] grief upon grief (superadded). LXX. Ezr 7:26 ; Psa 68:28 ; Isa 28:10 . Comp. expressions with the dative (as Sir 26:15 ) in classic Greek, e.g. (Hom. Od . vii. 120), (Pind. Ol . viii. 84), (Eur. Iph . T. 197); Polyb. i. 57. 1. See also Eur. Hec . 586: , Soph. El . 235: , Eur. Troad . 175: . The first refers to the dreaded death of his friend; the second , to the apostle’s affliction over the painful position in which he found himself, as a prisoner, and also through the doings of the adversaries (Phi 2:20 f., Phi 1:15 ; Phi 1:17 ; Phi 1:30 ), not over the sickness of Epaphroditus (Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Theophylact, Erasmus, Estius, and others, also Weiss), to which would be added that for his death . in Phi 2:28 is fatal to the latter view, for it appears that, even after Epaphr. had been sent away, a still remained, which, therefore, could not be referred to the latter’s sickness. Van Hengel errs in understanding the affliction as pain concerning this sickness, and the first as “cogitatio anxietatis vestrae.” See, in opposition, on Phi 2:28 . Calvin’s remark suffices to justify the double : “Non jactat Stoicorum , quasi ferreus esset et immunis ab humanis affectibus.” Comp. Joh 11:35 f.
] not optative. See Winer, p. 270 [E. T. p. 359].
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Ver. 27. For indeed he was sick ] Which should not have been, if St Paul could have cured him, as he did others. This shows that the apostles cured the sick, and did miracles, not by their own power, or at their own pleasure, &c.
But God had mercy on him. ] A great mercy it is to recover health, and highly to be prized. After sickness, offer to God the ransom of thy life, as they did,Exo 32:31-33Exo 32:31-33 . Bless Jehovah thy physician, so he is called, Exo 15:26 . Thus did David, Psa 103:3 . Thus Hezekiah,Isa 36:9Isa 36:9 . Thus the very heathens, whose custom was after a fit of sickness to consecrate something to their gods.
But on me also ] For it is a very sore affliction to lose a dear friend, which is as a man’s own soul, Deu 13:6 , and is there set after brother, son, daughter, wife of a man’s bosom, as dearer than all of them.
Lest I should have sorrow ] God’s care is that we suffer in measure, Isa 27:8 ; and according as we can, 1Co 10:13 . See Trapp on “ 1Co 10:13 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
27 .] recognizes and reasserts that which has before been put as from another, as “ , . . .” “ , .” Plato, Gorg. 459: see Hartung, Partikell. i. 137, for he really was sick .
does not involve any ellipsis (De W.) as of or the like, but (as Mey.) it stands adverbially as ; so in Polyb. iii. 33. 10, : and is the dative of congruence after it, sometimes a genitive, as Plato, Soph. p. 217, .
] for construction, see reff. The dative after is more usual: so , Eur. Iph. Taur. 197 (189): the accus. giving the sense of accession, “sorrow coming upon sorrow,” not, sorrow superimposed upon sorrow. The second refers to his own distress in his imprisonment, so often implied in this Epistle: see Prolegg. iii. 4, 5: ‘si ad vincula accessisset jactura amici,’ Grot. This is better, than with Chrys., al., to refer it to Epaphroditus’s sickness, , which does not agree with , Phi 2:28 , implying that would remain even after the departure of Epaphroditus.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Phi 2:27 . . . . “For truly he was sick,” etc., intensifying the force of . . The more common construction of ., backed by a preponderating weight of authority, favours the dative. The endings – and – were frequently interchanged in the MSS. (see Ws [9] . TK [10] . , p. 18). . The reading is merely a simplifying of the construction. The accusative must be read. The usage is practically = with dative. It denotes the heaping up of one thing upon another with the notion of addition predominant. Cf. Mat 24:2 , ; Isa 28:10 , ; Ps. Son 3:7 , . See Buttm., Gram. , p. 338. . Equiv. to our “get”. This is the force of the aorist.
[9] . Weiss.
[10] . extkritik d. paulin. Briefe (Weiss)
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
nigh, Greek. paraplesion. Only here.
unto = to.
lest = in order that (Greek. hina) not (App-105).
upon. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
27.] recognizes and reasserts that which has before been put as from another, as , … , . Plato, Gorg. 459: see Hartung, Partikell. i. 137,-for he really was sick.
does not involve any ellipsis (De W.) as of or the like, but (as Mey.) it stands adverbially as ; so in Polyb. iii. 33. 10, : and is the dative of congruence after it,-sometimes a genitive, as Plato, Soph. p. 217, .
] for construction, see reff. The dative after is more usual: so , Eur. Iph. Taur. 197 (189): the accus. giving the sense of accession,-sorrow coming upon sorrow,-not, sorrow superimposed upon sorrow. The second refers to his own distress in his imprisonment, so often implied in this Epistle: see Prolegg. iii. 4, 5: si ad vincula accessisset jactura amici, Grot. This is better, than with Chrys., al., to refer it to Epaphrodituss sickness,- ,-which does not agree with , Php 2:28, implying that would remain even after the departure of Epaphroditus.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Php 2:27. , near) He speaks (at first) rather mildly, lest he should at once terrify the Philippians: then Php 2:30, he says, , he drew (was) nigh unto, and by this verb greater danger is indicated.- , had mercy on him) by restoring health and life.- , and on me) The saints were allowed to consider all things as given to them.-, sorrow) for the death of Epaphroditus-sorrow, opposed to the joy, of which the whole epistle treats.- , on sorrow) for the sickness of Epaphroditus, for his own bonds, etc.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Php 2:27
Php 2:27
for indeed he was sick nigh unto death:-[Such an illness must also have continued over an extended period of time. The words here used indicate that the report which reached the Philippians had come short of the reality.]
but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.-God was merciful to spare the life of Epaphroditus, and it was likewise a mercy to Paul lest the sorrow for the loss of so worthy a friend should be added to the sorrow of his imprisonment and trial. The passage, over and above its interest as an example of the strong personal affection which belonged to Pauls nature, and harmonized with his deep Christian love, is noticeable in showing clearly that his power of miracle, great as it was, was not his own, to use at his own will. When it was needed to be the signs of an apostle (2Co 12:12), it was given; and at special times, as at Ephesus (Act 19:11), it was given in special fullness. [But this instance, together with the case of Trophimus, of whom Paul says: Trophimus I left at Miletus sick (2Ti 4:20), is clear proof that the power of performing cures, and of working miracles, was a power which only was given to the apostles occasionally, and did not at all depend upon their own will. He would undoubtedly have healed Epaphroditus if he could. Nor, if the power of working cures had awaited his disposal, would he have left Trophimus at Miletus sick.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
nigh: Phi 2:30, 2Ki 20:1, Psa 107:18, Ecc 9:1, Ecc 9:2, Joh 11:3, Joh 11:4, Act 9:37
but God: Job 5:19, Psa 30:1-3, Psa 30:10, Psa 30:11, Psa 34:19, Psa 103:3, Psa 103:4, Psa 107:19-22, Isa 38:17, Isa 43:2, Act 9:39-41
but on: Isa 27:8, Jer 8:18, Jer 10:24, Jer 45:3, Hab 3:2, 1Co 10:13, 2Co 2:7
Reciprocal: Psa 13:2 – sorrow Psa 41:3 – strengthen Phi 2:28 – and that 2Ti 4:20 – sick 3Jo 1:2 – that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Php 2:27.) -For he really was sick, nigh unto death. It was a true report about his sickness which they had heard, and the apostle earnestly corroborates it- is a strong affirmation. Hartung, 1.132, 138. And his sickness had been all but mortal- is, as Ellicott says, the adverbial neuter followed by the dative of similarity. Bernhardy, p. 96; Krger, 48, 13, 8. Many examples might be cited. The idiom is no technical figure of speech, nor do we need to supply . As little ground is there for Bengel’s saying that the apostle did not wish to alarm them about Epaphroditus. His malady had indeed brought him to the gates of death, but he had been mercifully spared-
, , -but God had mercy on him, and not on him alone, but on me also, that I should not have sorrow upon sorrow. The apostle refers his recovery to God’s great mercy, which does not seem, however, to have wrought by miracle, but, as one may naturally imagine, in answer to the apostle’s fervent intercession. The reading , in preference to the more common and classical construction with the dative, is well sustained. The subjunctive , as Ellicott says, is used after the preterite, to mark the abiding character his sorrow would have assumed. Winer, 41, 1, a, (). The apostle felt one sorrow, but the death of Epaphroditus would have been an additional sorrow. The sorrow which he already possessed, and of such an addition to which he was afraid, was not, as Chrysostom and others assumed, the sickness of Epaphroditus; for, even after his convalescence, he speaks of himself as only lightened in sorrow, but not entirely freed from it. A sorrow would still remain after Epaphroditus had departed, as is intimated in the next verse, the sorrow produced by his present situation-his captivity and all its embarrassments. This statement is in no way inconsistent with what he had written Php 1:20, etc., for his condition is there looked at from a very different point of view.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Php 2:27. Sick nigh unto death. The question might arise why Paul did not heal him since he had miraculous power. Such a query overlooks the primary object of miracles, namely, the making of believers (Joh 20:30-31). Unless some good reason for using miraculous healing existed in a given case, it was the Lord’s will to let it depend on the provisions of nature; hence a miracle was not always resorted to. A similar case of this kind is mentioned in 2Ti 4:20.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Php 2:27. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death. Such a sickness must also in all probability have extended over some time. And St. Pauls words indicate that the report which the Philippians had heard had come short of the reality.
but God had mercy on him. The phrase is common in the Gospels in the petitions to be healed which men utter to Jesus. St. Paul does not consider that for all men it is a mercy to them that they be taken away, though he can say of himself that to die is gain.
and not on him only, but on me also. For there appears only to have been Epaphroditus and Timothy to whom the apostle could look with confidence at this time. To lose one at such a time would have been a crushing stroke.
left I should have sorrow upon sorrow. St. Paul does not mean by this that he would have had the sorrow of mourning over Epaphroditus death added to the grief which he had felt while he was sick. He rather regards his life as an heritage of sorrow, from which sorrow never departs, and he says that to this, his wonted grief, the death of his friend would have brought an addition of sorrow. That this was St. Pauls view of his life we may see from Act 20:23, where he declares that the Spirit bears him witness that in every city bonds and afflictions await him.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 27
Sorrow upon sorrow. The death of Epaphroditus at Rome, far from his home, whither he had come on Paul’s account, would of course have been a very severe trial to the mind of the apostle.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Paul gave God the credit for restoring Epaphroditus to health when he had been at death’s door. Epaphroditus’ death would have increased Paul’s sorrow over his brother’s illness. Evidently Paul did not have the ability to heal everyone whom he wished would be healthy, even his fellow workers. [Note: H. C. G. Moule, The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, p. 53.] Divine healing has always been subject to the will of God and not something someone can do whenever he or she wants to.