Philippians 2:18

For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) Do ye joy . . .—The Epistle lays great stress on joy, not only as a privilege, but as a duty, following from Christian faith and proving its reality. Joy is in itself natural in the first thoughts of childhood and youth; it is apt to be chequered or even destroyed by the second thoughts of fuller experience of life, as darkened by suffering, sin, and death; but in the third and deepest thoughts of the Christian, recognising these darker elements of life, but knowing that they were not in the beginning, and shall not be in the end, joy comes back, solemnised but deepened into thankfulness. A Christianity which has no power to rejoice, either in flashes of joy amidst tribulation, or, better still, in the calm steady light of cheerfulness, may be true, but is imperfect. It has not yet entered into the promise given by our Lord Himself of the “joy which no man taketh from us” (John 16:22).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:12-18 We must be diligent in the use of all the means which lead to our salvation, persevering therein to the end. With great care, lest, with all our advantages, we should come short. Work out your salvation, for it is God who worketh in you. This encourages us to do our utmost, because our labour shall not be in vain: we must still depend on the grace of God. The working of God's grace in us, is to quicken and engage our endeavours. God's good-will to us, is the cause of his good work in us. Do your duty without murmurings. Do it, and do not find fault with it. Mind your work, and do not quarrel with it. By peaceableness; give no just occasion of offence. The children of God should differ from the sons of men. The more perverse others are, the more careful we should be to keep ourselves blameless and harmless. The doctrine and example of consistent believers will enlighten others, and direct their way to Christ and holiness, even as the light-house warns mariners to avoid rocks, and directs their course into the harbour. Let us try thus to shine. The gospel is the word of life, it makes known to us eternal life through Jesus Christ. Running, denotes earnestness and vigour, continual pressing forward; labouring, denotes constancy, and close application. It is the will of God that believers should be much in rejoicing; and those who are so happy as to have good ministers, have great reason to rejoice with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the same cause - Because we are united, and what affects one of us should affect both.

Do ye joy, and rejoice with me - That is, "do not grieve at my death. Be not overwhelmed with sorrow, but let your hearts be filled with congratulation. It will be a privilege and a pleasure thus to die." This is a noble sentiment, and one that could have been uttered only by a heroic and generous mind - by a man who will not dread death, and who felt that it was honorable thus to die Doddridge has illustrated the sentiment by an appropriate reference to a fact stated by Plutarch. A brave Athenian returned from the battle of Marathon, bleeding with wounds and exhausted, and rushed into the presence of the magistrates, and uttered only these two words - χαιρετε chairete, χαιρομεν chairomen - "rejoice, we rejoice," and immediately expired. So Paul felt that there was occasion for him, and for all whom he loved, to rejoice, if he was permitted to die in the cause of others, and in such a manner that his death would benefit the world.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. "Do ye also rejoice" at this honor to you, "and congratulate me" on my blessed "gain" (Php 1:21).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

For the same cause also do ye joy; he expects the like affection and sympathy in every one of them, that upon the account of his sufferings they would the more readily, cheerfully, and courageously believe in and suffer for Christ: considering the difference between death threatened by man, for our sticking close to God, Matthew 10:28, and denounced for slipping aside from God, in whole or in part, 2 Thessalonians 1:5.

And rejoice with me; and that would be a congratulation of him, who should account their being established in the faith with mutual love and unity, a fulfilling of his faith, as before, Philippians 2:2.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. He would not have them be sorrowful, should they hear of his death for the sake of the Gospel, and of his blood being poured out in such a cause, since it was as a libation on their faith, and for the confirmation of it, and would be gain to Christ, and his interest, and to the apostle also: and therefore they should be so far from indulging grief and sorrow on that account, that they should rather joy and rejoice with him, who was ready to be offered up, or poured out; since he had run out his race, and that not in vain, but to so good a purpose, and especially among them.

Geneva Study Bible

For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Php 2:18. And upon the same (upon my possibly occurring σπένδεσθαι ἐπὶ τ. θυσ. κ.τ.λ., Php 2:17) rejoice ye also (because it takes place for the sake of your faith), and congratulate me thereon (on such a sacred destination). The verbs are imperatives. “Postulat enim Paulus parem συμπάθειαν a Philipp.,” Beza. The ground of the χαίρετε may not be arbitrarily introduced (Hofmann: whatever untowardness may occur), but must by logical necessity be the same which, in Php 2:17, suggested the συγχαίρω ὑμῖν; and that of the συγχαίρετέ μοι must be the same as caused Paul to say χαίρω in Php 2:17.[135] The expositors, who do not take ΣΥΓΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ as gratulari, are here placed in the awkward position of making the apostle summon his readers to a joy which, according to Php 2:17, they would already possess. By this impossibility Weiss, in spite of the τὸ αὐτό, allows himself to be driven into taking the joy in Php 2:18, not as in Php 2:17, but (comp. also Hofmann) quite generally, of a joyful frame of mind.

τὸ αὐτό] in the same (on the accusative, comp. Matthew 2:10) rejoice ye also; see also on Php 1:25. Hence it is not to be taken as equivalent to ὡσαύτως (Beza, Storr, Flatt, Heinrichs, Rheinwald, Rilliet, de Wette, Wiesinger, Weiss, Hofmann) (comp. on Php 1:6), in order thereby to avoid identifying it with the joy mentioned in Php 2:17. As to ΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ with the accusative in classical authors, see generally Lobeck, ad Aj. 131; Kühner, II. 1, p. 255 f.

[135] The difficulty which van Hengel (comp. Hofmann) urges, that the readers “vix aut ne vix quidem induci potuerunt de hujus viri morte violenta gaudentes vel gavisuri,” entirely mistakes the lofty standpoint of the apostle, who looks death in the face with a holy joy (comp. the frequent corresponding sentiments in the epistles of Ignatius), and also attributes to his readers a corresponding mode of looking at the possibility of his death.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Php 2:18. τὸ δʼ αὐτό. Adverbial use = ὡσαύτως. Cf. Matthew 27:44.—συγχαίρ. This is, of course, a different joy from that which he shares with them. It is their joy in his obtaining the martyr’s crown.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18. For the same cause] Better, with R.V., In the same manner. The same phrase occurs Matthew 27:44.

do ye joy &c.] A loving imperative. He bids them be glad, and share their joy with him as he with them. It is an emphatic reiteration of what he has implied in the words just above, that his death would be their joy, as being, if the Lord so willed, their spiritual blessing.

Bengel's Gnomen

Php 2:18. Συγχαίρετε μοι) rejoice with me, congratulate me, on being poured out as a libation.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me; or, as R.V., in the manner. Their joy is to be like his, to mingle with his joy. The second clause may be rendered, as in Ver. 17, "and congratulate me." Philippians 2:18