14 All things do without murmurings and reasonings,
neither murmur ye, as also some of them did murmur, and did perish by the destroyer.
nothing in rivalry or vain-glory, but in humility of mind one another counting more excellent than yourselves --
there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question,
A vain man through pride causeth debate, And with the counselled `is' wisdom.
for yet ye are fleshly, for where `there is' among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not fleshly, and in the manner of men do walk? for when one may say, `I, indeed, am of Paul;' and another, `I -- of Apollos;' are ye not fleshly? Who, then, is Paul, and who Apollos, but ministrants through whom ye did believe, and to each as the Lord gave?
And I call upon you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the same thing ye may all say, and there may not be divisions among you, and ye may be perfected in the same mind, and in the same judgment, for it was signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe, that contentions are among you; and I say this, that each one of you saith, `I, indeed, am of Paul' -- `and I of Apollos,' -- `and I of Cephas,' -- `and I of Christ.'
And I call upon you, brethren, to mark those who the divisions and the stumbling-blocks, contrary to the teaching that ye did learn, are causing, and turn ye away from them;
And him who is weak in the faith receive ye -- not to determinations of reasonings;
there came, therefore, a sharp contention, so that they were parted from one another, and Barnabas having taken Mark, did sail to Cyprus,
and there having been much disputing, Peter having risen up said unto them, `Men, brethren, ye know that from former days, God among us did make choice, through my mouth, for the nations to hear the word of the good news, and to believe;
for this could have been sold for more than three hundred denaries, and given to the poor;' and they were murmuring at her.
Better `is' an allowance of green herbs and love there, Than a fatted ox, and hatred with it. A man of fury stirreth up contention, And the slow to anger appeaseth strife.
And they murmur in their tents, They have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah.
`Until when hath this evil company that which they are murmuring against Me? the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they are murmuring against Me, I have heard;
and morning -- and ye have seen the honour of Jehovah, in His hearing your murmurings against Jehovah, and what `are' we, that ye murmur against us?' And Moses saith, `In Jehovah's giving to you in the evening flesh to eat, and bread in the morning to satiety -- in Jehovah's hearing your murmurings, which ye are murmuring against Him, and what `are' we? your murmurings `are' not against us, but against Jehovah.'
These are murmurers, repiners; according to their desires walking, and their mouth doth speak great swellings, giving admiration to persons for the sake of profit;
let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;
peace pursue with all, and the separation, apart from which no one shall see the Lord,
if any one be teaching otherwise, and do not consent to sound words -- those of our Lord Jesus Christ -- and to the teaching according to piety, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and word-striving, out of which doth come envy, strife, evil-speakings, evil-surmisings, wranglings of men wholly corrupted in mind, and destitute of the truth, supposing the piety to be gain; depart from such;
and to esteem them very abundantly in love, because of their work; be at peace among yourselves;
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.
and if one another ye do bite and devour, see -- that ye may not by one another be consumed.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Philippians 2
Commentary on Philippians 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
The apostle proceeds to further exhortations to several duties, to be like-minded, and lowly-minded, which he presses from the example of Christ (v. 1-11), to be diligent and serious in the Christian course (v. 12, 13), and to adorn their Christian profession by several suitable graces (v. 14-18). He then concludes with particular notice and commendation of two good ministers, Timothy and Epaphroditus, whom he designed to send to them (v. 19-30).
Phl 2:1-11
The apostle proceeds in this chapter where he left off in the last, with further exhortations to Christian duties. He presses them largely to like-mindedness and lowly-mindedness, in conformity to the example of the Lord Jesus, the great pattern of humility and love. Here we may observe,
Phl 2:12-13
Phl 2:14-18
The apostle exhorts them in these verses to adorn their Christian profession by a suitable temper and behaviour, in several instances.
Phl 2:19-30
Paul takes particular notice of two good ministers; for though he was himself a great apostle, and laboured more abundantly than they all, yet he took all occasions to speak with respect of those who were far his inferiors.