Philippians 3:20

For The A.V., by marking Philippians 3:18-19 as a parenthesis, connects this "for" with Philippians 3:17. But there is no need for this. A suppressed link of thought is easily seen and expressed between Philippians 3:19-20; somewhat thus: "such principles and practices are wholly alien to ours; for &c." In a grave oral address or dialogue such links have often to be supplied, and the Apostle's written style is a very near approach to the oral.

A reading "But," or "Now," has much support in early quotations, but none in MSS. See Lightfoot here.

our He refers to the "ensamples" mentioned Philippians 3:17, as distinguished from their opponents. Or perhaps we should say, from their false friends. For very possibly these antinomians claimed to be the true disciples of Pauline truth, the true exponents of free grace as against legalism.

conversation R.V. "citizenship"; margin, "commonwealth." The A.V. is the rendering also of all our older versions, except Wyclif's, which has "lyuyng." It represents the conversatioof the Latin versions, a word which means not "mutual speech" but "the intercourse of life" (see on Philippians 1:27); and the meaning is thus, in effect, that "we live on earth as those whose home is in heaven." The same English is found (in A.V.) Psalms 50:23; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 2:3; Ephesians 4:22; above Philippians 1:27 (where see note); &c. But the Greek in all these places is quite different from the Greek here, where the word is polîteuma. (connected with polis, city, polîtês, citizen), a word which occurs nowhere else in N.T., nor in LXX., nor in the Apocrypha. In classical Greek it denotes (a) a "measure," or "policy," of state; (b) the governing bodyof a state, its "government"; (c) the constitutionof a state, including the rights of its citizens. On the whole, this last meaning best suits the present context, or at least approaches it most nearly. What the Apostle means is that Christians are citizens of the heavenly City, enrolled on its register, free of its privileges, and, on the other hand, "obliged by the nobility" of such a position to live, whether in the City or not as yet, as those who belong to it and represent it. "Our citizenship, our civic status, is in heaven," fairly gives this thought. In the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus, a Christian writing of cent. 2 (printed with the works of St Justin), a sentence occurs (c. 5) which well illustrates this passage, and perhaps refers to it, and is in itself nobly true: "Christians, as dwellers, are on earth, as citizens, in heaven." The verb cognate to the noun here is used there; see, on the verb, note on Philippians 1:27 above.

is More strictly and fully, subsists. See second note on Philippians 2:6 above, where the same word occurs. The thought is that the "citizenship" is at any moment an antecedent and abiding fact, on which the citizen may fall back.

in heaven Lit., in (the) heavens; as often in N.T. On this plural see note on Ephesians 2:10, in this Series. Cp. Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 3:12 (where see Abp Trench's full note, Epistles to the Seven Churches, pp. 183 187), xxi., xxii., for the revealed conception of the heavenly City, the Ourănopolis, as it is finely called by St Clement of Alexandria (cent. 2), and Eusebius of Cæsarea (cent. 4); and other Greek Fathers use the word ouranopolîtêsof the Christian. The great treatise of St Augustine (cent. 4 5), On the City (Civilas) of God, contains a wealth of illustration of the idea of this verse. To Augustine, writing amidst the wreck of Old Rome (about a.d. 420), the Christian appears as citizen of a State which is the antithesis not of human order, which is of God, and which is promoted by the true citizens of heaven, but of "the world," which is at enmity with Him. This State, or City, is now existing and operating, through its members, but not to be consummated and fully revealed till the eternity of glory shall come in (see Smith's Dict. of Christian Biography, 1., p. 221). The thought of the Holy City was dear to St Augustine. The noble medieval lines,

Me receptet Syon illa,

Urbs beata, urbs tranquilla,

(quoted at the close of Longfellow's Golden Legend), are taken almost verbally from Augustine, de Spiritu et Animâ, c. lx. See Trench, Sacred Latin Poetry, p. 332 (and cp. pp. 312 320).

from whence Lit., "out of which(place)." The pronoun is singular, and so cannot refer directly to the plural noun, "the heavens." The construction must be either (a) a merely adverbial one, an equivalent for the adverb "whence"; or (b) the pronoun must refer back to the noun politeuma(on which see above). In the latter case, we must suppose that the idea of citizenshipsuggests, and passes into, that of city, the local home of the citizens, and the word denoting citizenship is treated as ifit denoted city [24]. The solution (a) is no doubt simpler, but clear evidence for the usage (where ideas of placeare in view), is not apparent, though the fact is asserted (e.g. by Winer, Grammar of N. T. Greek, Moulton's Ed., p. 177). Happily the grammatical problem leaves the essential meaning of the clause quite clear.

[24] We might thus perhaps render, or explain, politeumaby "seat of citizenship."

we look for Better, with R.V., we wait for. The form of the verb implies a waiting full of attention, perseverance, and desire. The verb occurs elsewhere, Romans 8:19; Romans 8:23; Romans 8:25; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Galatians 5:5; Heb 9:28; 1 Peter 3:20. Of these passages all but Gal.(?) and 1 Pet. refer to the longed for Return of the Lord, the blessed goal of the believer's hope. Cp. Luke 12:35-38; Acts 1:11; Acts 3:20-21; Romans 8:18; Romans 8:23-25; Romans 13:11-12; 1 Corinthians 11:26; 1 Corinthians 15:23, &c.; Col 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1Th 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:14 to 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 2:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 10:25; Hebrews 10:37; James 5:7-8; 1Pe 1:7; 1 Peter 1:13; 1Pe 4:13; 1 Peter 5:4; 2Pe 3:4; 2 Peter 3:9; 2Pe 3:13; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2-3; Revelation 2:25; Revelation 22:20.

the Saviour&c. There is no article in the Greek; and therefore render, perhaps, as our Saviour, the Lord &c. The A.V. is by no means untenable grammatically, but the word "Saviour" is so placed as to suggest not only emphasis but predicative force. And the deep connexion in the N.T. between the Lord's Return and the full and final "salvation" of the believer's being (cp. esp. Romans 13:11) gives a natural fitness to this use of the holy Title here.

"The Lord Jesus Christ":this full designation of the Blessed Person suits the tone of solemn hope and joy in the passage.