Philippians 4:10

Philippians 4:10. But I rejoice in the Lord greatly. The tense, which is rendered by the past in the Authorised Version, is probably only so in the original from the custom of the Greeks in writing letters. The apostle's joy still continued, and did not grow less after their liberality had been some time with him; for it was over what it indicated in them, rather than over what they gave, that his heart was so full. And this he signifies here too, by speaking of his feeling as ‘joy in the Lord.'

that now at length ye have revived your thought for me. The metaphor is from a tree which in winter has been void of leaves and fruit, but when the season comes, breaks out again into greenness. Literally, ‘ye have caused your thought for me to bloom again.' Having used this figure, St. Paul appears to feel at once that his words may be construed into a reproach, as though he were comparing them to a tree which had for a long time been barren, when fruit was expected from it. This he proceeds in a moment to correct

wherein ye did indeed take thought. As their conduct in times gone by had testified.

but ye lacked opportunity. The word ‘opportunity' still keeps up the figure of the ‘season' for fruits, and takes away the sense of blame which might have been in the former phrase. The tree cannot be in fault, which has not known the season yet for putting forth its blossoms. What may have been the circumstances which withheld from the Philippians the opportunity of ministering to St. Paul we cannot know. It may have been that they did not hear at once of his imprisonment, or that they found no fit messenger who could be trusted with their bounty, and trusted, too, to represent by his conduct their general sympathy with St. Paul's affliction. But we have an indication here that the gift from Philippi did not come at once after the apostle's arrival at Rome; and so this Epistle would be written, considering all that had fallen out since Epaphroditus came, rather towards the end than at the beginning of the imprisonment.