Philippians 4:21-23

VII. CONCLUSION:

Salutation and Benediction (Philippians 4:21-23)

Philippians 4:21-23

21Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet [salute] you. 22All the saints salute you, chiefly [but especially] they that are of Cæsar’s household. 23The grace of our [the11] Lord Jesus Christ be with you all [your spirit12]. Amen.13

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Philippians 4:21. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus, ἀσπάσαθε πάντα αγιου ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. He desires to single out every member of the church as embraced in this greeting; and hence he uses the singular (πάντα), and does not write πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους. The nearer limitation, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, belongs to the verb (Rom 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12 : ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι). It is to be a Christian salutation; ἅγιος does not need any limitation (Van Hengel, et al.), as Ephesians 1:1 shows.—The brethren who are with me salute you, adds salutations (ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς) entrusted to him by others, οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ , qui mihi vincto ministrant, qui me visitant, qui mecum hic in evangelio laborant (Estius); hence the smaller circle (Philippians 1:14), which, however, we are not to divide into travelling companions (as Luke, Titus and others) and those who lived in the place (as Clemens, Euodia, et al.) (Van Hengel).

Philippians 4:22. All the saints salute you (ἀσπάζονται ὑμᾶς πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι), all Christians in Rome who did not happen to stand in personal or official relations with himself.—But especially, μάλιστα δέ, marks a greeting delivered to him with great earnestness.—They that are of Cæsar’s household, οἱ ἐκ τῆςχ Καίσαρος οἰκίας. Since οἰκία most naturally means house, then palace, the imperial servants are probably meant. Neither the context nor the history gives us reason to understand the word in the sense of family, as in 1 Corinthians 16:15, and to suppose the members of the imperial family, the relatives of the Emperor, to be referred to (Baur, Van Hengel). Still less appropriate is it to suppose the Prætorians to be meant (Matthies), as in Philippians 1:13. The expressions ‘palace’ and ‘prætorium’ do not admit of being interchanged. It is not correct to think of Cæsarea and the βασίλειον τοῦ Ἡρώδου on account of Καίσαρος (Böttger, et al.). Who they were and why they sent an especial salutation is not stated. [Neander conjectures that possibly they may have been natives of Philippi, or have known some of the Philippian Christians who had been at Rome. Perhaps we are not to seek so far for an explanation. The Apostle’s ‘especially’ (μάλιοτα), which so emphasizes the greeting of ‘those of Cæsar’s household,’ may represent the tone of hearty earnestness with which they spoke up, as he was writing or dictating the letter, and asked them to send their kiss of love (ἀσπασμός) to these Philippians of whom they had heard so much from the Apostle. For this the parties need not have had any personal knowledge of each other. As servants in the palace (especially if Paul was quartered in that neighborhood) they may have been brought into relations of special intimacy with Paul.14—H.]

Philippians 4:23. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.—Ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν.—Entirely like Galatians 6:18; Romans 16:24; 1Th 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 2 Corinthians 13:13. [This remark must be understood of a similarity in the import and not the form of the salutations.—H.]

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. Salutations are tokens of personal interest and living fellowship which should not be lightly esteemed.2. It is important that the grace of the Lord be in us, not merely that we be surrounded by it.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Starke:—The Apostolic salutations teach that the Christian religion does not make men unfriendly and stubborn, but courteous and friendly.—A Christian salutation is a benediction, and not merely a custom: the fashionable world uses instead its empty compliments.—O Rome! Rome! how greatly hast thou changed! Formerly thou hadst true saints even in the household of a pagan and tyrannical emperor; but now hast thou false saints, especially in and around the so-called chair of Peter and at the court of his supposed successor.

Gerlach:—Thus among the slaves of the emperor Nero there existed a believing and loving community of Christians who felt a special interest in foreign churches. Perhaps it is on account of this noteworthy circumstance that Paul brings them forward so prominently.15

Heubner:—Christianity had forced its way into the very presence of the emperor, had found entrance among the servants of the court. Whether Seneca was among them or not is unknown. Christianity finds its way every where, and the worst places are not closed to grace.

Nitzsch:—The salutations of the saints which the Apostle delivered in such numbers and so earnestly rest—1) on faith and a confession of the one true church of the Lord; 2) they are an expression of the feeling of our communion, of our higher, heavenly relationship in the family of God; 3) they furnish significant proofs of Christian love.

Footnotes:

Philippians 4:23; Philippians 4:23.—[The A. V. reads ἡμῶν after κυρίσυ, but on no sufficient authority.—H.]

[12]Ibid.—Instead of μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν some manuscripts read μετὰ πνευμάτων υμῶν. [Lachmann and Tischendorf adopt the former in their text. Meyer. regards μετὰ τοῦ πνευμάτος ὑμῶν as borrowed from Galatians 6:18. The English Version translates the common μετὰ παντῶν ἡμῶν, which is not well supported.—H.]

[13]Ibid.—Ἀμήν is found in א A D E K L. The subscription in א is πρὸς φιλιππησίους, and in B the same with ἐγράφη added, while K subjoins δι’ Ἐπαφροδίτου.

[14][Some have supposed that Seneca may have been one of the members of the Emperor’s household, to whom Paul here refers. On this question of the possibility of an acquaintance between the Apostle and the philosopher during Paul’s captivity at Rome, Professor Lightfoot has an extended Dissertation in his Commentary on Philippians, pp. 268–331. The discussion involves an elaborate examination of the spirit and teachings of Stoicism as compared with those of the Gospel. The essay is indeed one of great value.—H.]

[15][It was their own request, and not Paul’s act, which made them prominent (see on Philippians 4:22).—H.]