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Php_1:28. On πτύρεσθαι , to become frightened (of horses, Diod. ii. 19, xvii. 34; Plut. Fab. 3; Marc. 6), to be thrown into consternation (Diod. xvii. 37 f.; Plat. Ax. p. 370 A; Plut. Mor. p. 800 C), see Kypke, II. p. 312. In Gen_41:8 Aquila has καταπτύρεσθαι .
ἐν μηδενί ] in no point, nulla ratione, Php_1:20; 2Co_6:3; 2Co_7:9; Jam_1:4.
The ἀντικείμενοι (comp. 1Co_16:9) are the non-Christian opponents of the gospel among Jews and Gentiles, and not the Judaizers and their adherents (Flatt), or the malevolent false teachers (Matthies). This follows from Php_1:30, since the whole position and ministry of the apostle was a conflict with such adversaries, comp. Php_1:7.
ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς κ . τ . λ .] which is indeed, etc., refers to the preceding μὴ πτύρεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμ ., to which Paul desires to encourage them. This undauntedness in the συναλθεῖν , and not the latter itself (Hofmann), is now the leading idea, with which what has further to be said connects itself; hence ἥτις is not to be taken as referring to the sufferings, as it is by Ewald (comp. 2Th_1:5), who subsequently, although without critical proof, would read ἀπωλείας ὑμῶν , ὑμῖν δέ .
αὐτοῖς ] τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις is to be taken simply as dative of reference: which is to them an indication of perdition. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδωσιν , ὅτι μυρία τεχναζόμενοι οὐδὲ πτῦραι ὑμᾶς δύνανται , οὐ δεῖγμα τοῦτο σαφὲς ἕξουσιν , ὅτι τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπολοῦνται , τὰ δὲ ὑμέτερα ἰσχυρὰ καὶ ἀνάλωτα καὶ αὐτόθεν ἔχοντα τὴν σωτηρίαν ; Theophylact. The ἥτις involving a reason is just as in Eph_3:13, See on that passage. This would be still more emphatically expressed by ἥτις γε (Klotz, ad Devar. p. 305). But the fact that the ἀντικείμενοι do not recognise in the undauntedness of those persecuted a proof (not: causa, as in the Vulgate; but comp. Rom_3:25 f.; 2Co_8:24; Plat. Ep. vii. p. 341 E; Legg. xii. p. 966 C) of their own perdition, and on the other hand of the salvation of the persecuted ( ὑμῶν δὲ σωτηρίας ), does not alter the state of the case in itself, that the μὴ πτύρεσθαι is in reality objectively such an ἔνδειξις to them. It is, indeed, the σημεῖον of the righteous divine cause, and of its necessary final victory. Perdition and salvation: both without more precise definition; but the reader knew what reference to assign to each, viz. the Messianic perdition and salvation. Comp. on the matter, 2Th_1:5 ff.; Rom_8:17; 2Ti_2:12; Luk_12:32, et al.
καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ] and that (see on Rom_13:11) of God, thus certain, therefore, and infallible. It adds force to the encouragement conveyed by ὑμῶν δὲ σωτηρίας ; for the context shows by the ὑμῖν which is emphatically placed first in Php_1:29,—without making the reading ὑμῖν necessary, however, in Php_1:28 (Hofmann); see the critical remarks,—that τοῦτο refers only to this second and main part of ἥτις κ . τ . λ . (Calvin, Piscator, Calovius, Flatt, and others, also Ewald and Hofmann), and not to both halves of ἥτις (Beza, Grotius, and many others, also Wiesinger, Weiss, and Ellicott). Entirely foreign to the connection is any purpose of humiliation (Hoelemann and older expositors, following the Greek Fathers). Nor are the words to be attached to what follows ( ὅτι , that) (Clemens Alex., Chrysostom, Theodoret, Erasmus, and others, and recently Rilliet); in which case the (preparative) τοῦτο would receive an uncalled-for importance, and yet ἀπὸ Θεοῦ would be obviously intelligible through ἐχαρίσθη .