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Php_2:16. Λόγον ζωῆς ἐπέχοντες ] a definition giving the reason for φαίνεσθε ὡς φωστ . ἑν κ .: since ye possess the word of life. This is the Gospel, ἐπειδὴ τὴν αἰώνιον προξενεῖ ζωήν , Theodoret. See Rom_1:16; comp. Joh_6:68; Act_5:20; it is the divinely efficacious vehicle of the πνεῦμα τῆς ζωῆς which frees from sin and death (see on Rom_8:2), and therefore not merely “the word concerning life” (Weiss). Christ Himself is the essential λόγος τῆς ζωῆς (1Jn_1:1), His servants are ὀσμὴ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν (2Co_2:16), therefore the word preached by them must be λόγος ζωῆς in the sense indicated. Paul does not elsewhere use the expression. As to ζωή without the article, of eternal life in the Messiah’s kingdom (Php_4:3), see Kaeuffer, de ζωῆς αἰ . not. p. 73 f. As possessors of this word, the Christians appear like φωστῆρες in a world otherwise dark; without this possession they would not so present themselves, but would be homogeneous with the perverted generation, since the essence of the gospel is light (Eph_5:8; Col_1:12; 1Th_5:5; 1Pe_2:9; Luk_16:8; Act_26:18, al.), just as Christ Himself is the principal light (Joh_1:4-5; Joh_3:19; Joh_8:12; Joh_12:35, al); but the element of the unbelieving γενεά , whose image is the κόσμος in itself devoid of light, is darkness (2Co_4:6; 2Co_6:14; Eph_5:8; Eph_6:12; Col_1:13; Joh_1:5; Joh_3:19). Ἐπέχειν , to possess,[130] to have in possession, at disposal, and the like; see Herod. i. 104, viii. 35; Xen. Symp. viii. 1; Thuc. i. 48. 2, 2:101. 3; Anth. Pal. vii. 297. 4; Polyb. iii. 37. 6, 112. 8, v. 5, 6; Lucian, Necyom. 14. Not: holding fast (Luther, Estius, Bengel, and others, including Heinrichs, Hoelemann, Baumgarten-Crusius, de Wette, Ewald, Schneckenburger); nor yet: sustinentes (Calvin), so that the conception is of a light fixed on a candlestick. Others understand it similarly: holding forth (Beza, Grotius, and others, including Rheinwald, Matthies, Wiesinger, Lightfoot), namely, “that those, who have a longing for life, may let it be the light which shall guide them to life,” as Hofmann explains more particularly; comp. van Hengel. This would be linguistically correct (Hom. Il. ix. 489, xxii. 43; Plut. Mor. p. 265 A; Pind. Ol. ii. 98; Poll. iii. 10), but not in harmony with the image, according to which the subjects themselves appear as shining, as self-shining. Linguistically incorrect is Theodoret’s view: τῷ λόγῳ προσέχοντες (attendentes), which would require the dative of the object (Act_3:5; 1Ti_4:16; Sir_31:2; 2Ma_9:25; Job_30:26; Polyb. iii. 43. 2, xviii. 28. 11). Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Theophylact take ἐπέχ . correctly, but understand λόγον ζωῆς as equivalent to σπέρμα ζ . or ἐνέχυρα ζ ., and indicate, as the purpose of the words: ὅρα , πῶς εὐθέως τίθησι τὰ ἔπαθλα (Chrysostom). This view is without sanction from the usus loquendi. Linguistically it would in itself be admissible (see the examples in Wetstein), but at variance with the N. T. mode of expression and conception, to explain with Michaelis, Storr, Zachariae, and Flatt: supplying the place of life (in the world otherwise dead), so that λόγον ἐπέχειν would mean: to hold the relation. Comp. Syr.
εἰς καύχημα κ . τ . λ .] the result which the γίνεσθαι ἀμέμπτους κ . τ . λ . on the part of the readers was to have for the apostle; it was to become for him (and what an incitement this must have been to the Philippians!) a matter of glorying (Php_1:26) for the day of Christ (see on Php_1:10), when he should have reason to glory, that he, namely ( ὅτι ), had not laboured in vain, of which the excellent quality of his Philippian converts would afford practical evidence, ὅτι τοιοῦτους ὑμᾶς ἐταίδευσα , Theophylact. Comp. 1Th_2:19 f.; 2Co_1:14. Thus they were to be to him on that day a στέφανος καυχήσεως (1 Thess. l.c.). Paul cannot mean a present καυχᾶσθαι in prospect of the day of Christ (Hofmann), for εἰς καύχημα κ . τ . λ . cannot be the result accruing for him from the ἐν οἷς φαίνεσθε κ . τ . λ . (since by it the position of the Christians generally is expressed), but only the result from the ethical development indicated by ἵνα γένησθε ἄμεμπτοι κ . τ . λ . Hence also ὅτι cannot be a statement of the reason (Hofmann); it is explicative: that.
The twofold[131] yet climactic, figurative description of his apostolical exertions (on ἜΔΡΑΜ ., comp. Gal_2:2; Act_20:24; on ἘΚΟΠΊΑΣΑ , comp. 1Co_15:10; Gal_4:11), as well as the repetition of εἰς κενόν (see on Gal_2:2; 2Co_6:1; Polyc. Phil. 9), is in keeping with the emotion of joy, of triumph.
[130] Hofmann erroneously pronounces against this, representing that ἐπέχειν could only be thus used in the sense of having under one’s control. Compare, in opposition to this, especially such passages as Thuc. iii. 107. 4, where the word is quite synonymous with the parallel simple ἔχειν ; also Anth. Pal. vii. 276. 6.
[131] Comp. Anthol. Pal. xi. 56. 2 : μὴ τρέχε , μὴ κοπία .