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Php_2:18. And upon the same (upon my possibly occurring σπένδεσθαι ἐπὶ τ . θυσ . κ . τ . λ ., Php_2:17) rejoice ye also (because it takes place for the sake of your faith), and congratulate me thereon (on such a sacred destination). The verbs are imperatives. “Postulat enim Paulus parem συμπάθειαν a Philipp.,” Beza. The ground of the χαίρετε may not be arbitrarily introduced (Hofmann: whatever untowardness may occur), but must by logical necessity be the same which, in Php_2:17, suggested the συγχαίρω ὑμῖν ; and that of the συγχαίρετέ μοι must be the same as caused Paul to say χαίρω in Php_2:17.[135] The expositors, who do not take ΣΥΓΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ as gratulari, are here placed in the awkward position of making the apostle summon his readers to a joy which, according to Php_2:17, they would already possess. By this impossibility Weiss, in spite of the τὸ αὐτό , allows himself to be driven into taking the joy in Php_2:18, not as in Php_2:17, but (comp. also Hofmann) quite generally, of a joyful frame of mind.
τὸ αὐτό ] in the same (on the accusative, comp. Mat_2:10) rejoice ye also; see also on Php_1:25. Hence it is not to be taken as equivalent to ὡσαύτως (Beza, Storr, Flatt, Heinrichs, Rheinwald, Rilliet, de Wette, Wiesinger, Weiss, Hofmann) (comp. on Php_1:6), in order thereby to avoid identifying it with the joy mentioned in Php_2:17. As to ΧΑΊΡΕΙΝ with the accusative in classical authors, see generally Lobeck, ad Aj. 131; Kühner, II. 1, p. 255 f.
[135] The difficulty which van Hengel (comp. Hofmann) urges, that the readers “vix aut ne vix quidem induci potuerunt de hujus viri morte violenta gaudentes vel gavisuri,” entirely mistakes the lofty standpoint of the apostle, who looks death in the face with a holy joy (comp. the frequent corresponding sentiments in the epistles of Ignatius), and also attributes to his readers a corresponding mode of looking at the possibility of his death.