SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:14
y muchos de los hermanos, tomando nimo con mis prisiones, se atreven mucho ms a hablar la palabra de Dios sin temor.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Philippians 1:14
Verse 14. Waxing confident] Finding the effect produced by the public defense which the apostle made, they were greatly encouraged, and the more boldly and openly proclaimed the doctrine of Christ crucified. The word] The doctrine of Christ; several excellent MSS. and versions add, some qeou, others kuriou, the word of God, or the word of the Lord. This is a respectable reading, and is probably genuine.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord , etc.] This is another instance of the usefulness of the apostle's sufferings, and another proof of their being for the furtherance of the Gospel; they were not only the means of the conversion of many that were without, but were very encouraging and strengthening to them that were within the church, and to many that were in the ministry; who are called brethren, some real, others nominal; being partakers of the grace of God, at least in profession, or otherwise they would not have been fit to have been ministers of the word, nor members of a Gospel church, which was necessary to their being regularly sent forth; and whom the apostle calls and owns as brethren in the ministry, being sent forth by Christ, at least some of them, and having the same commission to preach the Gospel as he had; though they had not equal gifts and qualifications with him: he styles them brethren in the Lord, to distinguish them from the Jews at Rome, who were his brethren according to the flesh; and to express their spiritual character and relation, and point out the work of the Lord, in which they were jointly concerned with him: now though not all the brethren, yet many of them were greatly affected with, and influenced by the apostle's patient and cheerfully suffering for Christ; insomuch that, as he says, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear ; or as some read it, waxing confident in the Lord; connecting the phrase, in the Lord, with this word, and so make the ground and object of their confidence the Lord; whose presence, power, grace, and Spirit, emboldened them the more by the apostle's bonds to preach the Gospel with courage and intrepidity; the Lord being on their side, and their helper, they feared not what men could do unto them; or else being animated by the apostle's patience and firmness of mind in suffering, and by the use they saw his bonds were of for the spread of the Gospel, they took heart and courage to speak the word; the word of God, as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read; and so the Alexandrian, Claromontane, and two of Stephens's copies: meaning either the essential word, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the subject of their ministry; or the written word, the writings of Moses and the prophets, the books of the Old Testament, according to which they spoke; or the Gospel, called often the word, and sometimes with an addition, the word of truth, the word of faith, the word of reconciliation, the word of righteousness, the word of life, and the word of our salvation, from the several subjects of it: this they spake boldly and freely, as it ought to be spoken, and without fear, not without fear and reverence of God, whose word it is; nor of themselves and their own weakness and inabilities, which cause much fear and trembling; but without the fear of man, which brings a snare; they had no regard to the threats and menaces, the reproaches and persecutions of men; none of these things moved them; they feared God and not man, and so went on boldly, preaching the Gospel; which is related with pleasure, as a fruit and effect of the apostle's sufferings, and which he doubted not would be very delightful to the Philippians to hear of.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-20 - The apostle was a prisoner at Rome; and to take off the offence of the cross, he shows the wisdom and goodness of God in his sufferings. Thes things made him known, where he would never have otherwise been known and led some to inquire after the gospel. He suffered from fals friends, as well as from enemies. How wretched the temper of those wh preached Christ out of envy and contention, and to add affliction to the bonds that oppressed this best of men! The apostle was easy in the midst of all. Since our troubles may tend to the good of many, we ough to rejoice. Whatever turns to our salvation, is by the Spirit of Christ; and prayer is the appointed means of seeking for it. Ou earnest expectation and hope should not be to be honoured of men, or to escape the cross, but to be upheld amidst temptation, contempt, an affliction. Let us leave it to Christ, which way he will make u serviceable to his glory, whether by labour or suffering, by diligenc or patience, by living to his honour in working for him, or dying to his honour in suffering for him.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 τους 3588 πλειονας 4119 των 3588 αδελφων 80 εν 1722 κυριω 2962 πεποιθοτας 3982 5756 τοις 3588 δεσμοις 1199 μου 3450 περισσοτερως 4056 τολμαν 5111 5721 αφοβως 870 τον 3588 λογον 3056 λαλειν 2980 5721
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. Many (touv pleionav). Rev., correctly, the most. Lit., the more. Implying that there were a few who held back.Brethren in the Lord. In the Lord should be rather connected with being confident. The expression brethren in the Lord does not occur in the New Testament; while to have confidence in one in the Lord is found Galatians v. 10; 2 Thess. iii. 4; compare ch. ii. 24. In the Lord is thus emphatic. It may be correlative with in Christ, ver. 13; but this is not certain. 175 In the Lord trusting my bonds, signifies that the bonds awaken confidence as being the practical testimony to the power of the Gospel for which Paul is imprisoned, and therefore an encouragement to their faith.
Are much more bold (perissoterwv tolman). Rev., more abundantly bold, thus holding more closely to the literal meaning of the adverb. For are bold, see on 2 Cor. x. 2. The boldness required to profess Christ within the precincts of the palace is illustrated by the graffito or wall-scribble discovered in 1857 among the ruins on the Palatine. It is a caricature of Christ on the cross, with an ass's head, while on the left appears a christian youth in an attitude of adoration. Underneath are scrawled the words Alexamenos worships God. 176 To speak (lalein). The verb denotes the fact rather than the substance of speaking. See on Matt. xxviii. 18. They have broken silence.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:14 {The most of the brethren} (tous pleionas t"n adelph"n). "The more part of the brethren." The comparative with the article with the sense of the superlative as often in the _Koin_. {In the Lord} (en kuriwi). It is not clear whether this phrase is to be connected with "brethren" or with "being confident" (pepoithotas), probably with pepoithotas. If so, qen "through my bonds" (tois desmois mou) would be the instrumental case and mean that by means of Paul's bonds the brethren "are more abundantly bold" (perissoterws tolmain).
