SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:10
¶ En gran manera me goc en el Seor de que ya al fin ha reflorecido vuestro cuidado de mí; de lo cual aun estabais solícitos, pero os faltaba la oportunidad.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Philippians 4:10
Verse 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord] Every good comes from God, either immediately from his providence or from his grace; therefore the apostle thanks God for the kindness of the Philippians towards him; for it was God that gave them the power, and directed their hearts to use it. Hath flourished again] They had helped him before, Philippians ii. 25; they had ceased for a time, and now they began again. This is evidently designed by the apostle, as the word aneqalete implies, which is a metaphor taken from the reviviscence of flowers in spring which seemed dead in winter. For the time in which they were apparently remiss he makes a delicate apology: Ye were careful, but ye lacked opportunity; or rather hkaireisqe, ye had not ability, ye wanted the means; as the word sometimes implies.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly , etc.] The apostle proceeds to the last part of this epistle, and to take notice of the present which these Philippians had sent him, on account of which this his rejoicing was; and which was not small but great, and was not of a carnal but spiritual kind; it was a joy in the Holy Ghost, which is opposed to meats and drinks, and earthly enjoyments; it was a joy in the Lord; in our Lord, as the Syriac version renders it; it was not so much on account of the nature, substance, quantity or quality of the things sent him, and the suitableness of them to his present necessity; but because this thing was of the Lord, he had put it into their hearts to do it, and had given them not only ability, but a willing mind, and had wrought in them both to will and to do; and because what they did they did for the sake of Christ, and to him as an apostle of his, and in obedience to Christ, and with a view to promote his cause and interest, honour and glory: that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again ; which supposes that they had formerly, at the first preaching of the Gospel, showed great respect to him, and took great care of him, as appears from ( Philippians 4:15,16), but that for some time past, and it seems for a considerable while, they had dropped it, or at least had not shown it; but that now it revived again, and was seen in the present they had now sent him. The allusion is to trees, which in the summer season bear much fruit, in autumn cast their leaves, and in the winter are entirely bare, and in the spring of the year revive again, and put forth leaves and fruit: and just so it is with the saints, they are compared to trees, and are called trees of righteousness, ( Isaiah 61:3), and are fruitful ones, ( Jeremiah 23:3); but they have their winter seasons, when they are barren and unfruitful, and look as if they were dead; but when it is a spring time with them they revive again, as in the exercise of their faith and hope in Christ, so of their love to him, and to one another, and the ministers of the Gospel; when the south wind of the Spirit blows, the sun of righteousness arises, and, the dews of divine grace fall upon them; and such a revival was now in this church; and this was what the apostle so much rejoiced in, not so much for the gift bestowed on him, as for the fruit that appeared in them; (see Philippians 4:17); but whereas he had said that this care of him flourished again, at last; lest this should be thought as finding fault with them, and bringing a charge against them, he corrects himself by adding, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity ; signifying that he believed they had entertained the same sentiments of him, had the same affection and inward care for him all along; but they had no opportunity of showing it, he being at such a distance, and they having no convenient or proper persons to send to him; or were hindered through multiplicity of business on their hands, that they could not attend to him; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, but ye were busied, or taken up and employed in business; or it was for want of ability; for the words will bear to be rendered, but ye lacked ability; and to this sense does the Syriac version render it, wtywh yqps al ala , but ye were not sufficient; or had not a sufficiency, were not able to do it, and therefore to be easily excused.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 10-19 - It is a good work to succour and help a good minister in trouble. The nature of true Christian sympathy, is not only to feel concern for ou friends in their troubles, but to do what we can to help them. The apostle was often in bonds, imprisonments, and necessities; but in all he learned to be content, to bring his mind to his condition, and make the best of it. Pride, unbelief, vain hankering after something we have not got, and fickle disrelish of present things, make men discontente even under favourable circumstances. Let us pray for patient submissio and hope when we are abased; for humility and a heavenly mind when exalted. It is a special grace to have an equal temper of mind always And in a low state not to lose our comfort in God, nor distrust his providence, nor take any wrong course for our own supply. In prosperous condition not to be proud, or secure, or worldly. This is harder lesson than the other; for the temptations of fulness an prosperity are more than those of affliction and want. The apostle ha no design to urge them to give more, but to encourage such kindness a will meet a glorious reward hereafter. Through Christ we have grace to do what is good, and through him we must expect the reward; and as we have all things by him, let us do all things for him, and to his glory.
Greek Textus Receptus
εχαρην 5463 5644 δε 1161 εν 1722 κυριω 2962 μεγαλως 3171 οτι 3754 ηδη 2235 ποτε 4218 ανεθαλετε 330 5627 το 3588 υπερ 5228 εμου 1700 φρονειν 5426 5721 εφ 1909 ω 3739 και 2532 εφρονειτε 5426 5707 ηκαιρεισθε 170 5711 δε 1161
Vincent's NT Word Studies
10. Your care of me hath flourished again (aneqalete to uper emou fronein). Lit., ye caused your thinking on my behalf to bloom anew. Rev., ye revived your thought for me. The verb occurs only here in the New Testament. In the Septuagint it appears as both transitive and intransitive, to flourish, or to cause to flourish. Thus Psalm xxvii. 7, where Septuagint reads for my heart greatly rejoiceth, my flesh flourished (aneqalen); Ezek. xvii. 24, have made the dry tree to flourish.
Wherein. The matter of my wants and sufferings. Implied in your care of me.
Ye were careful (efroneite). Rev., ye did take thought. Note the imperfect tense: ye were all along thoughtful.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:10 {I rejoice} (ecaren). Second aorist passive indicative of cairw, a timeless aorist. I did rejoice, I do rejoice. {Greatly} (megal"s). Old adverb, only here in N.T., from megas (great). {Now at length} (d pote). In N.T. only here and #Ro 1:10. pote is indefinite past (interval), ede immediate present. {Ye have revived} (anethalete). Second aorist active indicative of old poetic word (Homer), anaqallw, to sprout again, to shoot up, to blossom again. So in the LXX five times, though rare and literary word. {Your thought for me} (to huper emou phronein). Accusative case of the articular present active infinitive the object of anethalete used transitively. "You caused your thinking of me to bloom afresh." {Wherein} (ef' hwi). "In which,"upon which" (locative case). A loose reference to Paul's interests as involved in their thinking of him. {Ye did indeed take thought} (kai ephroneite). Imperfect active, "ye were also (or had been also) thinking." {Ye lacked opportunity} (kaireisthe). Imperfect middle of akaireomai, late and rare word, here only in N.T., from akairos (a privative, kairos), not to have a chance, the opposite of eukairew (#Mr 6:31).
