SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:12
S estar humillado, y s tener abundancia; en todo y por todo estoy enseado, así para estar saciado como para tener hambre, así para tener abundancia como para padecer necesidad.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Philippians 4:12
Verse 12. I know-how to be abased] I have passed through all these states; I know how to conduct myself in each, and how to extract good from all. And he had passed through these things, especially the hardships, so that he had learned the lesson perfectly, as the word memuhmai implies; he was thoroughly instructed; fully initiated into all the mysteries of poverty and want, and of the supporting hand of God in the whole. See here the state to which God permitted his chief apostle to be reduced! And see how powerfully the grace of Christ supported him under the whole! How few of those who are called Christian ministers or Christian men have learned this important lesson! When want or affliction comes, their complaints are loud and frequent; and they are soon at the end of their patience.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. I know both how to be abased , etc.] Or humbled; to be treated with indignity and contempt, to be trampled upon by man, to suffer hardships and distress, to be in a very mean and low condition, to work with his own hands, and minister to his own and the necessities of others in that way; yea, to be in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, and have no certain dwelling place; and he knew how to behave under all this; not to be depressed and cast down, or to fret, repine, and murmur: and I know how to abound ; or to excel; to be in the esteem of men, and to have an affluence of the things of this world, and how to behave in the midst of plenty; so as not to be lifted up, to be proud and haughty, and injurious to fellow creatures; so as not to abuse the good things of life; and so as to use them to the honour of God, the interest of religion, and the good of fellow creatures, and fellow Christians: every where ; whether among Jews or Gentiles, at Jerusalem or at Rome, or at whatsoever place; or as the Arabic version renders it, every time: always, in every season, whether of adversity or prosperity: and in all things ; in all circumstances of life: I am instructed ; or initiated, as he was by the Gospel; and, ever since he embraced it, was taught this lesson of contentment, and inured to the exercise of it, and was trained up and instructed how to behave himself in the different changes and vicissitudes he came into: both to be full, and to be hungry ; to know what it was to have plenty and want, to have a full meal and to want one, and be almost starved and famished, and how to conduct under such different circumstances: both to abound and to suffer need ; which the apostle repeats for confirmation sake; and the whole of what he here says is an explanation of the lesson of contentment he had learned; and the knowledge he speaks of was not speculative but experimental, and lay not merely in theory, but in practice; and now lest he should be thought guilty of arrogance, and to ascribe too much to himself, he in ( Philippians 4:13) attributes all to the power and grace of Christ.
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
οιδα 1492 5758 {1: δε 1161 } {2: και 2532 } ταπεινουσθαι 5013 5745 οιδα 1492 5758 και 2532 περισσευειν 4052 5721 εν 1722 παντι 3956 και 2532 εν 1722 πασιν 3956 μεμυημαι 3453 5769 και 2532 χορταζεσθαι 5526 5745 και 2532 πειναν 3983 5721 και 2532 περισσευειν 4052 5721 και 2532 υστερεισθαι 5302 5745
Vincent's NT Word Studies
12. I am instructed (memuhmai). Rev., have I learned the secret. The metaphor is from the initiatory rites of the pagan mysteries. I have been initiated. See on Col. i. 26.
To be full (cortazesqai). See on Matt. v. 6.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:12 {I know how} (oida). Followed by the infinitive oida has this sense. So here twice, with tapeinousthai, to be humbled, from tapeinos, and with perisseuein, to overflow. {Have I learned the secret} (memumai). Perfect passive indicative of muew, old and common word from mu", to close (Latin _mutus_), and so to initiate with secret rites, here only in N.T. The common word musterion (mystery) is from mustes (one initiated) and this from muew, to initiate, to instruct in secrets. Paul draws this metaphor from the initiatory rites of the pagan mystery-religions. {To be filled} (chortazesthai). Old verb from cortos (grass, hay) and so to fatten like an animal. {To be hungry} (peinain). Old verb from peina (hunger) and kin to penes, poor man who has to work for his living (penomai).
