The Jewish Annotated New Testament (277 page)

21
: All are
subject to
one another; cf. 1 Pet 5.5.

22
–33
: A shorter household code, upon which this passage is likely based, appears at Col 3.18–19.

22
:
Wives
are subject both to their husbands and to the Lord. 1 Pet 3.1–7 presents a more extreme expression of wifely submission.

23
: Cf. 1 Cor 11.3.
Head … body
, see 1.22–23; 4.15–16.

24
:
Subject … in everything
, see 1 Cor 11.

25
:
Gave himself up for her
, husbands are to imitate Christ’s sacrificial love.

26
:
Cleansing her with the washing of water
, a baptismal image. Husbands are responsible for their wives’ purity and instruction.

27
:
Present the church
, husbands are compared to the Christ, wives to the church.
Holy and without blemish
, cf. 1.1; 2.21–22; see also Phil 1.10.

28
–29
:
Their own bodies
, cf. 5.24.
B. B. Metz
. 59a presents arguments both that husbands should respect their wives’ opinions and that such a view leads to damnation.

30
:
Members of his body
, see 1.22–23n.

31
: Gen 2.24; see Mt 19.3–6; 1 Cor 6.16. The passage in Genesis is a proof text for prohibiting marriage after divorce in CD 4.20–21.

32
:
Great mystery
, cf. 1.9; 3.3–4.
Applying it
, as a metaphor, to
Christ and the church
. Marital imagery for the relationship of God and people is a commonplace of biblical prophecy (cf. 5.5n.); see also rabbinic and patristic treatments of the Song of Songs as another example (cf.
Song. Rab
.).

33
:
Love … respect
, wives and husbands have a hierarchical relationship of mutuality.

6.1
:
Children … parents
, see Col 3.20–21.

2
:
Honor your father and mother
, Ex 20.12; Deut 5.16; cf. Prov 1.8–9.

3
:
So that it may be well
, Deut 5.16 connects morality to possessing the land of Israel; this quotation shifts the meaning to general well-being.

4
:
Discipline and instruction
, cf. Heb 12.7–11; Sir 7.23.

5
: Cf. Col 3.22–4.1; 1 Tim 6.1–2; Titus 2.9–10; 1 Pet 2.18–25.

6
:
Slaves of Christ
, Rom 1.1; 1 Cor 7.22; Phil 1.1. The slave’s obedience is
doing the will of God
.

7
:
With enthusiasm
, the rabbis envision devoted slaves (e.g., Gamaliel mourning the death of his slave, Tabi,
m. Ber
. 2.7).

8
:
Whether we are slaves or free
, contrast Gal 3.28 and see 1 Cor 7.22.

9
:
No partiality
, contrast 1 Pet 2.18–25, in which no constraints are put on the behavior of masters, while unjustly punished slaves are to follow Christ’s suffering. Lev 25.39–40 similarly enjoins that slaves should be treated well, as hirelings.

6.10
–17: The armor of God. 10
:
Be strong in the Lord
, cf. Josh 1.6.

11
:
Armor of God
, see Isa 11.5; 59.17; Wis 5.17–20; 2 Cor 6.7; 1 Thess 5.8.
Wiles of the devil
(Gk “diabolos”), cf. 4.27n.

12
–13
:
Rulers … authorities
, cf. 3.10.
Present darkness
, cf. 5.8–14.
Heavenly places
, cf. 1.3,20; 2.6; 3.10.
Evil day
, the final clash between God’s forces and the
cosmic powers of this present darkness
.

14
:
Belt of truth
, see Isa 11.5.

15
:
Gospel
, the “good news”
of peace
, cf. 1.13; 2.14–17; 3.6–7; 6.19. See also Isa 52.7.

16
:
Flaming arrows
, Ps 76.4 (Heb v. 3); Prov 26.18.
Evil one
, see v. 11.

6.18
–24: Concluding exhortations and blessing. 18
:
Pray in the Spirit
, implying both the Jewish concept of “kavvanah” (mindfulness in worship) and the understanding of the Holy Spirit as a force enabling believers to become conscious of divine power.
Keep alert
, perhaps a veiled reference to the return of Christ; see Mk 13.35; perhaps also an exhortation to beware of temptation; see Mk 14.38.

19
:
Pray also for me
, as in Job 42.10.

20
:
Ambassador in chains
, see 3.1; 4.1.

21
:
Tychicus
, cf. Col 4.7–9.
Minister
, lit., “servant” (Gk “diakonos”).

23
–24
:
Peace … love … grace
, authentic Pauline epistles end similarly.

1.1
–2: Salutation. 1
:
Timothy
assisted in founding the church and remains popular among its members.
Servants
, lit., “slaves” (see translators’ note
a
: “douloi,” in LXX for Heb. “‘ebed,” but rarely as a description of relation to God; see Jer 2.14).
Bishops and deacons
, overseers and assistants (see notes
b
and
c
). The exact functions of those with these titles was yet to be settled.

2
:
Grace … peace
, standard opening for a letter (see, e.g., 1 Cor 1.3; Gal 1.3).
Lord
(Gk “kyrios,” used in LXX for “adonai/YHWH” but also a simple title of respect), Paul’s usual title for Jesus given as a part of the standard opening but also used as occasional variation for reference to Christ (e.g., 1 Cor 11.27; 2 Cor 2.12; 4.5).

1.3
–11: Thanksgiving and prayer. 5
:
The first day
, of Paul’s preaching at Philippi.

6
:
Day of Jesus Christ
, of his return and the close of this age (cf. 1.10; 2.16).

9
:
Prayer
(for others), see Job 42.8.

11
:
Harvest
, a standard image in Jesus’ teaching (e.g., Mt 9.37; cf. Jas 3.18), but also in Hebrew prophets (Jer 2.3).

1.12
–26: Paul’s prison circumstances and outlook. 13
:
Imperial guard
, a local contingent of this soldiery.
For Christ
, for preaching Christ.

15
:
Envy … rivalry
, Paul condemns not his opponents’ message but their efforts to outdo him.

17
:
Increase my suffering
, their freedom makes Paul feel his captivity more acutely. See also, e.g., Ps 22.3–5 for hope that the faithful not be put to shame.

21
:
Living … gain
, Paul cares only about Christ, not about the outcome of his own life.

25
:
Convinced
, Paul rationalizes that God will spare him execution so that he can assist the Philippians further.

26
:
Come to you again
, whether this happened is unknown.

1.27
–2.18: Exhortations to unity and humility. 28
:
Your opponents
, inside Philippi but outside its church.

29
:
Privilege … of suffering
, Tanakh sources that reflect suffering do not glorify it (e.g., Ps 13; 69; Job passim).

30
:
The same struggle
that Paul had undergone when founding this church (cf. 1 Thess 2.2).
Still have
, Paul’s imprisonment.

2.5
:
The same mind
, the mind-set of humility.

6
:
Though he was
, preexistent before his activity in v. 7 (see, “Christ Hymn,” p.
357
).
Form of God
, not visibly but in essential, divine nature.
Something to be exploited
, and never relinquished.

7
:
Emptied himself
(from Gk “kenosis,” “emptiness”), the pre-incarnate Christ could have asserted his advantageous status of equality with God.
Form of a slave
, by assuming the lowly form of humanity.

8
:
Humbled himself
, for service.
Even death on a cross
, a phrase Paul possibly added to the received hymn to dramatize how Christ’s humiliation was that reserved for a malefactor (cf. Deut 21.23)—a fall to the lowest imaginable low from a pre-incarnate highest imaginable high.