Albert Barnes Commentary Philippians 1:23

"But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:" — Philippians 1:23 (ASV)

For I am in a strait betwixt two. Two things, each of which I desire. I earnestly long to be with Christ, and I desire to remain to be useful to the world. The word rendered "I am in a strait," sunechomai—means to be pressed on or constrained, as in a crowd; to feel oneself pressed, or confined, so as not to know what to do. It here means that he was in perplexity and doubt, and did not know what to choose.

"The words of the original are very emphatic. They appear to be derived from a ship when lying at anchor, and when violent winds blow upon it that would drive it out to sea. The apostle represents himself as in a similar condition. His strong affection for them bound his heart to them as an anchor holds a ship to its moorings; and yet there was a heavenly influence bearing upon him—like the gale upon the vessel—which would bear him away to heaven." Burder, in Rosenmüller's Das alte und neue Morgenland, in loc.

Having a desire to depart. This means to die—to leave this world for a better one. People, as they are by nature, usually dread to die. Few are even made willing to die. Almost none desire to die—and even then, they wish it only as the lesser of two evils. Pressed down by pain and sorrow, or sick and weary of the world, the mind may be worked up into a desire to be away.

But this, among worldly people, is in all cases the result of misanthropy, morbid feeling, disappointed ambition, or an accumulation of many sorrows. Wetstein has cited for this verse several most beautiful passages from the classic writers, in which people expressed a desire to depart—but all of them probably could be traced to disappointed ambition, mental or bodily sorrows, or dissatisfaction with the world.

It was from no such wish that Paul desired to die. It was not because he hated humanity—for he ardently loved people; it was not because he had been disappointed about wealth and honor—for he had sought neither; it was not because he had not been successful—for no man has been more so; it was not because he had been subjected to pains and imprisonments—for he was willing to bear them; it was not because he was old, infirm, and a burden to the world—for, from anything that appears, he was in the vigor of life and in the fullness of his strength. It was from a purer, higher motive than any of these—the strength of attachment that bound him to the Savior, and which made him long to be with him.

And to be with Christ. We may remark on this expression:

1. That this was the true reason why he wished to be away. It was his strong love to Christ; his anxious wish to be with him; his firm belief that in his presence is fulness of joy.
2. Paul believed that the soul of the Christian would be immediately with the Savior at death. It was evidently his expectation that he would at once pass to his presence, and not that he would remain in an intermediate state to some far distant period.
3. The soul does not sleep at death. Paul expected to be with Christ, and to be conscious of the fact—to see him, and to partake of his glory.
4. The soul of the believer is made happy at death. To be with Christ is synonymous with being in heaven, for Christ is in heaven and is its glory. We may add:
   1. That this wish to be with Christ constitutes a marked difference between a Christian and other people. Other people may be willing to die, perhaps be desirous to die, because their sorrows are so great that they feel that they cannot be borne. But the Christian desires to depart from a different motive altogether. It is to be with Christ—and this constitutes a broad line of distinction between him and other people.
   2. A mere willingness to die, or even a desire to die, is no certain evidence of preparation for death. If this willingness or desire is caused by mere intensity of suffering; if it is produced by disgust at the world, or by disappointment; if it arises from some view of fancied Elysian fields beyond the grave, it constitutes no evidence whatever of preparation for death. I have seen not a few persons who were not professed Christians on a bed of death, and not a few willing to die, indeed, not a few who wished to depart. But in the vast majority of instances, it was because they were sick of life, or because their pain made them sigh for relief, or because they were so wretched that they did not care what happened—and this they and their friends construed as evidence that they were prepared to die! In most instances, this is a miserable delusion; in no case is a mere willingness to die evidence of preparation for death.

Which is far better. This means it would be attended with more happiness and would be a higher, holier state than to remain on earth. This also proves that the soul of the Christian at death is made happy at once—for a state of insensibility can in no way be said to be a better condition than to remain in this present world.

The Greek phrase here, pollw mallon kreisson—is very emphatic, and the apostle seems to labor for language that will fully convey his idea. It means, "by much more, or rather better;" and the sense is, "better beyond all expression." Doddridge. See numerous examples illustrating the phrase in Wetstein.

Paul did not mean to say that he was merely willing to die, or that he acquiesced in its necessity, but that the fact of being with Christ was a condition greatly to be preferred to remaining on earth. This is the true feeling of Christian piety; and, having this feeling, death to us will have no terrors.