Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 1:30

"having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me." — Philippians 1:30 (ASV)

In this matter of suffering, the Philippians were experiencing the same sort of “struggle” (GK 74) Paul had endured throughout his ministry. They had seen some of Paul’s sufferings when he was in Philippi (Acts 16:19–24). They had heard of others he had undergone more recently in Rome (from reports of travelers or other messengers, including those who conveyed the information about Epaphroditus, 2:26). The word “struggle,” often used in an athletic sense, developed a metaphorical use for any kind of conflict. It is consistent with the thought of “antagonists” in v.28.