Philippians 2:26

For. This verse gives the reason for Paul’s decision to send Epaphroditus to Philippi — the faithful brother was longing to return home so as to dispel anxiety concerning his health.

He longed. Rather, “he was longing.” Paul skillfully commends his messenger to the Philippians by stressing the affection of Epaphroditus for them all.

Full of heaviness. Gr. ademoned. Two derivations of the word have been suggested: (1) a, “away from,” and demos, “people,” or “home,” hence, “away from home,” whence a free translation of the verb would be “to be homesick”; (2) from ademon, “sore troubled,” hence, “to be distressed.” In the second sense ademoned is used in Matt. 26:37 and Mark 14:33 to describe the Saviour’s state of mind in Gethsemane, and is translated “to be very heavy.” In the case of Epaphroditus the anxiety was not about himself, but about the grief of his friends at Philippi. He knew that they had heard of his illness, and possibly believed that he had already died.