"For Thou hast met our longings With words of golden tone, That we shall serve for ever Thyself, Thyself alone;
"Shall serve Thee, and for ever, Oh hope most sure, most fair; The perfect love outpouring In perfect service there." [6]
[1] _skopeite_: _skopein_ usually has reference to the attention which results in avoidance; so Rom. xvi. 17: _parakalo skopein tous ta skandala poiountas kai ekklinate k.t.l._ But here obviously the "looking" is for imitation.--The Philippians knew St Paul's teaching, and in his attached leading disciples among them they could _see_ it embodied.
[2] Cp. Matt. vii. 13; Rom. vi. 21; 2 Cor. xi. 15; Heb. vi. 8; 1 Pet. iv. 17.
[3] I thus attempt to give the meaning of _politeuma_, so far as I understand it. The R.V. renders it "_citizenship_," and "_commonwealth_" in the margin. The usage of the word in Greek literature amply justifies either, and either well suits the general context. The Apostle means that Christians are citizens of the heavenly City as to their _status_, and are therefore "obliged by their nobility" to live, however far from their home, as those who belong to it, and represent it. What seems lacking however in the rendering of the R.V. is the idea of _locality_, which (to me) was clearly present to St Paul's mind in his use of _politeuma_ here. The proof of this lies in the words _ex ou_ just below; not _ex on_ (_ouranon_) but _ex ou_ (_politeumatos_): I can find _no proof_ of the assertion (Moulton's _Winer_, p. 177) that _ex ou_ is a mere equivalent for _hothen_, and so may refer to the plural _ouranoi_. The rendering "_seat_ of citizenship" seems fairly to represent _politeuma_ thus.--The A.V. "_conversation_" (Lat. _conversatio_, "intercourse of life") probably represents an impression of the translators that the Apostle is as it were echoing i. 27, _axios tu euaggeliou politeuesthe_. But the imagery here is different, and definite.
[4] See note just above on _ex ou_.
[5] Perhaps read _auta_. But the translation must remain the same.
[6] F. R. Havergal.