Departing and Being with Christ. Phil. 1:23.
By V. S.
D. WARREN: We have no faith whatever in the exposition of Phil. 1:23, which makes the “departing” from the Greek, analuo, mean in that passage, the returning of Christ. The word analuo is defined by Greenfield, thus: “Pr. to dissolve; to separate, break up, e. g. as a convivial party, to depart, come away, from a feast, Luke 12:36; to depart from this life, to die. Phil. 1:23.” Robinson defines it, “To unloose, to undo, as the fastening of a ship for departure, to release, as a prisoner. In N. T. intrans. to make oneself loose, to break up, to depart. a) Pr. eis ton gamon, Luke 12:36; here the idea of returning home is implied. b) Trop. to depart from life, to die.” Liddell and Scott give definitions essentially the same. From this it is apparent that the primary meaning of this word is to unloose, to break up existing association. As applied to our Lord, represented as he is in Luke 12:36, as away to the wedding, it is very properly rendered return, inasmuch as the immediate connection shows that when he breaks up, or closes, that transaction, he comes the second time to this earth. But Paul in Phil. 1:23, applies it to himself here on the earth, and not to the Lord in Heaven about to come again to this earth. And if it here means to return, what does Paul return from? Nothing. If it is said that Paul does not apply the word here to himself, but to the Lord, we reply that there is nothing to show it; and further, if this be so, Paul introduces three things; namely, life, death, and the coming of Christ; whereas he says that his mind was exercised in reference to only two. In 2 Tim. 4:6, Paul says, The time of my departure is at hand. He here uses a kindred word, analusis. This, as a noun, expresses exactly what analuo expresses, as a verb. Here the noun is rendered departure, just as the verb is rendered depart in Phil. 1:23. But here Paul uses it with a personal pronoun in the genitive case which corresponds with our English possessive. My analusis, my departure, literally, the departure of me. It can be rendered, returning, here just as well as in Phil. 1:23, but then Paul would say, “The time of my returning is at hand,” which would make nonsense. There is no necessity for resorting to such forced criticism in explaining Phil. 1:23. See this subject exhaustively discussed in the tract published at this Office entitled, “Departing and Being with Christ,” also, “Man’s Nature and Destiny.” pp. 199–210. V. S.