For I am held in constraint by reason of the two (here follows 'the

two', thus) (1) 'Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is

very far better', but (2) 'to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you'.

Here he presents the alternatives which were before him.  Something 'very far

better' for himself is contrasted with something 'more necessary for others'.

'Departing' is balanced by 'remaining in the flesh'.  His 'desire' to depart

is outweighed by the remaining 'for you'.  The choice which he did not tell

is fairly manifest.  At least, if we dispute the point as to whether he

really did choose the harder path, he certainly does tell us that he knew he

would remain, and seems to be joyful at the prospect of thus 'spending and

being spent'.

We must now examine the word 'depart'.  The original word is analuo,

which is thus defined in Dr. Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance,

(third edition 1892):

'Analuo, to loosen again, set free; then, to loosen, dissolve, or

resolve, as matter into its elements (hence, Eng. analysis); then, to

unfasten as the fastening of a ship, and thus prepare for departure,

(and with the force of ana, back,) to return'.

Schrevelius's Lexicon thus defines the word:

'Analuo, To unloose, free, release, relax, untie, undo; dissolve,

destroy, abolish; solve, explain, analyse; weigh anchor, depart, die;

return from a feast'.

As the word occurs in but two passages in the New Testament, and is

rendered once 'return' and once 'depart', it will be seen that it would be

just as logical to say that the rendering of the first passage should conform

to the second, as vice versa.  Philippians 1:23 renders analuo, 'depart',

Luke 12:36 'return'.  Those who advocate the teaching that analuo means 'the

return of the Lord' in Philippians 1:23 turn to Luke 12:36 to support their

argument.  It is not established beyond all controversy that 'return' is the

true meaning of Luke 12:36.  J.N. Darby renders the passage, 'whenever he may

leave the wedding'.  Rotherham gives the somewhat strange rendering, 'he

may break up out of the marriage feast'.  This somewhat strange rendering

will not be so strange to those who are acquainted with the schoolboy's idea

of 'breaking up' for the holidays.  Here lies the secret of the various

renderings.  There is no doubt whatever that analuo means exactly the same as

our English word 'analyse' -- to break up into its elements.  The secondary

meaning, 'to return', is somewhat parallel to the schoolboy's 'break up'.  It

came to have this meaning from the way it was used for loosing the cables of

ships, in order to sail from a port (see Odyss. 9:178; 11:636; 12:145;

Luke 12:36 speaks of the Coming of the Lord as something subsequent to

the 'returning'.  It is perfectly true that they will not open the door when

He departs from the wedding, but when He arrives.  Scripture clearly

differentiates between the 'departing' or 'returning' from the feast, and the

subsequent 'coming' and 'knocking'.  So far as light upon Philippians 1:23 is

concerned, Luke 12:36 gives no warrant for departing from the elementary

meaning of analuo.  The references in the LXX are equally indecisive.

Sometimes the passage speaks of 'returning' as Luke 12:36, once the pure

meaning, 'resolve into its elements' as melting ice.