Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
As lights in the world (wv fwsthrev en kosmw). As luminaries like the heavenly bodies. Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) as they reflect the light from Christ (John 1:4; John 8:12), but here the word is not fwv (light), but fwsthrev (luminaries, stars). The place for light is the darkness where it is needed.
Holding forth (epexontev). Present active participle of epexw. Probably not connected with the preceding metaphor in fwsthrev. The old meaning of the verb epexw is to hold forth or to hold out (the word of life as here). The context seems to call for "holding fast." It occurs also with the sense of attending to (Acts 3:5).
That I may have (emoi). Ethical dative, "to me as a ground of boasting."
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Philippians 2:16:
2 Corinthians 1:14
Colossians 1:29
2 Thessalonians 3:1
1 Timothy 4:16
2 Timothy 1:12
2 Peter 3:10
Revelation 16:14
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