Philippians 2:27 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Sorrow upon sorrow.— Some think the meaning is, "Sorrow for Epaphroditus's death, upon sorrow for his sickness." This may well be allowed, without excluding the other circumstances of St. Paul's situation; for the loss of such an excellent person,—and especially when his attending and serving the Apostle was the occasion of it,—would have been a great addition, both to the sorrow of his confinement, and to the sorrow that he had from the opposition made against him by the Judaizers; of the latter of which we find he could not write to the Philippians without weeping. See ch. Philippians 3:18.