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Philippians
2:5-11
(Christ’s
Example of Humility)
(From the Orthodox Study Bible):
5 Let this mind be in you which
was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of
God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,(1)
7 but made Himself of no
reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.(2)
8 And being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even
the death of the cross.(2)
9 Therefore God also has highly
exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(3)
***Verse-by-Verse
Study Notes Provided in This Bible***
(1) Verse 6: The form (Greek: morphe)
of God: a concept parallel with “the image [Greek: eikon] of God”
(Colossians 1:15), refers to the Son’s sharing in full the divine nature.
Robbery:
(Greek: harpagmon, literally “prize” or “booty”) refers to an item
stolen and tightly clutched. Christ has equality with God not by seizure but by
nature, and with absolute security. There is, therefore, no threat, loss, or
any change in the divine nature of the Son of God when He takes our humanity to
Himself and offers us salvation.
(2) Verses 7 and 8: Made Himself of no
reputation: (literally, “emptied Himself”) deals with the Son’s will, not
His nature. He emptied Himself not by laying down His divine nature or setting
it aside, but by voluntarily taking on our human nature. To human beings, He
looks like just another human being, for being truly incarnate, He is fully man
by nature.
He took the form of a bondservant: voluntarily
sharing our human condition except for one thing: sin. In His humanity, He
showed the fullness of humility by His obedience to the death that has enslaved
humanity. To die on a cross, the death of a criminal, was repulsive to
the Romans and considered a curse by the Jews. But His death brings life to all
who are joined to Him.
(3) Summary – Verses 5-11: This
passage is a hymn already in use in the Church, quoted here by Saint Paul
because it calls us to ponder the humility of Christ, a truth necessary for
suffering Christians to understand and live out. The passage has been
incorporated into many hymns of the Orthodox Church. Christ is He who, being
in the form of God, is also in the form of a bondservant, in our
likeness (see Genesis 1:26), and is voluntarily subject to death. He who has
died, God has exalted and given the name Lord, a name God the Son shares
with God the Father from all eternity.
(From the New Analytical King James Study
Bible):
5 Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form(1)
of God, thought it not robbery(2) to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form(1) of a servant, and was made(3)
in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion(4)
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
***Footnotes***
(1) In this sentence, the term “form” comes from the
original ancient Greek word “morphe” (Strong’s G3444).
Its ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: μορφή morphḗ, mor-fay';
perhaps from the base of G3313 (through the idea of adjustment of
parts); shape;
figuratively, nature:—form.
(2) In this sentence, the term “robbery” comes from
the original ancient Greek word “harpagmos” (Strong’s G725). Its original
ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: ἁρπαγμός harpagmós, har-pag-mos';
from G726; plunder (properly concrete):—robbery.
(3) In this sentence, the term “made” comes from the
original ancient Greek word “ginomai” (Strong’s G1096). Its original
ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: γίνομαι gínomai, ghin'-om-ahee;
a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be
("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great
latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):—arise, be assembled, be(-come,
-fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be
divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be
fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept,
be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be
published, require, seem, be showed, × soon
as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.
(4) In this sentence, the term “Fashion” comes from
the original ancient Greek word “schema” (Strong’s G4976). Its original
ancient script, spelling, pronunciation, and definitions include: σχῆμα schēma, skhay'-mah;
from the alternate of G2192; a figure (as a mode or circumstance), i.e. (by implication) external condition:—fashion.
(From the Amplified Holy Bible):
5 Have this same attitude in
yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless
humility],
6 who, although He existed in
the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the
fullness of all the divine attributes – the entire nature of deity], did not
regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not
already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];
7 but emptied Himself [without
renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward
expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely
human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].
8 After He was found in [terms
of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled
Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of
death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also [because
he obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and
bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth,(1)
11 and that every tongue will
confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to
the glory of God the Father.
***Study
Note Included in This Bible***
(1) All intelligent beings in the universe, whether saved
or unsaved, whether in spirit or as mortal mankind, will acknowledge Him.
(From the Complete Jewish Study Bible):
5 Let your attitude toward one
another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah Yeshua(1):
6 Though he was is the form of
God, he did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force.(3)
7 On the contrary, he emptied
himself, in that he took the form of a slave by becoming like human beings are.
And when he appeared as a human being,
8 he humbled himself still more
by becoming obedient even to death – death on a stake as a criminal! (4)
9 Therefore God raised him to
the highest place and gave him the name above every name;
10 that in the honor of the name
given Yeshua(1), every knee will bow – in heaven, on earth
and under the earth -
11 and every tongue will
acknowledge that Yeshua(1) is ADONAI(2) – to the
glory of God the Father.
***Footnotes***
(1) In the Jewish language, the name Yeshua” is used for
“Jesus.”
(2) In the Hebrew language, the term “ADONAI” or “Adonai”
is used, literally, for “my Lord”, a word the Hebrew Bible uses to refer to
God.
***Verse-by-Verse
Study Notes Provided in This Bible***
(3) Verse 6:Though he was in the form of
God: Prior to his incarnation, Yeshua, the second Adam (Romans 5:15-18; 1
Corinthians 15:45-49) was like the first Adam, being in the form and “image” of
God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:2). Unlike
the first Adam, however, Yeshua did not consider equality with God something to
be possessed by force, meaning that he refrained from seizing that which was
already his—namely, divine rulership over all creation.
(4) Verses 7-8: On the contrary, he
emptied himself: Through the incarnation, Yeshua laid aside his attributes
as God on earth in order to become a human being (Hebrews 4:15). Messiah gave
up his “equality with God” (Philippians 2:6), taking on the form of a slave,
the Servant of ADONAI (Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12), by becoming a human
being. He humbled himself still further by becoming obedient to death, even
death on a stake as a criminal. Yeshua’s death resembles but is distinct from
Jewish tradition where such a sacrifice is called ‘al kiddush-HaShem, or
martyrdom “for the sake of sanctifying the name” of God. Although in his life
and death, Yeshua sanctified the Name of his Father, he nevertheless was not
martyred, but instead willfully laid down his life (John 10:18; John 15:13).
(From the New American Standard Bible):
5 Have this attitude in
yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although he existed in
the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking
the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.(1)
8 Being found in appearance as
a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even
death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God
highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus,
EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the
earth,
11 and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
***Study
Note Provided in This Bible***
(1) meaning: laid aside His privileges
(From the Knox Bible – the Latin Vulgate):
5 Yours is to be the same mind
6 which Christ Jesus shewed.
His nature is, from the first, divine, and yet he did not
7 see, in the rank of Godhead,
a prize to be coveted(1); he dispossessed himself, and
took the nature of a slave, fashioned in the likeness of
men, and presented himself
8 to us in human form; and then
he lowered his own dignity, accepted an obedience
9 which brought him to death,
death on a cross. That is why God has raised him to
10 such a height, given him that
name which is greater than any other name; so that
everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth must
bend the knee before
11 the name of Jesus, and every
tongue must confess Jesus Christ as the Lord, dwelling in the glory of God the
Father(2).
***Study
Notes Provided in This Bible***
(1) Others would render “thought it no usurpation to claim
the rank of Godhead”.
(2) Dwelling in the glory: the Greek is perhaps more
naturally rendered “dwelling to the glory”.