Transcript EXEGESIS OF PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11 - Applied

EXEGESIS OF
PHILIPPIANS 2:6-11
THE CARMEN CHRISTI
APPLIEDAPOLOGETICS.WORDPRESS.COM
The Text
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal
with God something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself by* taking the form of a slave, by* becoming
in the likeness of people. And being found in appearance like a
man,
8 he humbled himself by* becoming obedient to the point of death,
that is, death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God exalted him and graciously granted him the
name above every name,
10 so 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 every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father. (Phil 2:6-11, LEB)
Verse 6-a
 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not
consider being equal with God something to be
grasped,
Verse 6-a
 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider
being equal with God something to be grasped,
Existing
ὑπάρχων
Verse 6 – “existing”
 ὑπάρχων
 “to be in a state or circumstance, be”
 present active participle
 “The first phrase of verse 6 sets the tone for the
theological discussion to follow. Paul says that Christ
was ‘existing’ (huparchon) in the ‘form of God’. . .
The participle is again ‘timeless’ in that it does not
point to any moment when Jesus ‘started’ to exist . .
. Christ has always been in the form of God.”

James R. White. "The Pre-existence of Christ in Scripture, Patristics and Creed." Alpha and Omega Ministries.
Various Translators
 who, existing a in b (the) form c of-God,
 LEXICON—a. pres. act. participle of ὑπάρχω (LN 13.77)
(BAGD 2. p. 838): ‘to exist’ [Ea, Ln, NTC, WEC; NASB], ‘to
be’ [Ea, HNTC, WBC; KJV, NAB, NIV, NJB, NRSV, REB], ‘to
subsist’ [Mou], ‘to exist from eternity’ [ICC], ‘to share from
the beginning’ [TNT], ‘to be by nature’ [Pl]. The phrase ο͂ς ἐν
μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων ‘who, existing in the form of God’ is
translated ‘he always had the nature of God’ [TEV]. This verb
means to be originally [Alf, WC], to be by nature [EGT, TH],
to be from eternity [El], implying Christ’s pre-existence [Lg,
Lt]; his eternal existence is also implied in the context [Lt].
The present tense indicates that this was a continuing
condition [EBC, NTC, Pl, TH, WC] both in his preincarnate
existence and his existence afterward [NIC].

Greenlee, J. H. (1992). An exegetical summary of Philippians. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
EXISTING
 ὑπάρχων
 Timeless
 Eternal
 Exist by nature as God
 The participle here indicates that the Son eternally
existed
 But how?
Verse 6-a
 who, existing in the form of God, did not
consider being equal with God something to be
grasped,
FORM
μορφὴν
μορφὴν
 Jesus timelessly existed in the μορφὴν of God
 “form, outward appearance, shape,”
 μορφή (LN 58.2) (BAGD p. 528): ‘form’ [BAGD,
Ea, HNTC, Ln, NTC, Pl, WBC, WEC; KJV, NAB,
NASB, NJB, NSV, REB], ‘nature’ [LN; TEV], ‘very
nature’ [LN; NIV, TNT], ‘a state of equality’ [ICC].
The phrase μορφῇ θεοῦ ‘form of God’ is translated
‘God’s manifested Being’ [Mou].

Greenlee, J. H. (1992). An exegetical summary of Philippians. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
μορφὴ
 The “form” or “nature” that makes God, God.
 Same word used in verse 7 regarding Jesus’
humanity
 “form of a slave”
 Jesus, being in the form of God, implies that His
ὑποστάσεω (hupostasews, Heb. 1:3) is fully divine, a
claim that cannot be made by any mere creature
Various Translators
 The interpretation of μορφῇ in Phil 2:6–7 as equivalent, in meaning or at least
in reference, to oὐσία commands widespread allegiance among evangelical
scholars as well. F. F. Bruce, for instance, follows Lightfoot in holding that
“the noun morphe ‘implies not the external accidents but the essential
attributes.’” Leon Morris, likewise, believes that, by describing Christ
as ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ, Paul unambiguously ascribes deity to him. “It is
not easy,” writes Morris, “to see ‘being in the form of God’ as meaning
anything less.” I. H. Marshall, similarly, affirms that in Phil 2:6–7 “there is
described the way in which a being who had the nature of God
renounced the privileges of that state and took on the form of a
human servant of God.” David J. MacLeod contends that μορφῇ in Phil
2:6–7 “refers to nature or essence.” In the view of Gerald Hawthorne, verse
6a indicates that “Christ was God, possessed of the very nature of God.”
Gordon Fee identifies the phrases ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ and ἴσα θεῷ as
“among the strongest expressions of Christ’s deity in the NT”; and
Richard Melick declares that “the NIV correctly translates ‘in the
form of God’ as ‘in very nature God.
Dennis W. Jowers, "The Meaning of Morphe in Philippians 2:6-7." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 49,
no. 4 (December 2006), 763.)
Phil 2:6-b
 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not
consider being equal with God something to
be grasped,
 Theme of Philippians
 Teaching Point
 What about “robbery” in the KJV…as if
Christ is NOT attempting to gain equality
like “the evil one”?
“Equal to God”
 QUESTION—What is meant by ‘he considered the being equal with
God as not something to be grasped’?
 1.
He already was equal with God [Alf, Ea, EBC, El, GNC, HNTC, ICC,
Lt, Mou, My, NIC, NTC, TNTC, WBC, WC, WEC; TNT].




1.1 He was willing to relinquish that existence of equality with God in order to come to
earth as a human being [Alf, Ea, EBC, El, GNC, ICC, Lt, Mou, NIC, NTC, WC, WEC]: he did
not regard his equality with God as something which he should hold on to. As such, this
clause focuses the emphasis upon Christ’s utter unselfishness in laying aside his equality
with God [Alf].
1.2 He was equal to God but subordinate to him [My]. He rejected any thought of taking
advantage of his coming to earth to seize power and glory and no longer be subordinate to
the Father [My, TNTC]; instead, he chose to secure this equality by his incarnation and
humiliation [TNTC].
1.3 He did not accept the thought that being equal with God meant that he could take all
power and glory to himself [WBC].
1.4 He did not consider that he was robbing God of his glory by being equal with God [Blm].
Greenlee, J. H. (1992). An exegetical summary of Philippians. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute
of Linguistics.
NIV 2011 Nails It
 “did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage”
 This fits the theme of Paul’s Epistle perfectly
 And while it’s not a literal translation, it does relay
the thought of the apostle on this subject
Verse 6-b
 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not
consider being equal with God something to be
grasped,
equal
ἴσα
EQUAL
 The Son was/is equal to the Father
 But did not grasp on to His equality or consider it
something to hold on to.
 Boice states, “Paul's use of this word in reference to
Jesus teaches that Jesus is equal to God.”

James M. Boice. Foundations of the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1986, 269.
Isa with the Father
 The neuter singular form ἴσα of this adjective is
used as an adverb [BAGD, Bg, Ea, EBC, EGT, El,
ICC, Lg, Ln, Lt, My, NTC]; it states the manner in
which Christ existed [EBC, NTC]. This being
‘equal’ with God implies the fullness and the
exaltation of God [Bg], possessing the attributes
and perfections of God the Father [Blm].

Greenlee, J. H. (1992). An exegetical summary of Philippians. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Summation of Verse 6
 Jesus timelessly existed (6a)
 Timelessly existed in the morphe of God (6a)
 He held isa with God = EQUAL (6b)
 But did not consider it something to be grasped for
His own advantage (6b)
 SEE VERSES 3-5
CONTEXT
 3 Do nothing according to selfish ambition or
according to empty conceit, but in humility
considering one another better than yourselves,
4 each of you not looking out for ⌊your own
interests⌋, but also each of you for ⌊the interests⌋
of others. 5 Think this in yourselves which was also
in Christ Jesus,
 This is what Jesus did in verse 6
 He did not count His equality with the Father
as something to be held on to
VERSE 7
 7 but emptied himself by* taking the form of a
slave, by* becoming in the likeness of people. And
being found in appearance like a man,
Emptied
κενόω
κενόω
 “divestiture of position or prestige” (BDAG, 539)
 Paul’s figurative use of κενόω (kenow) is a veiling, but




retention of the Divine glory and attributes of the
eternal Son.
Ps. 102:25-27
Also note that Jesus did not consider His equality prior
to His emptying
Verses 6-7 together demonstrate the two natures of
Christ
John 1:1 & 1:14
κενόω
 The κενόω (kenow) took place not by a subtraction
of Divine attributes, but rather, by the addition of
human μορφῇ (morphe).
 This self emptying of Christ is explained by the use of
two participles, λαβών (labwn, “to take”) and
γενόμενο (genomenos, “to be born, to become”).
 Meaning, Jesus emptied Himself by addition
 But DID NOT relinquish any of His divine
attributes
Wayne Grudem
 “We must first realize that no recognized teacher in
the first 1,800 years of church history, including
those who were native speakers of Greek, thought
that ‘emptied Himself’ in Phil. 2:7 meant that the
Son of God gave up some of His divine attributes . . .
the text does describe what Jesus did in this
‘emptying’; he did not do it by giving up any of his
attributes, but rather by taking ‘the form of a
servant’, that is, by coming to live as a man.”

Wayne Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
1994), 550.
Scholar Translations
 Paul does not mean that Christ emptied himself of
something, referring to either form or likeness [NIC,
WBC, WC, WEC]. At his incarnation, he retained the
form of God and he ‘emptied himself’ by taking the
form of a slave [NIC]. The sense is ‘he poured
himself out’, denying himself of his rights for
the sake of others [WBC, WC], thus indicating how
complete his self-denial was [WEC]. It simply means
‘he made himself nothing’ [WEC].

Greenlee, J. H. (1992). An exegetical summary of Philippians. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Verse 7
 The apostle goes on to explain the nature of true and
absolute humility when he qualifies Jesus’ “form”
and forfeited “equality” in verse 7
 NOTE the relationship between 6-7
μορφῇ θεοῦ - (form [of] God) v. 6
μορφὴν δούλου - (form [of] slave) v. 7
 If Jesus was truly a man, He was truly God
Verse 8
8 he humbled himself by* becoming obedient to the
point of death, that is, death on a cross.
 Note that this fits with Paul’s theme to the Philippian
church
1) Christ is divine
2) Form of God
3) Equal to God
BUT
a. Emptied Himself
b. Humbled Himself
Follow the Pronouns
 He (Jesus) did not count equality to be grasped
 He emptied Himself
 He took on human flesh
 He became a slave
 He humbled Himself
 He demonstrated obedience
 He died the Cross Death
 NO Coercion
VERSE 9
 Therefore also God exalted him and graciously
granted him the name above every name,
 The conjunction διό (dio) translated “For this
reason” by the NASB and “Therefore” by the ESV
and Lexham grammatically summarizes all of the
previous points (“did not count equality” v. 6,
“emptied himself” v. 7, “taking” v. 7, “being born” v.
7, “becoming obedient to the point of death” v. 8) of
Christ’s self humiliation
VERSE 9
 Therefore also God exalted him and graciously granted
him the name above every name
 And now, Father, glorify me in your own
presence with the glory that I had with you
before the world existed. (Jn 17:5)
 For my sake alone I will act, for how can I allow my
name to be defiled? I will not share my glory
with anyone else! (Isa 48:11)
VERSE 9
 Therefore also God exalted him and graciously
granted him the name above every name
 “the name” or “Hashem” is utilized as a term for
God in substitute of the divine name in Jewish
literature
 EXAMPLE: “Thus saith Hashem to His
Moshiach” (Isa 45:1a, OJB)
VERSE 9
 This is also seen in the OT, where in Lev 24:11, the
text reads;
 “The Israelite woman's son misused the Name and
cursed, so they brought him to Moses. (Now his
mother's name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of
the tribe of Dan.)” (Lev 24:11, NET)
 Just one verse later, “the Name” is identified as
YHWH (vs. 12)
THE GREEK LXX
 24:11 και επονομασας ο υιος της γυναικος της
ισραηλιτιδος το ονομα κατηρασατο και ηγαγον
αυτον προς μωυσην και το ονομα της μητρος αυτου
σαλωμιθ θυγατηρ δαβρι εκ της φυλης δαν (Lev 24:11,
LXX)
 το ονομα = “the name”
THE GREEK LXX
 Lev 24:11 και επονομασας ο υιος της γυναικος της
ισραηλιτιδος το ονομα κατηρασατο και ηγαγον
αυτον προς μωυσην και το ονομα της μητρος αυτου
σαλωμιθ θυγατηρ δαβρι εκ της φυλης δαν (LXX)
 9 διὸ καὶ ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσενκαὶ ἐχαρίσατο
αὐτῷ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, (Phil 2:9,
NA28)
‫הַ ֵּׁשם‬
 Jews had a prohibition against the use of the divine
name, opting rather to utilize substitutes such as
“G_D,” “Adonia” and “Elohim.”
 One of these substitutes was that of hashem ) ‫ הַ שֵּׁ ם‬or
“the name”)
 And, not only does Jesus possess “the name,”
but He also possesses “the name above every
name.”
 And what is the name above every name?
The Tetragrammaton
 15 And God said again to Moses, “So you must say to the
⌊Israelites⌋, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me
to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance
from generation to generation.’ (Ex 3:15, LEB)
 ‘The Tetragrammaton YHWH, the Lord, or Yahweh,
the personal name of God and his most frequent
designation in Scripture, occurring 5321 times in the
OT…Scripture speaks of the Tetragrammaton as “this
glorious and fearful name” (Deut 28:58) or simply “the
name”’ (Lev 24:11).

TWOT, 484
Kostenberger Notes
 The Jews referred to God using substitutions for the divine
name. Approved substitutions were called kinnuyim. The
common substitutions were “Lord” (Adonai); “the Name” (Hb.
Hashem); “the Separate name”; “God's own name”; and “the
name of four letters” (tetragrammaton). In Phil 2: 9 Paul used
the kinnuyim “the name” (with the definite article in Greek)
and further described this name as that “above every name.”
Every Jew in Philippi who heard this phrase would
automatically recognize these words as an allusion to the
divine name. Paul identified this supreme divine name in the
confession “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Since the Greek title “Lord”
(kyrios) was the translation of the name “Yahweh” in the OT
and since the description “name above every other name” is a
clear example of kinnuyim, Paul explicitly identified Jesus as
God who possesses the very name of God
Kostenberger, Cradle, Cross, Crown, 17626-17633.
VERSE 10
 10 so 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,
 Coming out of a discussion regarding “the name”
which is given to Jesus (now incarnate)
 The apostle equates Jesus’ “name” with that of
YHWH’s
 “so at the name of JESUS”
The Name of Jesus
 Meaning, to profess or announce “the name” of Jesus
is to proclaim or announce “the name” of YHWH
 The apostle (or ancient hymn writer) reinforces this
understand with a YHWH specific citation from Isa
45:23…
Verse 10-11a
 23 I have sworn by myself; a word that shall not
return has gone forth from my mouth in
righteousness: ‘Every knee shall kneel down to
me; every tongue shall swear.’ (Isa 45:23, LEB)

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth,11 and every tongue confess…” (Phil 2:1011a, ESV)
10
Verse 10-11a
 23 I have sworn by myself; a word that shall not return has
gone forth from my mouth in righteousness: ‘Every knee
shall kneel down to me; every tongue shall swear.’
(Isa 45:23, LEB)

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every
tongue confess…” (Phil 2:10-11a, ESV)
10
 23 I am swearing an oath according to myself: ⌊Unless⌋
righteousness shall go forth from my mouth, my words shall
not turn back, because every knee shall bend to me,
and every tongue shall swear by God, (Isa 45:23, LESLXX)
Use of Isa 45:23
 This YHWH specific passage is applied to the Son,
the one who holds the name above all names.
 And note what is being said about the Son, as James
White explains.
 “In context, this passage is specifically about
Yahweh, the God of Israel . . . Yet Paul quotes from
this passage and says that it is to Jesus that every
knee shall bow . . . How can Paul say this? Does he
believe in more than one God? Certainly not! But he
realizes that both the Father and the Son are worthy
of the name Yahweh.” (White, Trinity, 128)
VERSE 11

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
11
 QUESTION: What is the Bible of the 1st Century
 And how was the name of God translated in that
Bible?
Isa 45:5
 45:5 I am Yahweh, and there is none besides me;
besides me there is no god. (LEB)
‫ֹלהים‬
ִ֑ ֱ‫אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ ו ְֵ֣אין ֔עֹוד זּול ִָ֖תי ֵ֣אין א‬
‫ֲא ַאז ְֶּר ִ֖ך ו ְֹ֥לא י ְדַ ע ְָתָּֽני׃‬
 BHS 45:5
 45:5 I am the Lord, I have no peer, there is no God
but me... (NET)
 45:5 οτι εγω κυριος ο θεος και ουκ εστιν ετι πλην
εμου θεος… (LXX)
κυριος
 Isa 45:5 οτι εγω κυριος ο θεος και ουκ εστιν ετι πλην
εμου θεος… (LXX)
 LORD THE GOD
 Phil 2: 11 καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται ὅτι κύριος
Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός. (SBLGNT)
 LORD JESUS CHRIST
 Jn 20:28 Ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου.
 THE LORD OF ME AND THE GOD OF ME
Jesus is YHWH
 Summary:
1) Jesus is given “the name” (reserved for YHWH)
2) He’s given “the name above every name” (reserved
3)
4)
5)
6)
for YHWH)
Isa 45:23 (specific YHWH text)
Homage in Isa 45:23 c.f. Phil 2:10-11
Use of Kurios (Lord – LXX rendering of YHWH)
Paul’s intent: EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW
AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL CONFESS
THAT JESUS CHRIST IS YHWH
To What End?
 “to the glory of God the Father”
 Two persons identified as YHWH/God in the verse
 Jesus, the timeless morphe of God (v. 6)
 Jesus, equal to God (v. 6)
1. Identified as YHWH (vs. 9-11)
 God the Father (v. 11)
 Perfect Trinitarian Unity
 John 17:5 c.f. 1:1b, 1:18c
QUESTIONS