Philippians 2:11

Textus Receptus:
και πασα γλωσσα εξομολογησηται οτι κυριος ιησους χριστος εις δοξαν θεου πατρος

King James:
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Comments:
every tongue should confess: This verse completes Paul's reference to Isaiah 45:23. The use of the word "confess" replaces "swear" in Isaiah. To "seven" or "swear" in Hebrew was to commit to it adamantly. Here, confession is more than acknowledging what is already true (although it certainly includes that idea). It is committing to what can no longer be denied. Of course, that commitment may not be voluntary, as the identity of the confessors (universal in number) attests.

Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father: Just as John 14:6 declares Jesus us the means to reconciliation with the Father so this verse declares that the exaltation of Jesus is the means to glorifying the Father.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Further, those who kneel before Jesus will bring their words and minds into alignment with what has always been true, that Jesus Christ is the Ruler of everything and the proper object of every allegiance; and that confession will ultimately give glory to the One who sent Christ, God the Father.

Philippians 2:10

Textus Receptus:
ινα εν τω ονοματι ιησου παν γονυ καμψη επουρανιων και επιγειων και καταχθονιων

King James:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Comments:
every knee should bow: God's desire is that every person should be saved. He expresses that desire in Isaiah 45:22-25. That passages also expresses His commitment that every knee will bow to Him (to which Paul is referring in this verse) and the fact that some will not be saved. At least one fulfillment of this verse comes in Revelation 5:13. In that passage, after the representatives of the redeemed have sung their song in verses 8-10, and after all the servants of God have sung their song in verses 11-12, then all the creatures join in to sing their song in verse 13.

in heaven...in earth...under the earth: Although literally true of course, the point of this expression (a merism) is to encompass all of the inhabitants of creation, from one extreme (above the heavens) to the other (under the ground.)

Expanded Paraphrase:
God has exalted Jesus above all so that every person may be brought to a position of kneeling humbly before Him--persons in the heavens, persons on the earth, and persons already dead and in the ground.

Philippians 2:9

Textus Receptus:
διο και ο θεος αυτον υπερυψωσεν και εχαρισατο αυτω ονομα το υπερ παν ονομα

King James:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Comments:
Wherefore: This conjunction explains why God has highly exalted Christ in terms of the previous verse. However, it in no way implies that Christ would not have been highly exalted if He had not humbled Himself nor that He was not previously highly exalted. In this verse, the contingency is about the grounds of Christ's exaltation, not about whether He would have been exalted.

highly exalted: In this verse the Greek word for exalted is prefixed by "hyper," meaning "super" or "above." This verse is the only one in the New Testament with that combination. Throughout the scriptures many have been and will be exalted, as in Matthew 23:12. But only Christ has been exalted above everything else.

given him a name: Paul used the same word for "given" when he said it was given to the Philippians (believers) to have faith and to suffer for the sake of Christ in chapter 1:29. Interestingly, John also says those who overcome receive a new name in Revelation 2:17 and 3:12. It is, of course, much more than coincidence that suffering is followed by exaltation in both believers and in Christ. 2 Timothy 2:11-13.

above every name: This phrase is profound in the light of the value given to the name of God in the Old Testament. Psalm 148:13 is a perfect example. In fact, the context of that Psalm (148:7-14) fits perfectly the context of this passage (vs 9-11).

Expanded Paraphrase:
Through Christ's act of incarnation and humiliation the Father also did something: God did more than lift Christ up, He put Him above everything else; and He did more than give Him a new name, He gave Him a name with is above every other name.

Philippians 2:8

Textus Receptus:
και σχηματι ευρεθεις ως ανθρωπος εταπεινωσεν εαυτον γενομενος υπηκοος μεχρι θανατου θανατου δε σταυρου

Kings James:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Comments:
obedient: The remarkable thing in this verse is the contrast between the authority which is rightfully Christ's and the obedience and humility which He chooses. Because of who He is He has authority even over unclean spirits in passages like Mark 1:27 and all of nature in Mark 4:41, things over which man has lost power because of the fall, as explained in Hebrews 2:6-8. Jesus has rightful authority over these things both because He is God and because He is "un-fallen" man, but chooses to submit Himself to the worst of the consequences of being fallen man, death.

death, even the death of the cross: The point is that Jesus does not keep Himself from the worst of the worst consequences of the fall--not just death, but the worst kind of humiliating and cursed death.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Having been found in the manner of a man, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming obedient to something far beneath that over which He had already demonstrated authority. He became obedient to the thing faced by every hopeless man, death. But not just any death, He chose to submit to a humiliating and excruciating death imposed by wicked hands, the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:7

Textus Receptus:
αλλ εαυτον εκενωσεν μορφην δουλου λαβων εν ομοιωματι ανθρωπων γενομενος

King James:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Comments:
made himself of no reputation: The Greek word for this phrase is "ekenosen," with the same root as the first half of the word for "vainglory" in verse 3. There is dispute about how to translate it here. Some say it means that He emptied Himself. The King James translates it to communicate the idea that He gave up the glory of His position. Paul's point seems obvious. In verse 3, he warns the Philippians not to make their "vanity" or "nothingness" something to be "gloried." In direct contrast, he says they should be like Jesus who made His glory into "vanity" or nothing.

took upon him: This phrase represents a participle in Greek, explaining how Jesus made Himself of no reputation. How can God make Himself less? He does not give up any attributes. Instead, He takes on Himself the humiliating nature of man. But it is not just any nature of man He takes on. It is the perfect nature of man. It was a humiliating and demeaning experience for Christ to add to Himself the perfect nature of man. Similarly, God humbles Himself when He simply looks at the things men esteem glorious. Psalm 113:4-6.

Expanded Paraphrase:
In contrast to those who would make themselves something when they are really nothing, Jesus made Himself nothing when He was everything. How? He who by definition is already complete and perfect added to himself servanthood, humbling Himself to become similar to every other man.

Philippians 2:6

Textus Receptus:
ος εν μορφη θεου υπαρχων ουχ αρπαγμον ηγησατο το ειναι ισα θεω

King James:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Comments:
in the form of God: "Form" is the Greek word "morphe." Doctrinal clarity sometimes motivates the exaggerated translation of "nature" instead of "form." While it is true that Jesus has the nature of God, it is not correct to retranslate "morphe" as "nature." But saying that Jesus is in the form of God in no way diminishes or even brings into question whether Jesus is in the nature of God. For instance, in the next verse, Jesus is in the "form" ("morphe") of a servant. If Jesus really is a servant, then it is consistent with this wording to assert that Jesus really is God. Paul's case here is not to prove that Jesus is God. He assumes the readers know that fact. His case here is to defend the more difficult issue for the day, that Jesus really did become a man.

thought it not robbery: Other translations say something like, "thought it not something to be grasped." The point in context is the same either way: while Jesus was in fact in the form of God and so it could not have been wrong, He chose not to hold onto that position, but instead to humble Himself to become a man, as verses 7 and 8 make clear.

Expanded Paraphrase:
While Jesus existed in the very form of God He deemed that to be equal with God would not be plunder to Him.

Philippians 2:5

Textus Receptus:
τουτο γαρ φρονεισθω εν υμιν ο και εν χριστω ιησου

King James:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Comments:
Verse 5 parallels verse 2 just as verses 6 and 7 parallel verse 3. While verse 2 gives a general obligation, verse 5 makes the fulfillment of that object both possible and specific in the person of Christ.

mind: Jesus uses the same word to rebuke Peter in Matthew 16:23, saying he is "minding" the things of man rather than of God. And the context of Jesus' rebuke of Peter is similar to the context of Paul's charge to the Philippians. Peter did not want Jesus to face the things in Jerusalem Jesus said he needed to face in Matthew 16:21, and which Paul covers here in verse 8. But in that same verse Jesus points out that He will conquer death, just as Paul goes on to say Jesus did here in verses 9-11.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Don't just think about and value things differently. Think like Christ thought. Care about the things Christ cared about.

Philippians 2:4

Textus Receptus:
μη τα εαυτων εκαστος σκοπειτε αλλα και τα ετερων εκαστος

King James:
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Comments:
Look not: Verse 3's description of what the Philippians ought to be like is made clear by the imperative of this verse. In other words, by putting the description of verse 3 into an imperative in verse 4, Paul makes the Philippians responsible for pursuing altruism (the interests of others) actively. It may not simply "come upon them" as a natural outflow of character. They must take responsibility to act selflessly.

also: It may seem that putting "also" in the command to love others justifies the love of self. However, as is also the case in passages like Matthew 22:39, loving others as self does not imply that the love of self is meritorious, but that it is automatic. The first half of this verse ("stop looking at the things of self") makes that distinction clear.

Expanded Paraphrase:
Stop focusing on what you want--on your goals. Instead, pay as much attention to the things of others as you always have to the things of yourself.