ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Philippians 2.8

Philippians 2:8, Phil 2:8, obedient unto death

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:8, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

6. who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7. but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;

8. and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.

  1. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10. that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, (Philippians 2:6-10, ASV)
WEB (WEB)

6. who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7. but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

8. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

  1. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; 10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, (Philippians 2:6-10, WEB)
KJV (KJV)

6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

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

  1. 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; (Philippians 2:6-10, KJV)
YLT (YLT)

6. who, being in the form of God, thought [it] not robbery to be equal to God, 7. but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made,

8. and in fashion having been found as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient unto death, death even of a cross,

  1. wherefore, also, God did highly exalt him, and gave to him a name that [is] above every name, 10. that in the name of Jesus every knee may bow, of heavenlies, and earthlies, and what are under the earth (Philippians 2:6-10, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle (during Roman imprisonment)
  • Audience: Christian believers in Philippi
  • Location: composed during Roman imprisonment
  • Time period: composed c. AD 60-62

Theological reading

Philippians 2:8 is the lowest descending point of the great Carmen Christi hymn (Phil 2:6-11), which traces the arc from preexistent equality with God, through incarnation and self-emptying, to the absolute bottom of human shame, and back up to universal exaltation. The verse marks the floor of that arc. Christ does not merely become a man; he becomes a man under obedience; he obeys not merely in life but in death; and the death is not merely any death but thanatou de staurou, death of a cross. Paul presses the descent in four ratchets, each more humiliating than the last, and the final ratchet is the social-scandal of the Roman cross.

The historical setting weights the verse. Cicero called crucifixion crudelissimum taeterrimumque supplicium (the most cruel and disgusting punishment), reserved for slaves, foreigners, and the worst political criminals. Roman citizens were exempt by law. Crucifixion was so shameful that it was rarely spoken of in polite Roman discourse; the cross was, in Paul's own phrase elsewhere, foolishness to the Gentiles and a stumbling-block to the Jews. Deuteronomy 21:23 added a specifically Jewish dimension: cursed is anyone hung on a tree. For Paul's first-century audience, death on a cross was the unique social, legal, and theological humiliation. Saying that the preexistent Lord (Jesus, in the morphē theou of v. 6) descended to that point is the strongest possible statement of the divine self-abasement.

The verse therefore anchors three theological doctrines simultaneously. First, the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union: the same subject who exists in the form of God is the one being found in human fashion and obeying to the cross, divine and human predications belong to the one person. Second, the doctrine of self-emptying (often called kenosis): the Son does not cease to be God but voluntarily lays aside the prerogatives of glory to inhabit the conditions of a servant. Third, the doctrine of the cross as the climax of divine obedience: the atonement is not extracted from a reluctant Son but offered as the active obedience of the same Son who is equal with the Father. The pattern of the hymn, humiliation followed by exaltation in v. 9, also grounds Paul's pastoral exhortation in vv. 1-5, where the Philippians are called to have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

Key words

  • G2288 - thanatos, thanatos, "death"; the noun Paul doubles for emphasis (thanatou de staurou, "death of a cross") to push the descent to its lowest point
  • G1096 - ginomai, ginomai, "becoming"; the participle governing both obedient and unto death, Christ's obedience is a becoming, an active assumption of the human condition

Theological themes

  • Kenotic descent. The Son's voluntary lowering from divine prerogative to crucified slave's death; the hymn's lowest point.
  • Roman cross as scandal. Death on a cross was the maximal first-century social and legal humiliation; Paul's audience hears the shame.
  • Active obedience. The atonement is the active obedience of the Son, not coerced suffering.
  • Hypostatic union. Divine and human predications converge on the one person who descends.
  • Pattern for the church. The same mind of self-lowering grounds Paul's ethical exhortation in vv. 1-5.

Cross-references

See also

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org