Passage

Philippians 2

Book: Philippians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Verse

ASV:

"1. If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2. make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3. doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4. not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5. Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 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. 9. 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, 11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12. So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13. for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 14. Do all things without murmurings and questionings: 15. that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world, 16. holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain. 17. Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all: 18. and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me. 19. But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. 20. For I have no man likeminded, who will care truly for your state. 21. For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the gospel. 23. Him therefore I hope to send forthwith, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me: 24. but I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly. 25. But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need; 26. since he longed after you all, and was sore troubled, because ye had heard that he was sick: 27. for indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28. I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. 29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor: 30. because for the work of Christ he came nigh unto death, hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me." (Philippians 2:1-30, ASV)

WEB:

"1. If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, 2. make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3. doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4. each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5. Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 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. 9. 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, 11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12. So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 14. Do all things without murmurings and disputes, 15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world, 16. holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain. 17. Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all. 18. In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me. 19. But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing. 20. For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you. 21. For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22. But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News. 23. Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me. 24. But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly. 25. But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need; 26. since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick. 27. For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow. 28. I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. 29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor, 30. because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me." (Philippians 2:1-30, WEB)

KJV:

"1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 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. 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. 12. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16. Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 17. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. 18. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me. 19. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. 20. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. 21. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. 22. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 23. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. 24. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. 25. Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. 27. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28. I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. 29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: 30. Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." (Philippians 2:1-30, KJV)

YLT:

"1. If, then, any exhortation [is] in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. fulfil ye my joy, that ye may mind the same thing, having the same love, of one soul, minding the one thing, 3. nothing in rivalry or vain-glory, but in humility of mind one another counting more excellent than yourselves, 4. each not to your own look ye, but each also to the things of others. 5. For, let this mind be in you that [is] also in Christ Jesus, 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, 9. 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, 11. and every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12. So that, my beloved, as ye always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling your own salvation work out, 13. for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 14. All things do without murmurings and reasonings, 15. that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world, 16. the word of life holding forth, for rejoicing to me in regard to a day of Christ, that not in vain did I run, nor in vain did I labour; 17. but if also I am poured forth upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and joy with you all, 18. because of this do ye also rejoice and joy with me. 19. And I hope, in the Lord Jesus, Timotheus to send quickly to you, that I also may be of good spirit, having known the things concerning you, 20. for I have no one like-minded, who sincerely for the things concerning you will care, 21. for the whole seek their own things, not the things of the Christ Jesus, 22. and the proof of him ye know, that as a child [serveth] a father, with me he did serve in regard to the good news; 23. him, indeed, therefore, I hope to send, when I may see through the things concerning me, immediately; 24. and I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall quickly come. 25. And I thought [it] necessary Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow-workman, and fellow-soldier, and your apostle and servant to my need, to send unto you, 26. seeing he was longing after you all, and in heaviness, because ye heard that he ailed, 27. for he also ailed nigh to death, but God did deal kindly with him, and not with him only, but also with me, that sorrow upon sorrow I might not have. 28. The more eagerly, therefore, I did send him, that having seen him again ye may rejoice, and I may be the less sorrowful; 29. receive him, therefore, in the Lord, with all joy, and hold such in honour, 30. because on account of the work of the Christ he drew near to death, having hazarded the life that he might fill up your deficiency of service unto me." (Philippians 2:1-30, YLT)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

Citation covers a whole chapter; see the ## Verse block above for the full chapter text in all four translations.

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle, writing from imprisonment (with Timothy as co-sender per Phil 1:1)
Audience: Christian believers in Philippi (Roman colony in Macedonia, Paul's first European convert-community per Acts 16)
Location: composed during Paul's first Roman imprisonment (Acts 28); addressed to the Philippian congregation
Time period: composed c. AD 60-62
Narrative context: the Christ-hymn chapter of Philippians. Paul has just exhorted the Philippians to humility and unity (vv. 1-4), and grounds the exhortation in the supreme example of Christ Himself (vv. 5-11), the so-called Christ-hymn or Carmen Christi, likely a pre-Pauline hymn that Paul incorporates as a confessional summary. The hymn covers seven Christological movements: pre-existent equality with God → emptying / kenosis → incarnation → humble obedience → death on a cross → divine exaltation → universal worship and confession. The hymn is structurally chiastic, descending from divine equality to crucifixion (humiliation, vv. 6-8) and ascending from divine exaltation to universal lordship (exaltation, vv. 9-11). Paul then turns to practical exhortations (vv. 12-18, "work out your own salvation"; vv. 19-30, commendations of Timothy and Epaphroditus).

Theological reading

Philippians 2 is the most theologically dense Christological hymn in the NT, traditionally called the Carmen Christi. Verses 5-11 alone contain the most concentrated statement of pre-existence, voluntary incarnation, substitutionary obedience, sacrificial death, and divine exaltation in the Pauline corpus. The hymn predates Paul (likely 30s-50s AD pre-Pauline tradition), meaning the high-Christological claims it makes are first-decade-after-the-resurrection Christian confession, not later doctrinal development.

The seven-fold Christ-hymn structure (vv. 5-11)

The hymn moves through seven Christological claims:

"existing in the form of God" (v. 6a), pre-incarnate divine status. Morphē theou (μορφή θεοῦ), "form of God", denotes essential nature, not mere outward appearance. The pre-incarnate Christ possessed the divine nature.
"counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped" (v. 6b), voluntary non-clinging. The Greek harpagmos (ἁρπαγμός, Strong's G725) is a NT hapax legomenon with two possible readings:

"thing to be grasped" (KJV "robbery"), equality-with-God was not something Christ needed to seize because He already possessed it; He chose not to cling to its privileges
"thing to be exploited" (RSV; recent scholarly preference, N. T. Wright), equality-with-God was not something to be used for personal advantage; Christ chose to use it for others Both readings affirm Christ's pre-incarnate divine status; they differ on whether the contrast is clinging-vs-relinquishing or exploiting-vs-serving.

"but emptied himself" (v. 7a), the kenosis. The Greek ekenōsen (ἐκένωσεν, from kenoō, Strong's G2758), "emptied", is the central kenotic-Christology word. The question: of what did Christ empty Himself? Three main answers:

Of divine attributes (kenotic-orthodoxy; the older 19th-century kenotic theology, Thomasius, Gore): Christ temporarily relinquished some divine attributes (omniscience, omnipresence) during the incarnation. This view runs into theological problems (can deity be relinquished without ceasing to be deity?) and is now largely abandoned in classical orthodox circles.
Of the independent exercise of divine attributes (modified kenotic): Christ retained His divine attributes but voluntarily refused to exercise them independently of the Father (the explanation reading "I can do nothing of myself" of John 5:19 / 5:30; rich hubs).
Of divine privileges / status (the classical Reformed reading, Calvin, the Westminster tradition): the kenosis is not of attributes but of status / privileges. Christ retained full divinity but voluntarily took on the limitations of a servant for the incarnation's redemptive purpose.

The classical Reformed reading is the most theologically careful: the kenosis is voluntary self-humiliation, not metaphysical loss of deity.

"taking the form of a servant" (v. 7b), morphēn doulou parallels morphē theou (v. 6). The same Greek morphē, essential form, appears in both clauses. Christ adds the form of a servant while not losing the form of God. The hypostatic union: one Person, two natures, two forms.
"being made in the likeness of men... being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself" (vv. 7c-8a), genuine incarnation. The pre-existent divine Christ becomes genuinely human, not phantasm-human (against Docetism), not merely apparent-human (against Gnosticism).
"becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross" (v. 8b), substitutionary obedience climaxing in the cross. The Greek mechri thanatou, thanatou de staurou, "until death, death indeed of a cross", is rhetorically intensified: not just any death, but the cross, the most shameful death in Roman civic life.
"Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." (vv. 9-11), the exaltation. The descent reverses into the ascent. The name above every name given to Christ is YHWH (the only name above every name in OT theology). The universal-knee-bowing and tongue-confessing in v. 10-11 directly quotes Isaiah 45:23, which is a YHWH-self-prophecy: "Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." Paul applies the Isaianic YHWH-prophecy to Jesus. The Christological claim is unmistakable: Jesus IS YHWH.

The Isaiah 45 background, Jesus as YHWH

The climax of the hymn (vv. 10-11) is the application to Christ of the most YHWH-exclusive prophecy in the OT:

Isaiah 45:23 (LXX), "By myself have I sworn, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."
The Isaianic context (vv. 21-22) explicitly says: "there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

Paul's application of this prophecy to Jesus is the single most direct identification of Jesus with the YHWH of the OT in the Pauline corpus. The universal worship-and-confession reserved for YHWH alone in Isaiah is offered to Jesus. If Jesus is not YHWH, Paul is committing the gravest possible blasphemy by Jewish standards. If Jesus IS YHWH (in whatever Christological framework, Trinitarian or Oneness), the application is exactly right.

"Jesus Christ is Lord", the early Christian confession

The closing confession, kyrios Iēsous Christos ("Jesus Christ is Lord"), is one of the earliest Christian creedal formulations (cf. Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3). In the LXX, kyrios (Lord) is the standard rendering of the divine name YHWH. To confess Jesus as kyrios in a first-century Jewish context is to identify Jesus with YHWH. The Roman-Imperial dimension adds force: kyrios kaisar (Caesar is Lord) was the loyalty-confession demanded by the Imperial cult; kyrios Iēsous was the Christian counter-confession that cost many Christians their lives.

Patristic and Reformed reading

Tertullian (Against Praxeas, c. AD 213): the hymn is foundational for distinguishing the Father and the Son while affirming the full divinity of both. The Son "was in the form of God" while "the Father highly exalted him", preserving the distinction of Persons within the divine economy.

Athanasius (Discourses Against the Arians, c. AD 358): the kenosis is the Son's voluntary self-humiliation, not a relinquishment of His eternal deity. The Arian reading misreads the kenosis as proof of inferior status; the orthodox reading sees it as proof of the supreme divine love that condescends.

Augustine (On the Trinity 1.7, 6.10): the form of God and form of a servant both describe the Person of Christ; the divine nature is fully retained while the human nature is genuinely assumed. The hypostatic union is the systematic articulation of what the hymn confesses narratively.

John Calvin (Commentary on Philippians ad loc.): the hymn establishes both the eternal deity of Christ and the genuine humility of the incarnation, and grounds the practical exhortation to Christian humility in this Christological pattern.

Apologetic deployment

The hymn defeats:

The "Jesus never claimed to be God / the high Christology is a late doctrinal development" reading. Counter: Philippians 2:6-11 is a pre-Pauline hymn, meaning it was already an established Christian confession when Paul incorporated it (likely 30s-50s AD). The high Christology is the earliest Christian theology, not a late accretion.
The Arian / JW reading. Counter: Christ existed in the form of God prior to incarnation; the Isaiah 45 YHWH-prophecy is applied to Him; He receives the universal worship reserved for YHWH. The Christ described is incompatible with any "lesser created being" Christology.
The "the cross is the failure of Jesus's mission" reading. Counter: Paul presents the cross as the supreme moment of obedience-and-glorification. The pattern is descent-and-exaltation. The cross is the climax of redemption, not its disconfirmation. (Cf. John 8.28 rich hub, the lifting-up as Christological revelation.)
The "Christianity has no positive ethic, only restrictive rules" reading. Counter: the entire hymn is set in the context of the practical exhortation to humility, sacrificial service, and counting-others-better-than-oneself. The Christological pattern grounds the Christian ethic.

Oneness Pentecostal reading

The Oneness reader reads Philippians 2:6-11 as the one God's voluntary incarnational self-humbling in the Person of Jesus, followed by the divine vindication-and-glorification of the incarnate Christ. The form of God expresses the one God's divine identity; the form of a servant expresses the incarnational expression of that divine identity in genuine humanity. The Isaiah-45-applied-to-Jesus confirms that the Jesus the hymn describes IS the one God of the OT in incarnation. See Trinity vs Oneness vs Modalism vs Arianism.

The Trinitarian reads the hymn as the eternal Son's voluntary self-humbling in the incarnation, with the Father's exaltation-act and the universal worship-of-the-Son being trinitarian-economic. Both readings agree that the hymn establishes Jesus as fully God; they differ on the metaphysical analysis.

The pastoral application, "Have this mind in you"

The hymn is not a stand-alone Christological treatise; it is grounded in the practical exhortation of v. 5: "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." The Christ-pattern of voluntary self-humbling is the model for the Christian community. The Philippian believers, facing the tensions between Euodia and Syntyche (4:2-3), the persecution (1:27-30), and the broader Roman-Imperial pressures, are called to embody the same descending-pattern of humble service that Christ embodied.

The practical Christological deployment is foundational for Christian ethics, marriage (Eph 5:25, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it"), leadership, and the entire pattern of Christian discipleship. The Christ-pattern is not an admirable example; it is the normative shape of Christian discipleship.

Canonical-theological connections

John 1:1-14, the Logos prologue (rich hub; companion pre-existence text)
John 17:5, "the glory which I had with thee before the world was"
Isaiah 45:23, the YHWH knee-bowing tongue-confessing prophecy applied here to Jesus
Colossians 1:15-20, the Christological hymn (image of invisible God; firstborn over creation)
Colossians 2:9, "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (rich hub: Colossians 2.9-10)
Hebrews 1:1-3, the divine-self-revelation-through-Son parallel
Hebrews 2:9-18, Christ's voluntary suffering-with humanity
2 Corinthians 8:9, "that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor", Pauline parallel
1 Timothy 3:16, "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit", pre-Pauline-style hymnic Christology
Revelation 5:11-14, the heavenly worship of the Lamb

Key words

G0026 - agape, agape (Strong's G26). Also appears in: John 5, John 13.34-35, John 15.9.
G0725 - harpagmos, harpagmos (Strong's G725).
G1096 - ginomai, ginomai (Strong's G1096). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Matthew 5.17-18, Matthew 8.16.
G1097 - ginosko, ginosko (Strong's G1097). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Mark 4.11-12, Mark 6.
G1391 - doxa, doxa (Strong's G1391). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-34, Matthew 16.27, Matthew 19.
G1401 - doulos, doulos (Strong's G1401). Also appears in: Matthew 8.5-12, Matthew 18.23-35, Matthew 20.25-28.
G2288 - thanatos, thanatos (Strong's G2288). Also appears in: Matthew 15, Matthew 16.28, Matthew 26.37-40.
G2316 - theos, theos (Strong's G2316). Also appears in: Matthew 1.23, Matthew 3.16, Matthew 5.9.
G2424 - Iesous, Iesous (Strong's G2424). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.18.
G2758 - kenoo, kenoo (Strong's G2758). Also appears in: Philippians 2.7.
G2962 - kyrios, kyrios (Strong's G2962). Also appears in: Matthew 1.20, Matthew 1, Matthew 6.24.
G3444 - morphe, morphe (Strong's G3444). Also appears in: Philippians 2.7.
G3667 - homoioma, homoioma (Strong's G3667). Also appears in: Romans 1, Romans 5, Romans 6.5.
G3686 - onoma, onoma (Strong's G3686). Also appears in: Matthew 1.21, Matthew 1.23, Matthew 1.
G3956 - pas, pas (Strong's G3956). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Matthew 2.1-6, Matthew 2.16.
G3962 - pater, pater (Strong's G3962). Also appears in: Matthew 5.48, Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 6.25-34.
G4991 - soteria, soteria (Strong's G4991). Also appears in: Acts 4.12, Romans 1, Romans 10.
G5547 - christos, christos (Strong's G5547). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.