Philippians 2:5-11
Having the Mind of Christ in You
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 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, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. American Standard Version (ASV)
Phil 2:5-11
Having the Attitude of Christ
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had, who though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to, but instead, giving up his divine privilege; he took the humble position of a slave being born as a human being when he appeared in human form, humbling himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross, wherefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father. New Living Translation (NLT)
Phil 2:5-11
Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The Living Bible (TLB)
Phil 2:5-11
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honoured him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honour of God the Father. The Message (MSG)
Phil 2:5-11
Those of you who have followed Bible Gems, Nuggets and Deeper Bible for a longer time will realise what I am doing for you here in this Gem. I have given you the Majestic Passage in different versions – a Literal Version, a Dynamic Equivalence Version and two Free Versions. In addition to that I have Interlinearised the Greek and English below for those of you who like to know the depth of the Greek text which lies behind the English translations. Believe me Dear Readers when I say we stand at the beginning of a passage of great depth, one I am calling the Majestic Passage. I don’t know how many Gems I will end up writing on this one but I promise you there will be a lot. I will have to rely on all of my skills to bring out all the details and nuances in this passage. This is one of my favourite passages in all of Scripture but I have never before plumbed its depths with all of the skills at my fingertips. I have been looking forward to getting to this passage since we started Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Now that moment has come.
τοῦτο γὰρ φρονείσθω ἐν ὑμῖν ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ,
This for {think you} in~among you which also in Christ Jesus, who in {the form} {of God} existing not {to be seized} {deemed it} to be equal {with God}
ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος
but himself emptied {the form} {of a slave} taking, in likeness {of men} becoming, and {in fashion} {being found} as {a man}
ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ.
{he humbled} himself becoming obedient until death, death even {of a cross}
διὸ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ὑπερύψωσε καὶ ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα, ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι ᾿Ιησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται ὅτι Κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστὸς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ πατρός.
wherefore also the God him {highly exalted} and gave {to him} name the above every name, {so that} in the name {of Jesus} every knee {should bend} {of heavenly beings} and {of earthly beings} and {of under the earth beings} and every tongue {should acknowledge} that LORD Jesus Christ to glory {of God} Father.
You know just by reading this passage in several versions that it is deep! To explore its depth I have enlisted the help of the Greek text above and interlinearised it for you in addition to giving you several carefully chosen English versions translated from the Greek. We have before us two Greek sentences. Yes, that’s correct. Philippians 2:5-11 is just two Greek sentences. But notice, the English versions I have given you approach these two sentences in different ways in order to put Paul’s thoughts together, with the exception of the ASV which mirrors the Greek as closely as it can.
- ASV – 2 Sentences
- NLT – Curiously this version packages the passage in one sentence.
- Living Bible – 3 Sentences
- The Message – 8 Sentences
I have done this for you before, when I handled the one Greek sentence in Ephesians 1:3-14 over a series of 34 Gems. In Bible Gem 601 I did a survey of all the translations I had loaded in E-Sword to see how many sentences each translation took to cover the 14 verses in that one long sentence. I am not doing that this time, partly because we have a shorter passage in Greek before us. But I figure you can take inspiration from the example I have given you with the One Greek Sentence series and extend your approach by copying mine from the older series.
I will use the Greek as our platform and I will use a technique called Propositional Analysis again to help us find our way with this Majestic Passage. The Greek of this section sheds light on some deep teaching of the Word of God. It holds insights that are precious and has surprises in store for us. It is a good test for me, a challenge which I accept with enthusiasm and expectation. It has already tested me to provide the Interlinear translation for you. I started it yesterday in order to send the Gem on Wednesday as is my habit. But it took longer to perfect the Interlinear Greek Version because there was a problem with doing it on the website. It turns out it was not a website problem; it was a user issue exposing my limitations.
Now we are ready to embark on this journey together, on which I promise you treasures, insights and gems. Get ready for an adventure. There are some great gems that Paul has in store for us. Pray for me as I guide you through them all. But get ready to do some serious learning and to extend your ability to handle the depth that there is in Scripture. Let’s be honest; you knew that already, just from reading the portion of the Bible I have given you above. (Phil 2:5-11) Admit it, it begs you to come deeper. You know just by reading the words that this passage holds gems, treasures, gold, fish (in DB terms) that you haven’t yet been able to unwrap. My plan for this Bible Gem Series is to open your eyes to the depth of the Bible, using this one paragraph of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.
Take the time before the next Gem to read the passage over and over in the various versions I have given you. Extend your reading if you wish to other versions, including your favourite one if it is not here. Your own mother tongue version, if your heart language is not English. Read this passage over and over, at least seven times, to make sure you dig down. Gather your questions as you read multiple times! Share them with me if you are puzzled by something and I will try to ensure I glean an answer for you from the text before us. As I have done before, I will compile a list of your reader questions to ensure I cover all the bases. I might as well use all the brains at my disposal, yours too. That way no question or issue will escape us. I don’t know how long this new Gem series will take, but I plan to do this passage justice in terms of its complexity. Believe me, it is complex, incredibly deep, majestic and well worth a serious investigation to uncover all the meaning, inferences and nuances that these 85 words in Greek contain.
Let’s begin this adventure into the depths of Bible Truth together.
Jesus became what we are that He might make us what He is.
Athenasius of Alexandria
Success is when you point people to Jesus, then they leave YOU to follow HIM!
Ian Vail
Give a person a fish and feed them for a day; Teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime.
Deeper Bible Adage