Philippians 2:7 BSB

Philippians 2:7

but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;

KJV

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

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Commentary

4 voices

Cyril of Alexandria

ON THE UNITY OF CHRIST (444)

What sort of emptying is this? To assume the flesh, even in the form of a slave, a likeness to ourselves while not being like us in his own nature but superior to the whole creation. Thus he humbled himself, descending by his economy into mortal bounds.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Yea, he not only veiled, but, in some sense, renounced, the glory which he had before the world began. Taking - And by that very act emptying himself. The form of a servant - The form, the likeness, the fashion, though not exactly the same, are yet nearly related to each other.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

But made himself of no reputation - This translation by no means conveys the sense of the original According to this it would seem that he consented to be without distinction or honor among people; or that he was willing to be despised or disregarded. The Greek is ἑαυτον ἐκένωσεν heauton ekenōsen. The word κενόω kenoō means literally, to empty, “to make empty, to make vain or void.” It is rendered: “made void” in Rom 4:14; “made of none effect,” 1Co 1:17; “make void,” 1Co 9:15; “should be vain,” 2Co 9:

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

10 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ἀλλ᾽	all᾽	but	G235 →
ἑαυτὸν	he'auton	Himself	G1438 →
ἐκένωσεν	ekenōsen	emptied	G2758 →
μορφὴν	morphēn	[the] form	G3444 →
δούλου	doulou	of a servant	G1401 →
λαβών,	labōn	having taken,	G2983 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
ὁμοιώματι	homoiōmati	[the] likeness	G3667 →
ἀνθρώπων	anthrōpōn	of men	G444 →
γενόμενος,	genomenos	having been made,	G1096 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

G1438he'autonHimself322×

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
leads to
- 1 John 4:9
  This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
- 1 Timothy 3:16
  By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world,…
- Galatians 4:4
  But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
- John 1:1
  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Isaiah 40:5
  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Through
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
leads to
- Romans 8:32
  He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
- Philippians 2:6–8
  Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
- Matthew 20:28
  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

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No single title carries him. Scripture names Jesus by a constellation of titles — Christ, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Logos, High Priest, King of Kings — and each one is a door. This hub gathers every title page on the site and anchors the rest to the verses that confer them.

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The Sermon on the Mount. Carl Bloch, 1877

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Continue: Philippians 2 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Philippians

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Philippians