Philippians 2:9

Wherefore From the point of view of this passage, the glorification of the Crucified Lord was the Father's recognition and reward of His infinitely kind and gracious "looking upon the things of others." The argument is, of course, that similarly the Christian who humbles himself shall be exalted.

hath highly exalted Better, with R.V., highly exalted; at Resurrection and Ascension. Cp. John 17:4-5; Acts 2:23-24; Acts 2:32-33; Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13; Acts 5:30-31; Romans 1:4; Ephesians 1:20-22; 1 Peter 1:21, &c.

" Highly exalted:" one compound verb in the Greek. Compounds expressive of greatness or excess are a characteristic of St Paul's style. Of about seventeen of them in the N.T. quite twelve are found in St Paul's writings only, or very rarely elsewhere.

given him Better, as again R.V. (see last note), gave. The verb indicates a gift of love and approval.

a name Lit. and better, the name. What is this Name? Is it the sacred personal Name Jesus? (Alford, Ellicott). Or is it Name in the sense of revealed majesty and glory? (Lightfoot). The difficulty of the former explanation is that Jesus, the human Name of the Lord, was distinctively His before His glorification, so that the "giving" of it onHis glorification is a paradox. The reply will be that its elevation for ever into the highest associations, in the love and worship of the saints, was as it were a new giving of it, a giving of it as new. Still the usage is unlikely. And it is to be noticed that in the Epistles and Revelation, compared with the narrative parts of the N.T., the holy Name Jesus is but sparingly used alone. (See, as examples of such use, Rom 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Hebrews 2:9; Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 5:5; Revelation 22:16; Revelation 22:20; cp. Acts 7:55; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:16.) Very much more frequent is Jesus Christ. And on the other hand there are clear cases for the use of the word "Name" in the N.T. to denote recognized dignity or glory; see especially Ephesians 1:21. We believe that the true explanation lies in this direction. The "Name given" is the supreme Name, The Lord, Jehovah. In other words, the lowly and suffering Jesus is, as the abased and slain One, now to be found and worshipped on the eternal Throne; recognized there by all creation as He who for man's sake, in preexistent glory and Godhead, willed to be humiliated even to the Cross. As in the study of the whole mystery of the Incarnation of the Eternal Son, so here, we trace throughout the wonderful progression a perfect Personal Identity, while the unique presence in the Incarnate One of two Natures, with each its will, under one Personality, allows a range of language which speaks of the eternally glorious Son of God as being de novoglorified and exalted after the Humiliation which in His Second Nature He underwent.

above every name Cp. Ephesians 1:21 just referred to. On St Paul's view of the altogether unique exaltation of the Lord, in comparison with every created existence, see Liddon's Bampton Lectures, Lect. v. § iv. 2.