The hymn proper begins here.
He always had the nature of God is literally “who, being in the form of God” (King James Version American Standard Version). “Who” points to Christ as the subject. The word rendered “being” is not the common Greek word for “being,” but it denoted one’s essential and unchangeable nature. The participle is either present or imperfect. In either case, it signifies a continuing state, so it is best rendered he always had, or “was his from the first” (New English Bible).
The Greeks had two separate words for “form,” and both are used in the hymn. One denotes an essential form of something which never alters, a form which corresponds to an underlying reality. The other suggests an outward form which may change from time to time and from circumstance to circumstance. The former, which appears in verses 6-7 (elsewhere in the New Testament only in Mark 16.12), is translated nature. The latter, which is used in verse 7 (elsewhere in the New Testament only in 1 Cor 7.31), is rendered likeness. When the author says that Christ existed in the “form of God,” he implies that Christ had the nature of God. This is the sense adopted by Goodspeed “he possessed the nature of God,” Moffatt “he was divine by nature,” Phillips “who had always been God by nature,” and New English Bible “divine nature was his.”
One must realize that in a poetic passage like this a precise metaphysical sense cannot be pressed. To say he always had the nature of God is not equivalent to saying that “Christ is God” or that “Christ is of one substance with God.” Similarly he … took the nature of a servant (v. 7) does not imply that Jesus was basically only a “servant.” Here nature should be taken in the general sense of “one’s inherent character or quality” which is manifested and expressed in actions. And so it is in Jesus’ humble and obedient ministry that the early church sees God himself working.
In a number of languages there is no abstract term such as nature. The closest equivalent would be an expression of “likeness,” and therefore the first line of this hymn may be rendered as “He has always been just like God.” One must obviously avoid an expression which would be equivalent to saying He has always been God himself.
The meaning of by force he should try to become is to some extent conditioned by the next phrase equal with God. It is therefore best to consider the meaning of the latter expression first. Equal with God is probably better taken in the sense of “to exist in a manner equal to God.” The structure of the hymns (synonymous parallelism, cf. v. 7) suggests that “equality with God” is closely related in meaning to “having the nature of God,” though not necessarily identical. The former is a natural accompanying consequence of the latter. By virtue of the fact that Christ had the nature of God, he naturally had the divine prerogative, that is, a unique privileged status in relation to God. Both expressions signify Christ’s unparalleled affinity with God. The primary focus of had the nature of God is in Christ’s sharing God’s “inherent character and quality,” while the emphasis in equal with God is to the relation with God’s “rank” or “status.” Taken in this sense, “equality with God” is not a reference to equality of attributes or powers, nor is it alluding to a higher dignity which Christ could achieve in the future; it is an honored status Christ already had.
The Greek word rendered by force he should try to become is a noun which appears only here in the New Testament and which occurs only rarely in Greek literature. Because of its rarity, its meaning has been debated. The form of the noun suggests an active meaning. It is so understood by King James Version (“thought it not robbery to be equal with God”). From this point of view, Christ did not regard his claim to equality with God as something unlawful; it was something rightfully his. But this interpretation does not seem to be suitable in the context. The general consensus of scholarly opinion is that the noun should be taken in a passive sense. Three possible meanings have been suggested:
1. It can mean “a prize to be seized.” This is the meaning adopted by Good News Translation (so also Revised Standard Version “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” New English Bible “he did not think to snatch at equality with God,” New American Bible “he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at”). On this understanding, “equality with God” is not something already possessed by Christ. He declined to do what he could have done.
2. It can also mean “a prize to be held tight.” This is the sense favored by Jerusalem Bible “yet he did not cling to his equality with God,” and Barclay “but he did not regard his equality to God as a thing to be clutched to himself” (cf. the alternative renderings of Good News Translation and New English Bible). The implication is that “equality with God” is something which Christ already possessed and which he might have held on to, but he resolved not to do so. This interpretation appears to suit the context better, for it is difficult to conceive that Christ could have given up what he did not have (cf. v. 7).
3. Another meaning has much to commend itself in this context; that is “a lucky find,” “a piece of good fortune.” The sense is that Christ held a privileged status which could open up the future possibility of advantage, but he refused to utilize this status or to exploit his privileges. This interpretation also implies that “equality with God” is something Christ already had, but it has the added advantage of giving full value to the basic sense of the noun “snatching” instead of “holding.” If this interpretation is adopted, the phrase can be rendered “he did not utilize equality with God as a gain to be exploited,” or “he did not exploit equality with God for his own advantage” (Bruce).
In order to distinguish clearly between the nature of God and equal with God, it may be necessary to speak of the first as “being just like God,” and of the second as “ranking as high as God.” In other languages equality may be expressed idiomatically as “sitting on God’s feet,” “standing as high as God,” or “having God’s own power.”
Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .