Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 2:9

"Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;" — Philippians 2:9 (ASV)

The final movement of thought in this sublime illustration describes Christ’s subsequent exaltation. The nature of this exaltation was God’s elevating Christ to the highest position and granting him the name above all names. “Exalted... to the highest place” (lit., “superexalted”; GK 5671) refers to the resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus following his humiliating death, whereby all that he had laid aside was restored to him and much more besides. Implicit in this exaltation is the coming consummation mentioned in vv.10–11, when his triumph over sin and his lordship will be acknowledged by every being.

In view of the chronological pattern exhibited in this passage, the giving of “the name” must have been subsequent to the Cross. This would appear to be sufficient to rule out the identity of the name in view as being “Jesus.” A more likely identification of “the name” is “Lord” (GK 3261), the equivalent of the OT “LORD” (Heb. “Yahweh”; GK 3378; cf. v.11). Christ’s exaltation is expressly stated as manifesting his lordship in Ac 2:33–36. Another explanation takes “the name” in the sense of position, dignity, or office, similar to the OT use of that word (GK 9005; see that use elsewhere in the NT in Eph 1:21; Hebrews 1:4). There are also instances where “the name” is used alone as a reference to God or Christ (3Jn 7; cf. 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Kings 8:43–44).