when speaking of the Saviour's humiliation, most of us slip into paraphrase and say `He divested Himself' of His

dignity and insignia of Deity, but this is confessedly an attempt to avoid a problem. The verb kenoo is cognate with

kenos `vain' and means `empty'. That the word has a wider application than that of emptying a vessel, such

expressions as `seven empty ears' (Gen. 41:27), `the sword of Saul returned not empty' (2 Sam. 1:22, see LXX) will

Where kenos is translated `empty' in the Authorized Version of the New Testament it refers in the parable to the

treatment of the servant by the wicked husbandmen, who `sent him away empty' (Mark 12:3; Luke 20:10,11), and to

`the rich' who were `sent empty away' (Luke 1:53); in most cases, however, kenos is translated `vain', as for

example, in Philippians itself `run in vain' and `labour in vain', where it is evident that `empty' would have no

meaning (Phil. 2:16).

The verb kenoo translated `to make of no reputation', occurs five times in the Greek New Testament and the four

occurrences other than that of Philippians 2:7, render the word `make void', `make of none effect', `make ... void'

and `be in vain' (Rom. 4:14; 1 Cor. 1:17; 9:15; 2 Cor. 9:3). In Philippians 2:3 we find the word kenodoxia `vain

glory'. We remember with adoring wonder that in the Psalm of the Cross, we read `I am poured out like water' (Psa.

22:14). He did indeed `empty Himself'.

The reader will be conscious that we have considerable difficulty in arriving at the meaning in Philippians 2:7 in

its use of the verb kenoo, and will appreciate the following account of our further search and of our ultimate

We observed, by a note in Thayer's Lexicon, that kenoo is used twice in the Septuagint and many a time when

every other avenue of search has proved unfruitful, light has come by a reference to this Greek version of the Old

Testament. There are but two passages and both are in Jeremiah and by this obscure and slender means we were led

one step nearer to the truth.

`The gates thereof languish'; `she that hath borne seven languisheth' (Jer. 14:2; 15:9). The word rendered

`languish' in the Authorized Version and kenoo in the LXX is the Hebrew amal `to become weak'. So we find in

1 Samuel 2:5 words parallel with Jeremiah 15:9, `she that hath many children is waxed feeble'.

In the garden of Gethsemane, when the physical body of the Saviour was almost at the end of its strength He said

`The flesh is weak' (Matt. 26:41). The apostle said of Christ `He was crucified through weakness' (2 Cor. 13:4) and

Matthew, referring to Isaiah 53, said of Christ, `Himself took our infirmities, or weaknesses' (Matt. 8:17). And

when speaking of the redeeming work of the Saviour, Paul could say `the weakness of God is stronger than men'

(1 Cor. 1:25), and in this passage the `cross' is prominent as it is in Philippians 2:8.

In the example of Epaphroditus given in Philippians 2, and as an extension of the example of Christ, the word

translated `weak' is there rendered `sick', a sickness for the sake of others, a sickness that was nigh unto death, a

`weakness' endured in the spirit of Philippians 2:4,5, `not regarding his life' (Phil. 2:25-30).

When the Lord `emptied Himself' He at the same time `humbled Himself', the word translated `humble' being

tapeinoo. This same word the apostle uses when he described his own condition, `I know ... how to be abased'

(Phil. 4:12).

This same lowly estate is indicated in Matthew 11:29, when the Lord said `I am meek and lowly (tapeinos) in

heart', which same word is translated `low degree' and `low estate'. In Philippians 3:21 where the Authorized

Version reads `our vile body' the Revised Version reads `body of our humiliation' tapeinosis, and the same word is

used in Acts 8:33 where, speaking of Christ, it reads `in His humiliation His judgment was taken away'.

The prophet Isaiah reveals that `the child born' was at the same time `the mighty God' (Isa. 9:6), and in the book

of the Revelation the Saviour bears the name `the Almighty', a name given elsewhere to `the Father' (2 Cor. 6:18)

and to the Creator (Rev. 4:8-11). This `being on an equality with God' the Saviour renounced. From being

`Almighty' He stooped to the `weakness' of Bethlehem's cradle, the `weariness' of Sychar's well, the `prostration' of

Gethsemane, and the weakness, humiliation and shame of the cross.

The condescension is indeed His `self emptying', but with these sidelights on the meaning of the term supplied

by the two obscure references in Jeremiah we see something of its depth of meaning.