But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
All Commentaries on Philippians 2:7 Go To Philippians 2
Hilary of Poitiers
AD 368
Remaining “in the form of God,” he “took the form of a slave,” not being changed but “emptying himself” and hiding within himself and being made empty within his own power. He tempered himself to the form of the human state as far as was necessary to ensure that the weakness of the assumed humility would not fail to bear his immeasurable power. He went even so far as to tolerate conjunction with a human body. Just this far did his goodness moderate itself with an appropriate degree of obedience. But in making himself empty and restraining himself within himself, he did nothing detrimental to his own power, since even within this lowliness of his selfemptying he nonetheless used the resources of the evacuated power within him.
