Vainglory — Greek kenodoxia, "empty glory." Glory that has nothing real inside it. The verse will be answered in verse 7 by Christ, who emptied (the same root, kenoō) Himself of true glory rather than chase empty glory.

Esteem other better — not a feeling but an accounting. A deliberate reckoning that the other person's interests outweigh yours.

The whole hymn that follows is not first a doctrine — it is an example. The Incarnation is held up as the pattern for how Christians treat one another.

The deepest truths of Christ are also the most practical. Doctrine is for the dishes and the conference room.

Form of God — Greek morphē theou. Not merely appearance; the essential nature. He was, and is, God.

Thought it not robbery — Greek harpagmos, a thing to be grasped or clung to. He did not regard equality with God as something to selfishly hold on to. He could lay it aside without losing it, because it was His by nature.

Made himself of no reputation — literally "emptied Himself" (ekenōsen heauton). He did not empty Himself of His divine nature — He never ceased to be God. He emptied Himself of the prerogatives of glory: laying aside the independent use of His divine attributes during the days of His flesh.

Note the verbs: took, was made. He added humanity to deity; He did not subtract deity from Himself. The God-Man has been the God-Man ever since, forever.

Form of a servant — the same word morphē as in verse 6. He is essentially God and essentially servant. The two are not contradictions in Him.

Seven steps down: from God's form, to no reputation, to servant's form, to man's likeness, to man's fashion, to humbling, to obedience, to death — and not just any death, the death of the cross. The Roman cross was the death reserved for slaves and rebels. The Lord of glory chose it.

Obedient — to whom? To the Father. Even in dying, He was acting; even in submitting, He was sovereign.

Wherefore — because of the descent, the exaltation. The way up in God's economy goes through the bottom.

Highly exalted — Greek hyperupsōō, "super-exalted." Heaped exaltation upon exaltation. The verb appears only here in the New Testament.

A name above every name — the name Lord (verse 11), Yahweh's own covenant name applied to Jesus.

Three realms — angels, the living, and the dead — all bow. None are excluded; even those who refused Him in life will acknowledge Him at the end. The question is not whether you will bow, but whether you will bow as a son or as a defeated enemy.

Paul is quoting Isaiah 45:23, where the speaker is Yahweh. Without comment, Paul applies it to Jesus. The deity of Christ could not be more flatly affirmed.

Work out — not work for. The salvation is already given; what is left is to live it outward into every corner of life. Like working out the implications of a great inheritance.

Fear and trembling — not slavish dread, but reverent awe at the magnitude of grace and the holiness of the One who gave it.

The basis for verse 12. We work out what God works in. Divine sovereignty does not cancel human responsibility; it grounds it. He gives even the will, not just the deed.

The relief of this verse: when you find yourself wanting holiness, that wanting itself is God already at work in you.

A light is most visible against darkness. The darker the surrounding world, the brighter the believer's witness need not be — it simply is.

You do not shine at the world; you shine in it. The Christian is meant to be present, not insulated.