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New King James Version, Philippians 2:6
ἁρπαγμὸν (harpagmon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 725: Spoil, an object of eager desire, a prize. From harpazo; plunder.
BDAG (2000):
English Standard Version, Philippians 2:6
NIV plays it safe:
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery [G725] to be equal with God,
ἁρπαγμὸν (harpagmon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 725: Spoil, an object of eager desire, a prize. From harpazo; plunder.
BDAG (2000):
New King James translation isn't so good.ἁρπαγμός, οῦ, ὁ (rare in nonbibl. Gk.; not found at all in the Gk. transl. of the OT; in our lit. only in Phil 2:6).
① a violent seizure of property, robbery (s. ἁρπάζω; Plut., Mor. 12a; Vett. Val. 122, 1; Phryn., Appar. Soph.: Anecd. Gr. I 36. Also Plut., Mor. 644a ἁρπασμός), which is next to impossible in Phil 2:6 (W-S. §28, 3: the state of being equal w. God cannot be equated w. the act of robbery).
English Standard Version, Philippians 2:6
BDAG continues:who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped [G725].
ESV translation is somewhat justifiable. Biblehub lists 22 versions using "grasped".② As equal to ἅρπαγμα, someth. to which one can claim or assert title by gripping or grasping, someth. claimed w. change fr. abstr. to concr. (as θερισμός Rv 14:15, cp. J 4:35; ἱματισμός J 19:24). This mng. cannot be quoted fr. non-Christian lit., but is grammatically justifiable (Kühner-Bl. II p. 272; RLipsius, Hand-Comment. ad loc.). Christian exx. are Eus., In Luc. 6 (AMai, Nova Patrum Bibliotheca IV 165), where Peter regards death on the cross as ἁρπαγμός ‘a prize to be grasped eagerly’,
NIV plays it safe:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.
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