The words in verses 10-11 are adapted from Isa 45.23, a passage quoted in Rom 14.11. The context in the Isaiah passage is the proclamation of the unique greatness of the God of Israel and of the universal worship that would be paid to him.

And so states the purpose of the exaltation. Most translations render the particle as “so that.”

In honor of the name of Jesus is literally “in the name of Jesus.” “At the name of Jesus,” as rendered in several translations (Revised Standard Version New English Bible Jerusalem Bible etc.) may be misleading, for it seems to suggest that, whenever the name of Jesus is mentioned, everyone would bend in reverence. The meaning however, is that to Jesus is given the honor that is proper only to God, because Jesus bears the name that carries with it the highest honor. Good News Translation makes the meaning explicit. There is no need to interpret this expression in the sense of “through the name of Jesus,” thus making Jesus the mediator through whom all creatures offer their homage to God. The drift of the passage makes it clear that Jesus is the direct object of worship.

In those languages in which a term such as “name” has no value as a symbol of status or as a substitute for the person himself, it may be useful simply to eliminate any mention of the name. Therefore, in honor of the name of Jesus may be rendered as “in honor of Jesus” or “in order to show honor to Jesus.”

Paul now describes the cosmic and universal power and authority of Jesus Christ by what in Greek are three adjectives which here function as nouns. King James Version and American Standard Version understand the adjectives to be neuter, that is, “things” (“every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth”), but it is more likely that the reference is to rational beings. Good News Translation makes this interpretation explicit and restructures the clause into all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees (cf. Jerusalem Bible Barclay). It is not necessary to identify these rational beings exclusively as “spirits.” It is quite possible that beings in heaven refers to the angels, and those on earth to human beings. The world below refers most likely to the residence of the dead known as Hades. Its equivalent in the Old Testament is Sheol. In ancient times, people believed that there was an underworld where the spirits of the dead carried on a shadowy existence. In any case, the author intends to show that the lordship of Jesus Christ is cosmic and universal (cf. Eph 4.10; Rev 5.3, 13).

In some languages there is no generic term equivalent to beings. The closest natural equivalent may be such a pronoun as “those,” for example, “all those who are in heaven, and on earth, and below the earth.”

It may be misleading in some languages to speak of the world below. This would suggest that there is “an earth beneath the earth.” It may therefore be necessary to say “in the space beneath the earth,” or “in the region below the ground.”

The phrase will fall on their knees is an idiomatic expression referring to reverence and worship, and sometimes prayer (Rom 11.4; Eph 3.14).

Quoted with permission from Luo, I-Jin. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .