ἁρπαγμός

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).

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’, and Cyrill. Alex., De Ador. 1, 25 (MPG, LXVIII 172c), Lot does not regard the angels’ demand (Gen 19:15ff) as a ἁρπαγμός ‘prize’.—Acc. to FVokes, on Phil 2:5–11 in Studia Evangelica 2, ’64, 670–75, forms in-μα may approach-μος forms in mng., but not vice versa, cp. πορισμός 1 Ti 6:5 (for rejoinder s. RMartin, Carmen Christi ’67, 137).

ⓐ If ἁρπαγμός approaches ἅρπαγμα in mng., it can be taken ‘sensu malo’ to mean booty, (a) grab (so for ἅρπαγμα LXX), and only the context and an understanding of Paul’s thought in general can decide whether it means holding fast to someth. already obtained (ἁ.=‘res rapta’; so the Gk fathers, s. Lampe, s.v. B 1) or the appropriation to oneself of someth. that is sought after (ἁ.=‘res rapienda’).

ⓑ But a good sense is also poss., a piece of good fortune, windfall, prize, gain (Heliod., 7, 11, 7; 7, 20, 2 [=ἕρμαιον]; 8, 7, 1; Plut., Mor. 330d; Nägeli 43f)=ἕρμαιον (Isid. Pelus., Ep. 4, 22); again it remains an open question whether the windfall has already been seized and is waiting to be used, or whether it has not yet been appropriated. In favor of the former is the contrast between Adam (implied as a dramatic foil) and his anxiety about death and equality w. God and Jesus’ majestic freedom from such anxiety, with culmination in the ultimate vindication of Jesus, whose destiny contrasts with Adam’s implied fate: οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ did not consider equality w. God a prize to be tenaciously grasped. (Cp. the fortunes of Zeus: Diod S 3, 61, 4–6.)

③ Another, and less probable, mng. is (mystical) rapture, s. ἁρπάζω 2b and LHammerich, An Ancient Misunderstanding (Phil. 2:6 ‘robbery’), ’66, who would translate the phrase ‘considered that to be like God was no rapture’; a similar view was expressed by PFlorensky (1915), quoted in Dictionnaire de la Bible, Suppl. V, ’57, col. 24 s.v. kénose.—LSaint-Paul, RB n.s. 8, 1911, 550ff (pretext, opportunity); WJaeger, Her. 50, 1915, 537–53 (w. further support, RHoover, HTR 64, ’71, 95–119); AJülicher, ZNW 17, 1916, 1–17; PSchmidt, PM 20, 1916, 171–86; HSchumacher, Christus in s. Präexistenz u. Kenose nach Phil 2:5–8, I 1914, II 1921; FLoofs, StKr 100, 1927/28, 1–102; ELohmeyer, Kyrios Jesus: SBHeidAk 1927/28, 4 Abh.; WFoerster, ZNW 29, 1930, 115–28; FKattenbusch, StKr 104, ’32, 373–420; EBarnikol, Mensch u. Messias ’32, Philipper 2, ’32; KBornhäuser, NKZ 44, ’33, 428–34; 453–62; SMowinckel, NorTT 40, ’39, 208–11; AStephenson, CBQ 1, ’39, 301–8; AFeuillet, Vivre et Penser, Sér. 2, ’42, 61f; AFridrichsen: AKaritz Festschr. ’46, 197ff; HAlmqvist, Plut. u. d. NT, ’46, 117f; JHering, D. bibl. Grundlagen des Christl. Humanismus ’46, 31f; AEhrhardt, JTS 46, ’45, 49–51 (cp. Plut., Mor. 330d; Diod S 3, 61, 6); EKäsemann, ZTK 47, ’50, 313–60; HKruse, Verbum Domini 27, ’49, 355–60; 29, ’51, 206–14; LBouyer, RSR 39, ’51, 281–88; DGriffiths, ET 69, ’57/58, 237–39; RMartin, Carmen Christi (Phil 2:5–11) ’67, esp. 134–64; 320–39 (lit.). NWright, JTS 37, ’86, 321–52; SVollenweider, NTS 45, ’99, 413–33 (surveys of debate).—S. also s.v. κενόω 1b.—EDNT. DELG s.v. ἁρπάζω. M-M. TW. Sv.