Philippians / Chapter 3

Philippians 3

21 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Paul warns the Philippians against Judaizing opponents whom he calls 'dogs' and 'mutilators of the flesh,' then offers his own credentials as a model of what he now considers worthless compared to knowing Christ. He describes his pursuit of Christ in athletic terms — pressing on toward the goal, forgetting what lies behind, straining toward what lies ahead. He contrasts those whose 'god is their belly' with believers whose citizenship is in heaven, from where they await a Savior who will transform their lowly bodies.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Paul's autobiographical section (vv. 4-14) is the most detailed account of his Jewish credentials anywhere in his letters: circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, blameless under the law. His sweeping renunciation of these credentials as 'rubbish' (skybalon, v. 8) is not self-hatred but a radical revaluation — everything is loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. The athletic metaphor of pressing toward the goal (vv. 12-14) has become one of the most quoted Pauline images, expressing the Christian life as disciplined forward movement rather than passive arrival.

Translation Friction

The sharp warning in verse 2 ('beware of the dogs') represents Paul's most aggressive anti-opponent language outside of Galatians. The identity of these opponents is debated — they may be the same Judaizers addressed in Galatians, or a different group. The term skybalon (v. 8) is deliberately vulgar, ranging from 'refuse' to 'excrement'; we render it as 'rubbish' to preserve the force without gratuitous shock. The phrase 'enemies of the cross' (v. 18) may refer to the same opponents or to a different group focused on libertine behavior.

Connections

Paul's list of Jewish credentials parallels 2 Corinthians 11:22 and Galatians 1:13-14. The athletic imagery of pressing toward the goal connects to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and 2 Timothy 4:7-8. The heavenly citizenship (politeuma) in verse 20 picks up the citizenship language of 1:27. The transformation of the body (v. 21) anticipates the resurrection theology of 1 Corinthians 15:42-54.

Philippians 3:1

Τὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί μου, χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ. τὰ αὐτὰ γράφειν ὑμῖν ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀκνηρόν, ὑμῖν δὲ ἀσφαλές.

Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is a safeguard for you.

KJV Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase to loipon ('finally, as for the rest') does not necessarily signal the end of the letter — Paul has two more chapters to go. It functions as a transition marker. The reference to 'the same things' suggests Paul has warned them before, either in person or in a previous letter now lost. The word asphales ('safe, secure, a safeguard') implies that repetition protects against error.
Philippians 3:2

βλέπετε τοὺς κύνας, βλέπετε τοὺς κακοὺς ἐργάτας, βλέπετε τὴν κατατομήν.

Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evildoers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.

KJV Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold blepete ('watch out, beware') is urgent and aggressive. 'Dogs' (kynas) was a term Jews used for Gentiles; Paul turns it against the Judaizers themselves. The word katatomē ('mutilation, cutting') is a biting pun on peritomē ('circumcision') — Paul reduces their prized covenant sign to mere flesh-cutting. This is among the harshest language in Paul's letters.
Philippians 3:3

ἡμεῖς γάρ ἐσμεν ἡ περιτομή, οἱ πνεύματι θεοῦ λατρεύοντες καὶ καυχώμενοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ πεποιθότες,

For we are the circumcision — we who worship by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh —

KJV For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul claims the title 'the circumcision' (hē peritomē) for believers in Christ, redefining the covenant marker from physical surgery to spiritual reality. Three characteristics define true circumcision: worship by God's Spirit, boasting in Christ Jesus (not in credentials), and refusal to trust in the flesh. This echoes the prophetic tradition of 'circumcision of the heart' (Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 30:6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Jeremiah 4:4 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Philippians 3:4

καίπερ ἐγὼ ἔχων πεποίθησιν καὶ ἐν σαρκί. εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἄλλος πεποιθέναι ἐν σαρκί, ἐγὼ μᾶλλον·

Though I may as well possess confidence in the physical nature. If any other man thinketh that he has whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:.

KJV Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul pivots from theological principle to personal testimony. His argument is not that flesh-credentials are unattainable but that he possessed them in abundance — and chose to abandon them. This makes his renunciation in verses 7-8 all the more powerful: he is not sour grapes but a man who walked away from genuine wealth.
Philippians 3:5

περιτομῇ ὀκταήμερος, ἐκ γένους Ἰσραήλ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν, Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος,

I was circumcised on the eighth day, born into the people of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin — a Hebrew descended from Hebrews. In regard to the law, I was a Pharisee.

KJV Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul lists seven credentials in ascending order of personal achievement. The first four are inherited: circumcision on the proper day (not a proselyte), Israelite descent, Benjaminite tribal identity (the tribe that gave Israel its first king, Saul — Paul's namesake), and 'Hebrew of Hebrews' (likely meaning Hebrew-speaking from Hebrew-speaking parents, not Hellenized). The last three (vv. 5b-6) are chosen: Pharisee, persecutor, and blameless under law.
Philippians 3:6

κατὰ ζῆλος διώκων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, κατὰ δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν νόμῳ γενόμενος ἄμεμπτος.

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Touching the moral integrity which is in the instruction of Moses, blameless.

KJV Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's zeal (zēlos) manifested as violence against the church — he considers this a credential, not a confession, within the value system he is about to reject. His claim to be 'blameless' (amemptos) under the law does not mean sinless perfection but that he fulfilled the law's external requirements without fault. The rhetorical force is devastating: even flawless Torah observance is 'loss' compared to Christ (v. 7).
Philippians 3:7

ἀλλὰ ἅτινα ἦν μοι κέρδη, ταῦτα ἥγημαι διὰ τὸν Χριστὸν ζημίαν.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

KJV But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The commercial metaphor shifts: what was once in the 'profit' column (kerdē, plural 'gains') Paul has transferred to the 'loss' column (zēmian). The perfect tense hēgēmai ('I have counted and still count') indicates a past decision with continuing force. This is not a momentary emotion but a settled conviction.
Philippians 3:8

ἀλλὰ μενοῦνγε καὶ ἡγοῦμαι πάντα ζημίαν εἶναι διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς γνώσεως Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ κυρίου μου, δι' ὃν τὰ πάντα ἐζημιώθην, καὶ ἡγοῦμαι σκύβαλα, ἵνα Χριστὸν κερδήσω

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

KJV Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

σκύβαλα skybala
"rubbish" — refuse, garbage, excrement, table scraps, dung

A deliberately vulgar term. Ancient usage ranges from table scraps thrown to dogs to human excrement. Paul's point is maximum devaluation of his former religious achievements.

Translator Notes

  1. Paul intensifies: not just his Jewish credentials but 'everything' (panta) is loss compared to knowing Christ. The rare word skybala ('refuse, rubbish, excrement, scraps thrown to dogs') is deliberately crude — Paul uses the coarsest available term to express how worthless his former advantages now seem. The phrase 'knowing Christ Jesus my Lord' (tēs gnōseōs Christou Iesou tou kyriou mou) is deeply personal — 'my Lord' is intimate, not merely doctrinal.
Philippians 3:9

καὶ εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ, μὴ ἔχων ἐμὴν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐκ νόμου ἀλλὰ τὴν διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει,

Be discovered in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by way of the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by way of faith:.

KJV And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

δικαιοσύνη dikaiosynē
"righteousness" — righteousness, justice, right standing, justification

The central term of Pauline soteriology. Here Paul distinguishes self-generated righteousness (from law) and God-given righteousness (through faith), the same contrast developed at length in Romans 3-4.

Translator Notes

  1. Paul contrasts two kinds of righteousness: his 'own' (emēn) righteousness based on law-keeping versus the righteousness 'from God' (ek theou) received through faith. The genitive pisteōs Christou ('faith of/in Christ') can be read as 'faith in Christ' (objective genitive) or 'the faithfulness of Christ' (subjective genitive). We follow the objective genitive reading, which is more consistent with Paul's argument here about human response to God's gift.
Philippians 3:10

τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν παθημάτων αὐτοῦ, συμμορφιζόμενος τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ,

I want to know Christ — to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to become like him in his death.

KJV That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's supreme goal is not theological knowledge about Christ but relational knowledge of Christ — the Greek gnōnai ('to know') carries the Old Testament sense of intimate, experiential knowing. The order is striking: resurrection power first, then suffering. Paul does not romanticize suffering but sees it as inseparable from genuine knowledge of the risen Christ. The verb symmorphizomenos ('being conformed to, being shaped into the pattern of') means taking on the very form (morphē) of Christ's death — echoing the hymn's language of Christ taking the 'form' of a servant (2:7).
Philippians 3:11

εἴ πως καταντήσω εἰς τὴν ἐξανάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν.

If by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the no longer alive.

KJV If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The rare compound exanastasin ('out-resurrection, resurrection out from among') is more specific than the common anastasis — it may emphasize resurrection out from among the dead, distinguishing the believer's resurrection from a general raising. The conditional 'if by any means' (ei pōs) does not express doubt about salvation but humility before a goal not yet achieved, consistent with the 'not yet perfected' language of verse 12.
Philippians 3:12

Οὐχ ὅτι ἤδη ἔλαβον ἢ ἤδη τετελείωμαι, διώκω δὲ εἰ καὶ καταλάβω, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ κατελήμφθην ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

KJV Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb diōkō ('I press on, I pursue, I chase') is the same verb translated 'persecute' in verse 6 — Paul the former persecutor of the church is now a pursuer of Christ. The verb katalambanō ('to seize, to take hold of, to make one's own') appears twice: Paul pursues in order to grasp what Christ has already grasped in him. The logic is: because Christ seized me, I press on to fully realize what he seized me for.
Philippians 3:13

ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι· ἓν δέ, τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος,

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

KJV Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb epekteinomenos ('straining forward, stretching out toward') is an athletic term picturing a runner leaning forward with every muscle extended toward the finish line. The 'forgetting' (epilanthanomenos) of what lies behind includes both Paul's former Jewish achievements and his past failures — neither past glory nor past shame determines his forward movement.
Philippians 3:14

κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

KJV I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The skopos ('goal, target, mark') is the finish line toward which the runner strains. The brabeion ('prize') is the victor's wreath awarded at Greek athletic games (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:24). The 'upward call' (anō klēseōs) may mean the call that comes from above (God's heavenly summons) or the call to go upward (the final resurrection). Both senses converge in Paul's thought.
Philippians 3:15

Ὅσοι οὖν τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν· καὶ εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψει·

Let those of us then who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

KJV Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word teleioi ('mature, perfect, complete') is deliberately paradoxical after verse 12, where Paul said he has not been 'made perfect' (teteleiōmai). The mature person is precisely the one who knows they are not yet perfected. Paul trusts God to correct any remaining disagreement — a remarkably patient approach to theological differences within the community.
Philippians 3:16

πλὴν εἰς ὃ ἐφθάσαμεν, τῷ αὐτῷ στοιχεῖν.

Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

KJV Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb stoichein ('to walk in line, to keep in step, to conform to') is a military term for marching in formation. Whatever level of understanding they have reached, they must live consistently with it. The SBLGNT has a shorter text than the Textus Receptus behind the KJV, which adds 'let us mind the same thing.'
Philippians 3:17

Συμμιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί, καὶ σκοπεῖτε τοὺς οὕτω περιπατοῦντας καθὼς ἔχετε τύπον ἡμᾶς.

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

KJV Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The compound symmimētai ('co-imitators, joint imitators') means 'imitate me together' — the imitation is communal, not individual. Paul does not hesitate to offer himself as a model (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1), not from arrogance but because the Christian life is learned through embodied example. The verb skopeite ('observe, watch closely') is related to skopos ('goal') in verse 14.
Philippians 3:18

πολλοὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦσιν οὓς πολλάκις ἔλεγον ὑμῖν, νῦν δὲ καὶ κλαίων λέγω, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ,

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

KJV For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's tears (klaiōn, 'weeping') reveal that his harsh language in verse 2 is not cold fury but grieved love. These 'enemies of the cross' are not outsiders but people within or near the Christian movement who reject the cross's implications — that God's power works through weakness and self-giving rather than through triumphalism.
Philippians 3:19

ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια, ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν, οἱ τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες.

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

KJV Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Four damning descriptions: (1) their destination is destruction (apōleia), (2) their god is appetite (koilia, 'belly, stomach'), (3) their boast is in what should shame them, (4) their thinking is earthbound. Whether 'belly' refers to food laws, gluttony, or physical indulgence generally is debated. The verb phroneō ('to set one's mind on') appears again — their fundamental orientation is toward earthly things rather than heavenly realities.
Philippians 3:20

ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

KJV For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

πολίτευμα politeuma
"citizenship" — citizenship, commonwealth, colony, state, community

The KJV's 'conversation' (meaning 'way of life' in 1611 English) entirely misses the political metaphor. Philippi's residents understood colony-citizenship viscerally — they were Rome's people living in Macedonia. Paul declares believers are heaven's people living on earth.

Translator Notes

  1. The Greek politeuma ('citizenship, commonwealth, colony') is loaded for Philippian readers. Philippi was a Roman colony whose citizens held Roman citizenship and governed themselves by Roman law even while living far from Rome. Paul says believers are a colony of heaven — they live on earth but their governing allegiance, legal identity, and ultimate homeland are heavenly. The verb apekdechometha ('we eagerly await') is used exclusively for Christ's return in Paul's letters.
Philippians 3:21

ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα.

Who will change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body, in keeping with to the working whereby he is able indeed to subdue all things to himself.

KJV Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb metaschēmatisei ('will transform, will refashion') uses the schēma root from 2:8 — the outward form of our humble bodies will be remade. The compound symmorphon ('conformed to, sharing the same form') uses the morphē root from 2:6-7 — our bodies will share the essential form of Christ's glorified body. The chapter that began with warnings against flesh-confidence ends with the promise that even the physical body will be glorified. The cosmic scope — 'subject all things to himself' — echoes Psalm 8:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:27-28.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 8:6. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
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