the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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King James Version
Philippians 3:2
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Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;
Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilation!
Keep a sharp eye out for those coyotes, those charlatans, those scissor-wielding pickle-clippers.
Be on the watch against dogs, against the workers of evil, against those of the circumcision:
See to dogs, see to evil workmen, see to the concision.
Watch out for "dogs," watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil-workers,
Beware of `the dogs,' the bad workmen, the self-mutilators.
Beware of dogs, beware of euill workers: beware of the concision.
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil workers, look out for the concision party .
Bewarre off dogges, bewarre of euell workers, bewarre off discension:
be upon your guard against snarlers, against the contrivances of the crafty, against the spurious breed;
Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they're interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ's praise as we do it. We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book.
Look out for the dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation];
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil-workers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Beware of dogges beware of evyll workers. Beware of dissencion.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:
Beware of dogs, beware of evil-workers, beware of the concision.
look to the dogs, look to the evil-workers, look to the concision;
Watch out for those who do evil, who are like dogs, who demand to cut the body.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!
Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
Watch out for those people who behave like dogs! They are evil and want to do more than just circumcise you.
beware of the dogs, those evildoers, the Mutilated!
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Beware of dogges: beware of euil workers: beware of the concision.
Beware of backbiters, beware of evil workers, beware of circumcising.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.
Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilators!the mutilation; Gk. katatome (a cutting off)">[fn]Isaiah 56:10; Romans 2:28; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Galatians 5:2,15;">[xr]
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the cutting of the flesh.
Beware of dogs; beware of evil doers; beware of the clipped in flesh.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.
Watch out for false teachers. Watch out for sinful men. They want you to depend on the religious act of becoming a Jew for your hope.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!
Beware of the dogs, beware of mischievous workers, beware of the mutilation;
Beware of dogs: beware of evil workers: beware of the concision.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation.
Beware of dogges, beware of euyll workers, beware of concision.
Be careful of the dogs—those men whose work does only harm. They want to cut on everyone who isn't circumcised.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;
Watch out for those who do evil things, those dogs, those who insist on cutting the body.
Se ye houndis, se ye yuele werk men, se ye dyuysioun.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
of dogs: Proverbs 26:11, Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 56:11, Matthew 7:6, Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:10, Galatians 5:15, 2 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:15, 2 Peter 2:22, Revelation 22:15
evil: Philippians 3:19, Psalms 119:115, Matthew 7:22, Matthew 7:23, 2 Corinthians 11:13, Galatians 5:13, 1 Timothy 1:19, 2 Timothy 3:1-6, 2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Timothy 4:4, Titus 1:16, 2 Peter 2:18-20, Jude 1:4, Jude 1:10 -13; Revelation 21:8
the: Philippians 3:3, Romans 2:28, Galatians 2:3, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 5:1-3, Galatians 5:6, Revelation 2:9, Revelation 3:9
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 23:18 - dog 2 Kings 8:13 - a dog Psalms 22:16 - dogs Jeremiah 27:14 - hearken Joel 3:14 - decision Matthew 10:17 - beware Matthew 15:26 - It is not Acts 15:1 - Except Romans 16:17 - cause Colossians 2:8 - Beware Titus 1:10 - specially 2 Peter 3:17 - beware
Cross-References
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Beware of dogs,.... By whom are meant the "judaizing" teachers, who were for imposing the works and ceremonies of the law upon the Gentiles, as necessary to salvation; and they have the name retorted on them they used to give to the Gentiles; see Matthew 15:26; nor should they think it too severe, since the Jews themselves say p,
"the face of that generation (in which the Messiah shall come) shall he, כפני הכלב, "as the face of a dog".''
The apostle calls them so, because they returned to Judaism, as the dog to its vomit, 2 Peter 2:22; and because of the uncleanness in which many of them lived, and the impudence they were guilty of in transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, and putting themselves upon an equal foot with them; as also for their calumny and detraction, their wrangling with the apostles, snarling at their doctrines, and biting them with the devouring words of reproach and scandal: likewise, they may be styled dogs for their covetousness, being such greedy ones as in Isaiah 56:10, with feigned words making merchandise of men; and for their love of their, bellies, which they served, and not Christ, and made a god of, Philippians 3:19. Moreover, because they were without, as dogs are, Revelation 22:15; having gone out from the communion of the saints, because they were not of them; or if among them, yet not true members of Christ, nor of his mystical body; all which are so many arguments why the saints should beware of them, and why their persons, conversation, and doctrine should be avoided.
Beware of evil workers: meaning the same persons, who were deceitful workers, did the work of the Lord unfaithfully, walked in craftiness, and handled the word of God deceitfully, endeavoured to subvert the Gospel of Christ, and the faith of men in it; who worked from bad principles, and with evil views; and notwithstanding their large pretensions to good works, teaching that justification and salvation were by them, which notion the apostle tacitly refers to in this character; yet were of bad a character, and such as Christ will reject another day as workers of iniquity; a character they deservedly bear, if there was no other reason for it than their preaching the doctrine of salvation by men's own works of righteousness, and who, and their ministry, are by all means to be shunned.
Beware of the concision; the men of the circumcision, as the Arabic version renders it; they chose to be called so, but the apostle would not give them that name, but calls them the "concision"; or "the concision of the flesh", as the Syriac version renders it; referring either to the cuttings in the flesh, forbidden Leviticus 21:5; or to the circumcision of the flesh rather, which they valued themselves upon, and were for introducing among the Gentiles, whereby they made sad divisions, and cutting work among the churches; and were some of them at least "cut" off, as the Ethiopic version renders it, from the churches; and who, as much as in them lay, cut themselves off from Christ, and rendered him unprofitable to them; see Galatians 5:2.
p Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 15.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Beware of dogs - Dogs in the east are mostly without masters; they wander at large in the streets and fields, and feed upon offals, and even upon corpses; compare 1 Kings 14:11; 1Ki 16:4; 1 Kings 21:19. They are held as unclean, and to call one a dog is a much stronger expression of contempt there than with us; 1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Kings 8:13. The Jews called the pagan dogs, and the Muslims call Jews and Christians by the same name. The term dog also is used to denote a person that is shameless, impudent, malignant, snarling, dissatisfied, and contentious, and is evidently so employed here. It is possible that the language used here may have been derived from some custom of affixing a caution, on a house that was guarded by a dog, to persons approaching it. Lenfant remarks that at Rome it was common for a dog to lie chained before the door of a house, and that a notice was placed in sight, “Beware of the dog.” The same notice I have seen in this city affixed to the kennel of dogs in front of a bank, that were appointed to guard it. The reference here is, doubtless, to Judaizing teachers, and the idea is, that they were contentious, troublesome, dissatisfied, and would produce disturbance. The strong language which the apostle uses here, shows the sense which he had of the danger arising from their influence. It may be observed, however, that the term dogs is used in ancient writings with great frequency, and even by the most grave speakers. It is employed by the most dignified characters in the Iliad (Boomfield), and the name was given to a whole class of Greek philosophers - the Cynics. It is used in one instance by the Saviour; Matthew 7:6. By the use of the term here, there can be no doubt that the apostle meant to express strong disapprobation of the character and course of the persons referred to, and to warn the Philippians in the most solemn manner against them.
Beware of evil workers - Referring, doubtless, to the same persons that he had characterized as dogs The reference is to Jewish teachers, whose doctrines and influence he regarded only as evil We do not know what was the nature of their teaching, but we may presume that it consisted much in urging the obligations of the Jewish rites and ceremonies; in speaking of the advantage of having been born Jews: and in urging a compliance with the law in order to justification before God. In this way their teachings tended to set aside the great doctrine of salvation by the merits of the Redeemer.
Beware of the concision - Referring, doubtless, also to the Jewish teachers. The word rendered “concision” - κατατομή katatomē - means properly a cutting off, a mutilation. It is used here contemptuously for the Jewish circumcision in contrast with the true circumcision. Robinson, Lexicon. It is not to be understood that Paul meant to throw contempt on circumcision as enjoined by God, and as practiced by the pious Jews of other times (compare Acts 16:3), but only as it was held by the false Judaizing teachers. As they held it, it was not the true circumcision. They made salvation to depend on it, instead of its being only a sign of the covenant with God. Such a doctrine, as they held it, was a mere cutting off of the flesh, without understanding anything of the true nature of the rite, and, hence, the unusual term by which he designates it. Perhaps, also, there may be included the idea that a doctrine so held would be in fact a cutting off of the soul; that is, that it tended to destruction. Their cutting and mangling the flesh might be regarded as an emblem of the manner in which their doctrine would cut and mangle the church - Doddridge. The meaning of the whole is, that they did not understand the true nature of the doctrine of circumcision, but that with them it was a mere cutting of the flesh, and tended to destroy the church.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Philippians 3:2. Beware of dogs — The Jews, who have here the same appellative which they formerly gave to the Gentiles: because the Gentiles were not included in the covenant, they called them DOGS; and themselves, the children of the Most High. Now, they are cast out of the covenant and the Gentiles taken in; therefore they are the dogs, and the Gentiles the children.
Evil workers — Judaizing teachers, who endeavoured to pervert the Gospel.
The concision. — κατατομην. The cutting or excision; not περιτομην, the circumcision: the word is used by the apostle to degrade the pretensions which the Jews made to sanctity by the cutting in their flesh. Circumcision was an honourable thing, for it was a sign of the covenant; but as they now had rejected the new covenant, their circumcision was rendered uncircumcision, and is termed a cutting, by way of degradation.
