Bible Strands
Philippians 3:5
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Philippian believers while contrasting his own fleshly credentials with the surpassing value of knowing Christ. He enumerates his heritage immediately after declaring that others might claim grounds for confidence in the flesh.
The words — περιτομῇ (peritomē) means circumcision, and ὀκταήμερος (oktaēmeros) specifies the eighth day, denoting the covenant sign applied at infancy. Ἑβραῖος (Hebraios) translates as Hebrew, emphasizing linguistic and ethnic continuity.
The thread — Paul restates this lineage in 2 Corinthians 11:22 and Romans 11:1 to establish his Jewish pedigree against competing teachers. Acts 23:6 records him leveraging his Pharisaic identity to address the Sanhedrin.
Why it lands — The text lists Paul’s inherited and achieved religious markers before demanding that readers weigh them against Christ, requiring a deliberate shift from reliance on status to reliance on faith.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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;
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 11:22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
- Romans 11:1 I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
- Acts 23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
- Genesis 17:12 Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.
- Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
- Acts 26:4 Surely all the Jews know how I have lived from my earliest childhood among my own people, and also in Jerusalem.
- Luke 1:59 On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
- Luke 2:21 When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.
- John 7:21 Jesus answered them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.
- Genesis 14:13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.