Philippians 3:4-6

4. though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh: if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh, I yet more: 5. circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. as touching zeal, persecuting the church; as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless.

Translation and Paraphrase

4. although I myself could have confidence in the flesh (if that were the source of confidence). (Indeed) if any other man thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I (have even) more (than he has).
5. (I was) circumcised when I was eight days old. (I was not some Ishmaelite or off-branch from Abraham.) (I am) of the race of Israel (not a proselyte). (I am) of the (distinguished!) tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews (so completely Hebrew that I speak the Hebrew tongue). With regard to the law (I was) a Pharisee (holding their strict ideas about the law, and not the compromising position of many Hellenistic Jews).

6. With regard to zeal (I was) persecuting the church (of Christ); with regard to (the) righteousness (which) is (revealed) in the law, (I was) blameless.

Notes

1.

Philippians 2:4 introduces a second argument as to why we must beware of the law-keepers (those Judaizers who try to make Christians keep the law of Moses): These people had less grounds for confidence in their physical distinctions than Paul had, and yet he placed no confidence in such things. Paul could denounce the Jewish view, for he once shared it to the fullest.

2.

To emphasize that he had more grounds for confidence in Jewish ancestry and Jewish honors than other people who gloried in such things, Paul itemized his own distinctions:

(1) He had been circumcised the eighth day of his life. (Cf. Luke 1:59). This distinguished him from Gentiles, or proselytes, or Ishmaelites (who performed circumcision at age thirteen). Paul had lived all of his previous life in the Jewish faith.

(2) He was of the stock of Israel, of pure racial ancestry. See 2 Corinthians 11:22.

(3) He was of the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1). This tribe was famous for its military prowess (Genesis 49:27; Judges 20:1-48), and for such honored names as King Saul and Mordecai (the cousin of Queen Esther). Paul was not from one of the ten renegade tribes.

(4) Paul was a Pharisee, as far as the law was concerned (Acts 23:6; Acts 26:5). The Pharisees were a strict denomination of Jews. Their very name means Separated. There were never more than 6000 of them. In spite of the hypocrisy of many of them, they were basically a strict, God-fearing group, accepting the entire Old Testament, and also the traditions which had developed around it. They refused to take part in the compromising life of many Jews of their time. Paul was not an apostate Hellenistic Jew (favorable to Greek culture) but a Pharisee.

(5) Paul was a persecutor as far as zeal was concerned. Details of Paul's (Saul'S) persecutions of the church may be read in Acts 8:1; Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1-2; Acts 9:13-14; Acts 22:3-5; Acts 22:19-20; Acts 26:9-11.

Zeal for a correct cause is good. Phinehas the priest was commended for his zeal. (Numbers 25:11-13). Christ had such zeal that he drove the money changers from the temple. (Psalms 69:9; John 2:17). However, zeal for a false cause is useless, perhaps even deadly. See Romans 10:2. Saul's zeal was like that.

(6) Paul was a blameless man, as far as the righteousness of the law was concerned. He had kept all the ceremonies and rituals of the law so faithfully that no one could find fault with his performance.

Strangely enough, however, Paul looked back upon this time when he was blameless according to the law as being a time when he was the chief of sinners. See 2 Timothy 1:13-15. This shows that people can be self-deceived about their standing before God. Also it shows that the law really made no one righteous (Hebrews 10:1-4).

3.

These six descriptions of Paul's life and attainments were written to show that he could have claimed, if he had so desired, more honors from the Jewish point of view, than any of those who did place their confidence in Jewish background and attainments.