Philippians 3:3

 

Philippians 3:3

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

(1611 KJV) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and reioyce in Christ Iesus, and haue no confidence in the flesh.

(1587 Geneva Bible) For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirite, and reioyce in Christ Iesus, and haue no confidence in the flesh:

(1526 Tyndale Bible) For we are circucision which worshippe god in the sprete and reioyce in Christ Iesu and have no confidence in the flesshe:

 

Counterfeit Versions

(CSB) For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh

(NIV) For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

(NASV) for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

(THE MESSAGE) 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.

(AMP) For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances--

( NLT) For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,

(ESV) For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

(CEV) But we are the ones who are truly circumcised, because we worship by the power of God's Spirit and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don't brag about what we have done,

(1901 ASV) for we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh:

(NLV) The act of becoming a Jew has nothing to do with us becoming Christians. We worship God through His Spirit and are proud of Jesus Christ. We have no faith in what we ourselves can do.

(HCSB) For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—

(NRSV) For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh—

(NAB-Roman Catholic) For we are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,

(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) For we are those with the real circumcision, who are rendering sacred service by God’s spirit and have our boasting in Christ Jesus and do not have our confidence in the flesh,

 

Footnotes

(NLT) Some manuscripts read worship God in spirit; one early manuscript reads worship in spirit.

(ESV) Some manuscripts God in spirit

(NKJV) NU-Text and M-Text read who worship in the Spirit of God.

 

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text

hmeiV gar esmen h peritomh oi pneumati qew latreuonteV kai kaucwmenoi en cristw ihsou kai ouk en sarki pepoiqoteV

 

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text

hmeiV gar esmen h peritomh oi pneumati qeou latreuonteV kai kaucwmenoi en cristw ihsou kai ouk en sarki pepoiqoteV

 

Corrupted Manuscripts

This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:

Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (original)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century

B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century

C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century

D 06 - Paris: Claromontanus - Sixth century (original)

K 018 - Ninth century

L 020 - Ninth century

33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century

 

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse

Stephanus (1550 A.D.)

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (corrected)
D 06 - Paris: Claromontanus (corrected)

P 025 - Ninth century

 

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions

Reads “worship by the Spirit of God” instead of “worship God in the Spirit”

Lachmann, Karl - 1842

Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869

Tregelles, Samuel - 1857

Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871

Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870

Westcott and Hort - 1881

Weiss, Bernhard - 1894

Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941

Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition

Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition

 

Affected Teaching

There is a change of an inflection in the word for God. The Hort-Westcott text changed the word for God from a Dative to a Genitive. The difference is like night and day. The Genitive case is the case of possession and that is why their text reads “the spirit of God.” The word for God in the Hort Westcott Text is “qeou” (theou). The ending of the word “ou” reveals that it is a genitive case. In the Textus Receptus, it is correctly rendered “qew” which is in the Dative case. The Dative case is the case which is called the “case of personal interest or reference” and is normally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given. It is also called the case of the indirect object which involves a person. In Philippians 3:3 we are reading that we worship God who is the indirect object because the worship of God is the catalyst for rejoicing in Christ and having no confidence in the flesh. The words “worship” and “rejoice” are in the nominative case which is the case of revealing the subject of the sentence or a clause. So by making just one small change, they change the entire meaning of the passage. It is good that God gave us His preserved word in the King James Bible. (John 4:24 KJV) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Philippians 3:3 is a fulfillment of the Lord’s method of true worship.

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