3:2

Most commentators agree that the three warnings in this verse all refer to the same group of people. These warnings are about “dogs,” “men who do evil,” and “mutilators.” These apparently were a group of Jews who had become Christians. They were called Judaizers. They were teaching that all Christians had to obey the Jewish laws in order to be true Christians. Paul strongly opposed this teaching and emphasized that people became members of God’s people through spiritual, not physical, change.

3:2a

Watch out for: This means “beware of.” It was a warning to not believe what the Judaizers taught. Some translations say: “do not be deceived by…” or “do not believe….”

those dogs: Jews often referred to Gentiles as dogs. This was because Jews considered dogs to be unclean animals, and they thought that Gentiles were also ritually unclean. See also Psalm 22:16 and Mark 7:24–30. In this verse Paul turned the idea around. He was saying that the Judaizers were evil and were like dogs. They were like pagans because their teaching was completely wrong.

In some languages, using the term dogs may give some other meaning that is not appropriate for this context. It may be possible to use a general term for “dangerous, dirty animal” or it may be best to translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example, it may be possible to translate the phrase those dogs as:

those who act like nonbelievers

3:2b

those workers of evil: This makes it clear that the term “dogs” refers to people who are workers of evil. It does not refer to a second group of people.

General Comment on 3:2a–b

In some languages it may be helpful to change the order of these two phrases. For example:

beware of those who do evil things, who are ⌊like a pack of⌋ dirty dogs

3:2c

those mutilators of the flesh: This is a third description of the same group of people. They are described as mutilators, literally “the mutilation” or “the cutting up.” This is a play on the Greek word for “circumcision,” which literally means “the cutting around.”

“Circumcision” is the cutting off of a band of skin, called the foreskin, from around the end of the penis. One of the Jewish laws stated that all Jewish males and converts to Judaism had to be circumcised as a symbol that they belonged to God. The Judaizers were teaching that non-Jewish converts to Christianity must also be circumcised. Here in 3:2c Paul opposed this teaching. He said the Judaizers were like people who destroy something by cutting it up or chopping it into pieces. Paul was saying that circumcision was no longer necessary to become part of God’s people and so he used this forceful language to speak against these people by calling them mutilators of the flesh.

In some cultures where circumcision is not known, it would be helpful to explain the custom of circumcising people in a footnote or in a glossary. Make sure it is clear that they did not cut off the whole penis but only the small ring of skin around the end of it. If it is not proper in your culture to refer to sex organs, make sure you use acceptable terms here.

In most languages it will not be possible to keep Paul’s play on words in the translation. But look for some way to make a contrast between “circumcision” (or “cutting around”) and “mutilation” (or “cutting up”).

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