Charles Spurgeon Commentary Philippians 3:2

"Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision:" — Philippians 3:2 (ASV)

Beware of dogs,—

Contentious persons,—persons of coarse and corrupt habits: Beware of dogs,—

Beware of evil workers,

However prettily they may talk, if they are workers of evil, beware of them. By their fruits you shall know them. Their speech may be clever, but if their lips are unclean, beware of them.

Beware of the concision.

Beware of the cutters off—those who excommunicate and cut off others because they happen not to agree with them fully in certain rites and ceremonies.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers,

They are like dogs. If they fawn upon you, they will sully you, if they do not bite you.

Beware of dogs,

Men of a doggish, captious, selfish spirit. In Paul's day, there were some who were called Cynics, that is to say, dogs: Beware of dogs,

Beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

By which Paul meant those Jews who made a great point of circumcision; he calls them here "the cutters", for they mangled and cut the Church of God in pieces: "Beware of the concision."