Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Philippians 3:5

"circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;" — Philippians 3:5 (ASV)

Paul now enumerates some of his reasons for confidence in the flesh. First on the list is physical circumcision, perhaps because the Judaizers stressed it so much. Paul had been circumcised as a Jewish boy in accord with the instruction given to Abraham (Genesis 17:12) and in the law (Leviticus 12:3). Furthermore, he was born of Israelite stock. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, a fact he proudly acknowledged on more than one occasion (Acts 13:21; Romans 11:1). This tribe alone had been faithful to the Davidic throne at the time of the division of the kingdom. It had given the nation its first king, after whom Paul had been named by his parents. By calling himself a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” he suggests he was of pure Jewish ancestry from both parents and possibly that he knew both Hebrew and Aramaic, even though he had been born in the Diaspora (Acts 22:2–3). In addition, by his own choice he belonged to the most orthodox of the Jewish parties, the Pharisees. This party contained the most zealous supporters and interpreters of OT law, and Paul had studied under Gamaliel, its most celebrated teacher (Acts 22:3; cf. 5:34).