To circumcise
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Περιτέμνω means to circumcise, the physical cutting that marked Abraham's male descendants under the covenant sign. Luke records the eighth-day circumcision of John, John traces the practice through Moses to the patriarchs, and Stephen places it within God's covenant dealings with Abraham.
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Full entry for περιτέμνω (G4059) · Open the biblical lexicon
Περιτέμνω means to circumcise, the physical cutting that marked Abraham's male descendants under the covenant sign. Luke records the eighth-day circumcision of John, John traces the practice through Moses to the patriarchs, and Stephen places it within God's covenant dealings with Abraham.
The BSB source-word alignment has 17 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include to be circumcised (3), circumcised (2), to circumcise (2), [and] circumcised (1), already circumcised (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 1:59. Its strongest book concentrations include Galatians (6), Acts (5), 1 Corinthians (2), Luke (2).
Περιτέμνω means to circumcise, the physical cutting that marked Abraham's male descendants under the covenant sign. Luke records the eighth-day circumcision of John, John traces the practice through Moses to the patriarchs, and Stephen places it within God's covenant dealings with Abraham. Paul addresses a changed covenant situation in which Gentile believers are not compelled to receive circumcision and existing bodily status does not determine standing in Christ.
The verb names an actual practice, not a free-floating symbol. Its theological significance must be traced through covenant promise, law, Jewish identity, the gospel's Gentile mission, and Paul's insistence that justification and membership in God's family do not rest on this work of flesh.
Περιτέμνω names the covenantal act of circumcision. New Testament uses honor its historical place while refusing to make it a condition of Gentile justification or belonging in Christ.
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
John's eighth-day circumcision places his family within Israel's covenant practice while the naming dispute highlights God's prophetic purpose.
But because Moses gave you circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is from Moses, but from the patriarchs.)
Jesus notes that circumcision is performed on the Sabbath and reaches behind Moses to the patriarchs, exposing inconsistent judgment about His healing work.
Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
Stephen recounts circumcision as God's covenant sign given to Abraham before tracing Israel's history toward resistance and Christ.
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised.
Paul tells believers not to alter circumcision status as though bodily change improved their calling; keeping God's commands is the issue in his pastoral argument.
Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
Titus is not compelled to be circumcised, making his Gentile freedom a concrete test of gospel truth against pressure from false brothers.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Literal circumcision or metaphorically, spiritual circumcision of the heart in Christ.
Literal circumcision or metaphorically, spiritual circumcision of the heart in Christ.
(Ion., Epic. and late writers), to cut around (Hdt.), hence, to circumcise (π. τὰ αἰδοῖα, Hdt.) : Luk.1:59 2:21, Jhn.7:22, Act.7:8 15:5 16:3 21:21. Pass. and mid., to be circumcised, receive circumcision: Act.15:1, 1Co.7:18, Gal.2:3 5:2-3 6:12-13 Metaphorical (cf. Deu.10:16, Jer.4:4, al.), Col.2:11 (see Deiss., BS, 151 f.; MM, xix).
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 18 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseI circumcise
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 17 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 17 lexical occurrence verses.
περιτέμνω is built from these roots:
Represents the contested requirement being added to the gospel. Acts 15:1-5
Illustrates strategic accommodation distinct from salvation requirement. Acts 16:1-5
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Circumcision belongs to the history of God's real covenant dealings, so the New Testament neither mocks it nor allows it to rival Christ. Luke and Acts place the practice within Israel's faithful memory. Jesus uses its accepted Sabbath performance to expose distorted judgment about His whole-person healing. Paul faces the decisive gospel question: must Gentiles take this sign to belong to God's people?
Titus' freedom and the argument of Galatians answer no. Justification rests in Christ received by faith, and neither circumcision nor uncircumcision creates a superior standing. The church must therefore honor the biblical covenants, resist ethnic pride and antisemitism, and refuse every added ritual condition that obscures the sufficiency of Christ's saving work.
Luke.1.59
Περιτέμνω combines around with cut and normally denotes the concrete act of circumcision. Passive and middle forms can refer to receiving the rite; metaphorical heart language must be signaled by its own context.
The sign begins with Abraham, is administered within Israel, and is joined by the prophets to calls for circumcised hearts. The apostles locate covenant inclusion finally in Christ and the Spirit.
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