G4061 — περιτομή (peritomḗ)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4061
Original: περιτομή
Transliteration: peritomḗ
Pronunciation: per-it-om-ay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: περιτέμνω (G4059) — to cut around
Occurrences: 32 unique verses (36 tokens) across 9 books, all NT
First Occurrence: John 7:22 — "Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G4059 (περιτέμνω, to cut around); circumcision — the rite, the condition, or the people.

Outline of Biblical Usage: The covenant sign commanded in Genesis 17; the physical rite performed on the eighth day; the state of being circumcised; used collectively for the Jewish people (as distinct from ἀκροβυστία, uncircumcision / Gentiles); spiritually reapplied by Paul to inner transformation of the heart.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 53.006 — Religious Activities: Dedicate, Consecrate
Secondary Domain: 11.002 — Socio-Religious: Groups and Classes of Persons
Key domain neighbor: βαπτίζω (G907, baptize) — in Colossians 2:11–12, baptism explicitly succeeds circumcision as the initiation rite
Cognate in domain: περιτέμνω (G4059, to circumcise) — the verb counterpart

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
053	Religious Activities	`search_relationships.py` places peritomē in the covenant-rite field as a consecrating religious act.
011	Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes	Covers the articular collective use, "the circumcision," as a social-religious group label.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
circumcision	18	56.2%
the circumcision	7	21.9%
of circumcision	4	12.5%
Circumcised / Circumcision (capitalized)	2	6.3%
of the circumcision / with the circumcision	2	6.3%

The word is rendered exclusively as "circumcision" in all forms. The articular forms (ἡ περιτομή) signal collective use — the Jewish people as a group.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Galatians	7	4.7
Colossians	3	3.2
Romans	12	2.8
Titus	1	2.2
Philippians	2	~1.9
Ephesians	1	0.6
Acts	3	0.3
John	2	0.2
1 Corinthians	1	0.2

Concentration is overwhelmingly Pauline (26 of 32 verses). Romans and Galatians account for 19 of 32 — precisely the letters where Paul is arguing about faith, law, and covenant membership. John 7 and Acts are pre-Pauline narrative contexts. The word is absent from the Synoptic Gospels and all of the General Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Physical Rite and Covenant Sign¶

Circumcision as the commanded act — eight-day rite, Abrahamic covenant marker, Mosaic observance: - Acts 7:8 — "he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day" - John 7:22 — "Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;)" - Philippians 3:5 — "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin" - Romans 4:11 — "he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised"

2. Circumcision as Covenant Boundary Condition¶

"Being in circumcision" = being within the Abrahamic covenant; Paul tests whether this status is what counts with God: - Romans 2:25 — "circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision" - Romans 4:10 — "when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision" - Romans 3:1 — "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?" - Galatians 5:11 — "if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?"

3. "The Circumcision" — Collective for the Jewish People¶

The articular noun used as a group label, contrasted with "the uncircumcision" (Gentiles): - Galatians 2:7–8 — "the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me... the apostleship of the circumcision" - Romans 15:8 — "Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God" - Acts 10:45 — "they of the circumcision which believed were astonished" - Titus 1:10 — "many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision"

4. Circumcision Spiritualized and Relativized in Christ¶

Paul redefines circumcision as inward heart-transformation, then declares it irrelevant to standing before God: - Romans 2:28–29 — "he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter" - 1 Corinthians 7:19 — "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God" - Galatians 6:15 — "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature" - Philippians 3:3 — "we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" - Colossians 2:11 — "circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
ἀκροβυστία (akrobystia)	G203	14x (44%)	Circumcision/uncircumcision as contrasting conditions or ethnic labels
θεός (theos)	G2316	6x (19%)	God who justifies both circumcision and uncircumcision
Χριστός (Christos)	G5547	6x (19%)	"In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails"
ἔθνος (ethnos)	G1484	5x (16%)	Gentiles contrasted with those of the circumcision
Ἰησοῦς (Iesous)	G2424	5x (16%)	"in Jesus Christ" relativizing circumcision
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	5x (16%)	Circumcision tied to law-keeping
πίστις (pistis)	G4102	5x (16%)	Faith vs. circumcision as the basis of righteousness
λογίζομαι (logizomai)	G3049	4x (12%)	"Reckoned" as righteousness — Abraham's circumcision/uncircumcision argument in Romans 4
πατήρ (pater)	G3962	4x (12%)	Abraham as "father of circumcision" (Rom 4:12)
σάρξ (sarx)	G4561	4x (12%)	Circumcision "in the flesh" vs. spiritual circumcision
πνεῦμα (pneuma)	G4151	3x (9%)	"Circumcision of the heart in spirit" (Rom 2:29; Col 2:11)
περιτέμνω (peritemnō)	G4059	3x (9%)	Verb + noun together — the act and its result

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4059 περιτέμνω (peritemnō) — "to cut around, circumcise" (the root verb; 17 NT occurrences)
G1986 ἐπισπάομαι (epispaomai) — "to become uncircumcised" (reverse the rite; 1 Cor 7:18; hapax)

Synonyms¶

No direct synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G4061.

Antonyms¶

G564 ἀπερίτμητος (aperitmetos) — uncircumcised; alpha-privative opposite and the clearest lexical contrast returned by search_relationships.py

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
περιτέμνω (peritemnō)	G4059	Both use "circumcis-" words	G4059 is the verb (the act); G4061 is the noun (the rite, condition, or group)
ἀκροβυστία (akrobystia)	G203	KJV sometimes renders context loosely	Direct antonym — uncircumcision / foreskin; paired contrastively with G4061 in 14 verses

Hebrew Source¶

No LXX bridge found by tools — περιτομή is a NT coinage not attested as a noun in the LXX. The LXX uses the verb περιτέμνω rather than the noun form. The OT rite corresponds to Hebrew מוּל (H4135, mûl = to circumcise) and the related noun מוּלָה (H4139, mûlāh = circumcision). The covenant command in Genesis 17 establishes the rite Paul is engaging throughout his letters.