Romans 2:28–29

The unrighteousness of religious Jews

A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.

The last sentence, with its reference to “praise . . . from God,” is perfectly understandable as it stands. It may be of interest, however, to note that Paul has built a pun, a play on words, into this sentence. In Hebrew the word for “praise” has a sound close to that of the name Judah, from which the designation Jew is derived. For similar plays on the praise/Judah combination, see Genesis 29:35; 49:8.