As a review, Paul shifts from the church leadership to the others where Paul is just pointing out the groups using the Greek word for "see" or "observe".

• See the "dogs" as an apparent reference to the Cynics whose beliefs tend to fit in with Christianity but ignore anything that does not fit their "opinion" as "spots".
• See not the "evil" or "bad" but the "empty" or "meaningless" works of the "workers" as in a "faith by works".
• See the Jews who add extra "rules" as "horns" or "tittles".

The KJV (King James Version) translates the same base Greek word for both "confidence" (noun) and "trust" (verb). Strongs appears to make a fine distinction between them. It is not clear as to the importance of this distinction. The Latin and Wycliffe use the same base word.

[Winston Churchill story]

In Greek, the same word is used for "child" from after birth to 12 years.

In Greek, the word for "law" has to do with both "God's laws" and the "human opinion" and "tradition" added as "law". It is the added "laws" of "human opinion" that do not always fit in with the truth of Jesus Christ.

More: Matthew 2: 8-11 Magi and the child in the house

More: Coining a customary distribution law of iniquity

Paul's background as a "Hebrew of Hebrews" might be compared with the story of the rich young man (or ruler) in the Gospels.

Details are left as a future topic.

The phrase "Hebrews of Hebrews" may be for emphasis rather than what today might be referred to as a "meta Hebrew".

More: Have you ever met a prefix like this?

The Greek for "zeal" has to do with competition with others in competing for the same goal. The goal was "persecuting the church". Paul was competing with other Pharisees in seeing who could persecute the "church" in the most effective manner.

More: Seeking damages from zealous jealousy

Considering just the "law", Paul was "blameless" or "without spots". The ancient Greek word "ἄμεμπτος" ≈ "spotless, unblemished" as in "perfect". Paul had many "horns" as in "extra rules" or "tittles".

The Latin word "querella" ≈ "complaint, lament". The Latin word "converso" ≈ "turn around, turn over, inverted". It is not clear how the Latin fits the Greek.

Greek: "seek" can lead to "zeal" can lead to "damage" (same Greek stem).
Paul talks about the church leadership in Philippians 2:21.

Paul talks about himself in Philippians 3:6-7.

Paul was "zealous" to compete for a goal, but it was the wrong goal! As a result, there was "damage".

Analogy: Climbing the ladder to success when the ladder is on the wrong wall!
The ancient Greek word "κέρδος" ≈ "gain, profit" and is the opposite of "ζημῐ́ᾱ" ≈ "loss, damage".

The Latin word "lucrum" ≈ "profit, advantage" and is the source of the English word "lucrative". This Latin word is related to the German word "Lohn" ≈ "reward, wages" and the ancient Greek word "ἀπολαύω" ≈ "enjoy".

The Latin word "arbitratus" ≈ "judged, observed".

The Latin word "detrimentum" ≈ "harm, loss" and is the source of the English word "detriment".

Do you see a pattern here in chapter 2? How about when compared to the word used in chapter 3?

Let us look at this word in more detail.

The KJV uses "counted" but the Greek word is interesting in this context. Paul uses this word three times in chapter 3 to describe his viewpoint before his change. This same Greek word is used three times in chapter 2 in reference to the church leadership. Now Paul uses that word for his incorrect leadership prior to his conversion. This may have been no accident.

• The ancient Greek word "ἥγημαι" ≈ "I counted".
• Verb , perfect indicative mode or passive , 1st person singular.
• Perfect: completed (in the past) and now being related (in the present)
• The ancient Greek word "ἡγοῦμαι" ≈ "I count".
• Verb , present indicative mode or passive , 1st person singular.
• Present: ongoing (in the present)

Before one tries to make deep theological points from the Greek (or perhaps to impress others), it is best to get the root meaning of the word correct in the context in which it is used.

The English word "hegemony" means a domination by way of position or power and comes from the ancient Greek word "ἡγεμονία" ≈ "supremacy or leadership as in a chief command" and which comes from the ancient Greek word "ἡγεμών" ≈ "leader, commander" and which comes from the ancient Greek word "ἡγέομαι" ≈ "go before, lead the way, rule, have dominion". [superman vs. batman]

Paul uses the word that means "go before", "lead the way", etc., but there are hints at the idea of "domination", "rule", etc.

Might Paul by implying that the church leadership, in chapters 1 and 2, is taking a dominating position over the "others"? In chapters 3 and 4, to the "others", Paul is using his own dominating leadership as a bad example.

In places where (active) leadership or leading the way needs to be downplayed, the KJV uses (passive) words such as "esteem", "count", "thought", "supposed", etc. In each case, Greek has better words, not used here, for those other meanings.

Do you see a common meaning for the word as used in the verses?

Paul again counts as "loss" and "suffered the loss" using the Greek word for "damage" that developed from the Greek word for "zeal" as competition with others for the same goal.

After having show the futility of works, Paul will now go to show the importance of faith in Christ.

More: Philippians 3:9-16 Faith in Christ

The ancient Greek word "σκύβαλον" ≈ "excrement, dung". One suggestion of the meaning, from Strongs, is that this word is from the Greek for "thrown to the dogs".

The "dogs" could reference the Cynics, the pearls thrown to the dogs (in Matthew 7), which could mean a "wolf dog" rather than a "sheep dog" as in "bishop", or something else or all or some of these.

In Philippians, Paul puts his "scope" (a word used or alluded to many times) "on" the "bishops" (church leadership), and a word that means "on scope", for preaching not from the truth of Christ.

The use of the ancient Greek word "σκύβαλον" ≈ "excrement, dung" in Philippians 3:8 makes one wonder, tongue-in-cheek, if Paul is performing a colonoscopy on some in the church at Philippi. In context, the use of the word tends to refer to the fact that this is "behind" him. That is, in the past. The play on words as in "thrown to the dogs" may refer to "dogs" such as "wolf dogs" and/or to a group called the "cynics" whose name comes from the "dog porch" where they met.

More: Philippians

The Latin word "stercus" ≈ "dung" and is related to the German word "der Dreck" ≈ "dirt, filth" and the Middle English word "drit" ≈ "excrement" which is the source of the English word "dirt".

And a chapter later.

The ancient Greek word "κόπρος" ≈ "dung, excrement, filth, dirt".

Luke 13:8
Strong	Used	Unique	Word	Part of speech
G3588	19706	2882	ο	article nominative singular masculine
G1161	2777	2755	δε	conjunction
G611	228	96	αποκριθεις	verb aorist passive deponent participle nominative singular masculine
G3004	2236	335	λεγει	verb present active indicative 3rd person singular
G846	5547	849	αυτω	personal pronoun dative singular masculine
G2962	717	118	κυριε	noun vocative singular masculine
G863	142	15	αφες	verb 2nd person aorist active imperative 2nd person singular
G846	5547	139	αυτην	personal pronoun accusative singular feminine
G2532	8954	8954	και	conjunction
G3778	1373	314	τουτο	demonstrative pronoun accusative singular neuter
G3588	19706	1690	το	article accusative singular neuter
G2094	49	2	ετος	noun accusative singular neuter
G2193	145	145	εως	adverb
G3748	145	7	οτου	relative prounoun genative singular neuter attic
G4626	3	1	σκαψω	verb aorist active subjunctive 1st person singular
G4012	333	333	περι	preposition
G846	5547	139	αυτην	personal pronoun accusative singular feminine
G2532	8954	8954	και	conjunction
G906	125	3	βαλω	verb 2nd person aorist active subjunctive 1st person singular
G2874	2	1	κοπρια	noun accusative plural neuter

Luke 14:35
Strong	Used	Unique	Word	Part of speech
G3777	94	94	ουτε	conjunction negative
G1519	1763	1763	εις	preposition
G1093	251	81	γην	noun accusative singular feminine
G3777	94	94	ουτε	conjunction negative
G1519	1763	1763	εις	preposition
G2874	2	1	κοπριαν	noun accusative singular feminine
G2111	3	2	ευθετον	adjective nominative singular neuter
G1510	2435	888	εστιν	verb present active indicative 3rd person singular
G1854	62	62	εξω	adverb
G906	125	4	βαλλουσιν	verb present active indicative 3rd person plural
G846	5547	107	αυτο	personal pronoun accusative singular neuter
G3588	19706	2882	ο	article nominative singular masculine
G2192	702	85	εχων	verb present active participle nominative singular masculine
G3775	36	17	ωτα	noun accusative plural neuter
G191	421	7	ακουετω	verb present active imperative third person singular