Did Paul Use Profanity in Philippians 3:8?
More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish (skybala), in order that I may gain Christ (NRSVue)
One question that a reader sent in is one that I get pretty often: when the Apostle Paul used the Greek word skybala, was he using profanity? I have seen pastors and even other scholars translate this as “sh*t,” and use this as an example of how it is sometimes okay to use profanity if the situation merits it.