Galatians 2:4-5

2:4 Now this matter arose ¹  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ²  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ³  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁴  2:5 But ⁵  we did not surrender to them ⁶  even for a moment, ⁷  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ⁸ 

Galatians 2:12-16

2:12 Until ⁹  certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this ¹⁰  and separated himself ¹¹  because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. ¹²  2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them ¹³  by their hypocrisy. 2:14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ¹⁴  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ¹⁵  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Jews and Gentiles are Justified by Faith

2:15 We are Jews by birth ¹⁶  and not Gentile sinners, ¹⁷  2:16 yet we know ¹⁸  that no one ¹⁹  is justified by the works of the law ²⁰  but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. ²¹  And ²²  we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ ²³  and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one ²⁴  will be justified.

Galatians 2:21

2:21 I do not set aside ²⁵  God’s grace, because if righteousness ²⁶  could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing! ²⁷ 

¹ tn No subject and verb are expressed in vv. 4-5, but the phrase “Now this matter arose,” implied from v. 3, was supplied to make a complete English sentence.

² tn The adjective παρεισάκτους (pareisaktou"), which relates to someone joining a group with false motives or false pretenses, applies to the “false brothers.” Although the expression “false brothers with false pretenses” is somewhat redundant, it captures the emphatic force of Paul’s expression, which labels both these “brothers” as false (ψευδαδέλφους, yeudadelfou") as well as their motives. See L&N 34.29 for more information.

³ tn The verb translated here as “spy on” (κατασκοπέω, kataskopew) can have a neutral nuance, but here the connotation is certainly negative (so F. F. Bruce, Galatians [NIGTC], 112-13, and E. Burton, Galatians [ICC], 83).

⁴ tn Grk “in order that they might enslave us.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause with the subjunctive verb καταδουλώσουσιν (katadoulwsousin) has been translated as an English infinitival clause.

⁵ tn Grk “slaves, nor did we…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, οὐδέ (oude) was translated as “But…even” and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 5.

⁶ tn Or “we did not cave in to their demands.”

⁷ tn Grk “even for an hour” (an idiom for a very short period of time).

⁸ sn In order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. Paul evidently viewed the demands of the so-called “false brothers” as a departure from the truth contained in the gospel he preached. This was a very serious charge (see Gal 1:8).

⁹ tn The conjunction γάρ has not been translated here.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he drew back.” If ἑαυτόν (Jeauton) goes with both ὑπέστελλεν (Jupestellen) and ἀφώριζεν (afwrizen) rather than only the latter, the meaning would be “he drew himself back” (see BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 1.a).

¹¹ tn Or “and held himself aloof.”

¹² tn Grk “the [ones] of the circumcision,” that is, the group of Jewish Christians who insisted on circumcision of Gentiles before they could become Christians.

¹³ tn The words “with them” are a reflection of the σύν- (sun-) prefix on the verb συναπήχθη (sunaphcqh; see L&N 31.76).

¹⁴ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

¹⁵ tn Here ἀναγκάζεις (anankazei") has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).

¹⁶ tn Grk “by nature.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “yet knowing”; the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹⁹ tn Grk “no man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

²⁰ sn The law is a reference to the law of Moses.

²¹ tn Or “faith in Jesus Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 20; Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

²² tn In Greek this is a continuation of the preceding sentence, but the construction is too long and complex for contemporary English style, so a new sentence was started here in the translation.

²³ tn Or “by faith in Christ.” See comment above on “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”

²⁴ tn Or “no human being”; Grk “flesh.”

²⁵ tn Or “I do not declare invalid,” “I do not nullify.”

²⁶ tn Or “justification.”

²⁷ tn Or “without cause,” “for no purpose.”