Galatians 3:10-14

3:10 For all who ¹  rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.” ²  3:11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. ³  3:12 But the law is not based on faith, ⁴  but the one who does the works of the law ⁵  will live by them. ⁶  3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming ⁷  a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) ⁸  3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, ⁹  so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Galatians 3:19

3:19 Why then was the law given? ¹⁰  It was added ¹¹  because of transgressions, ¹²  until the arrival of the descendant ¹³  to whom the promise had been made. It was administered ¹⁴  through angels by an intermediary. ¹⁵ 

¹ tn Grk “For as many as.”

² tn Grk “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things written in the book of the law, to do them.”

³ tn Or “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (a quotation from Hab 2:4).

⁴ tn Grk “is not from faith.”

⁵ tn Grk “who does these things”; the referent (the works of the law, see 3:5) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn A quotation from Lev 18:5. The phrase the works of the law is an editorial expansion on the Greek text (see previous note); it has been left as normal typeface to indicate it is not part of the OT text.

⁷ tn Grk “having become”; the participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been taken instrumentally.

⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 21:23. By figurative extension the Greek word translated tree (ζύλον, zulon) can also be used to refer to a cross (L&N 6.28), the Roman instrument of execution.

⁹ tn Or “so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “Why then the law?”

¹¹ tc For προσετέθη (proseteqh) several Western mss have ἐτέθη (eteqh, “it was established”; so D* F G it Ir^lat Ambst Spec). The net effect of this reading, in conjunction with the largely Western reading of πράξεων (praxewn) for παραβάσεων (parabasewn), seems to be a very positive assessment of the law. But there are compelling reasons for rejecting this reading: (1) externally, it is provincial and relatively late; (2) internally: (a) transcriptionally, there seems to be a much higher transcriptional probability that a scribe would try to smooth over Paul’s harsh saying here about the law than vice versa; (b) intrinsically: [1] Paul has already argued that the law came after the promise (vv. 15-18), indicating, more than likely, its temporary nature; [2] the verb “was added” in v. 19 (προσετέθη) is different from the verb in v. 15 (ἐπιδιατάσσεται, epidiatassetai); virtually all exegetes recognize this as an intentional linguistic shift on Paul’s part in order not to contradict his statement in v. 15; [3] the temper of 3:1–4:7 is decidedly against a positive statement about the Torah’s role in Heilsgeschichte.

¹² tc παραδόσεων (paradosewn; “traditions, commandments”) is read by D*, while the vast majority of witnesses read παραβάσεων (parabasewn, “transgressions”). D’s reading makes little sense in this context. πράξεων (praxewn, “of deeds”) replaces παραβάσεων in Ì⁴⁶ F G it Ir^lat Ambst Spec. The wording is best taken as going with νόμος (nomo"; “Why then the law of deeds?”), as is evident by the consistent punctuation in the later witnesses. But such an expression is unpauline and superfluous; it was almost certainly added by some early scribe(s) to soften the blow of Paul’s statement.

¹³ tn Grk “the seed.” See the note on the first occurrence of the word “descendant” in 3:16.

¹⁴ tn Or “was ordered.” L&N 31.22 has “was put into effect” here.

¹⁵ tn Many modern translations (NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this word (μεσίτης, mesith"; here and in v. 20) as “mediator,” but this conveys a wrong impression in contemporary English. If this is referring to Moses, he certainly did not “mediate” between God and Israel but was an intermediary on God’s behalf. Moses was not a mediator, for example, who worked for compromise between opposing parties. He instead was God’s representative to his people who enabled them to have a relationship, but entirely on God’s terms.