10:16 “The one who listens 10 to you listens to me, 11 and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects 12 the one who sent me.” 13
1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, 18 whether things on earth or things in heaven.
4:1 Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, 22 is no different from a slave, though he is the owner 23 of everything.
4:8 Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. 24
1 tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
2 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
3 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
4 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
5 tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
6 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
7 tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
8 sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.
9 tn Grk “among you all, this one is great.” The absence of a comparative term here makes the point that comparison should not be done.
10 tn Grk “hears you”; but as the context of vv. 8-9 makes clear, it is response that is the point. In contemporary English, “listen to” is one way to express this function (L&N 31.56).
11 sn Jesus linked himself to the disciples’ message: Responding to the disciples (listens to you) counts as responding to him.
12 tn The double mention of rejection in this clause – ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ (aqetwn aqetei) in the Greek text – keeps up the emphasis of the section.
13 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
14 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
15 tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.
16 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
17 tn Grk “So she ran and came.”
18 tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally important witnesses have it (Ì46 א A C D1 Ψ 048vid 33 Ï). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as original. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In short, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original.
19 tn Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”
20 tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.
21 tn Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.
22 tn Grk “a small child.” The Greek term νήπιος (nhpios) refers to a young child, no longer a helpless infant but probably not more than three or four years old (L&N 9.43). The point in context, though, is that this child is too young to take any responsibility for the management of his assets.
23 tn Grk “master” or “lord” (κύριος, kurios).
24 tn Grk “those that by nature…” with the word “beings” implied. BDAG 1070 s.v. φύσις 2 sees this as referring to pagan worship: “Polytheists worship…beings that are by nature no gods at all Gal 4:8.”