Galatians 3:1-4

Justification by Law or by Faith?

3:1 You ¹  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ²  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ³  as crucified! 3:2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law ⁴  or by believing what you heard? ⁵  3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ⁶  with ⁷  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ⁸  by human effort? ⁹  3:4 Have you suffered so many things for nothing? – if indeed it was for nothing.

Galatians 3:1

Justification by Law or by Faith?

3:1 You ¹⁰  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ¹¹  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ¹²  as crucified!

Galatians 1:17-18

1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem ¹³  to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, ¹⁴  and then returned to Damascus.

1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem ¹⁵  to visit Cephas ¹⁶  and get information from him, ¹⁷  and I stayed with him fifteen days.

Galatians 1:20

1:20 I assure you ¹⁸  that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you! ¹⁹ 

Galatians 1:8

1:8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach ²⁰  a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, ²¹  let him be condemned to hell! ²² 

Galatians 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ²³  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead) 1:2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

Galatians 1:20-22

1:20 I assure you ²⁴  that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you! ²⁵  1:21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 1:22 But I was personally ²⁶  unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

Galatians 1:16

1:16 to reveal his Son in ²⁷  me so that I could preach him ²⁸  among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from ²⁹  any human being, ³⁰ 

Psalms 141:5

141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!

May my head not refuse ³¹  choice oil! ³² 

Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. ³³ 

Proverbs 9:8

9:8 Do not reprove ³⁴  a mocker or ³⁵  he will hate you;

reprove a wise person and he will love you.

John 7:7

7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

John 8:45

8:45 But because I am telling you ³⁶  the truth, you do not believe me.

[3:1]  ¹ tn Grk “O” (an interjection used both in address and emotion). In context the following section is highly charged emotionally.

[3:1]  ² tn Or “deceived”; the verb βασκαίνω (baskainw) can be understood literally here in the sense of bewitching by black magic, but could also be understood figuratively to refer to an act of deception (see L&N 53.98 and 88.159).

[3:1]  ³ tn Or “publicly placarded,” “set forth in a public proclamation” (BDAG 867 s.v. προγράφω 2).

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “by [the] works of [the] law,” a reference to observing the Mosaic law.

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “by [the] hearing of faith.”

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “Having begun”; the participle ἐναρξάμενοι (enarxamenoi) has been translated concessively.

[3:3]  ⁷ tn Or “by the Spirit.”

[3:3]  ⁸ tn The verb ἐπιτελεῖσθε (epiteleisqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534). This is something the Galatians were attempting to do, but could not accomplish successfully.

[3:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “in/by [the] flesh.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “O” (an interjection used both in address and emotion). In context the following section is highly charged emotionally.

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “deceived”; the verb βασκαίνω (baskainw) can be understood literally here in the sense of bewitching by black magic, but could also be understood figuratively to refer to an act of deception (see L&N 53.98 and 88.159).

[3:1]  ¹² tn Or “publicly placarded,” “set forth in a public proclamation” (BDAG 867 s.v. προγράφω 2).

[1:17]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:17]  ¹⁴ sn As a geographical region Arabia included the territory west of Mesopotamia, east and south of Syria and Palestine, extending to the isthmus of Suez. During the Roman occupation, some independent kingdoms arose like that of the Nabateans south of Damascus, and these could be called simply Arabia. In light of the proximity to Damascus, this may well be the territory Paul says he visited here. See also C. W. Briggs, “The Apostle Paul in Arabia,” Biblical World 41 (1913): 255-59.

[1:18]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:18]  ¹⁶ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

[1:18]  ¹⁷ tn Although often translated “to get acquainted with Cephas,” this could give the impression of merely a social call. L&N 34.52 has “to visit, with the purpose of obtaining information” for the meaning of ἱστορέω (Jistorew), particularly in this verse.

[1:20]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:20]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “What things I am writing to you, behold, before God [that] I am not lying.”

[1:8]  ²⁰ tc ‡ Most witnesses have ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”) either after (א² A [D* ὑμᾶς] 6 33 326 614 945 1881 Ï Tert^pt Ambst) or before (Ì^51vid B H 0278 630 1175 [1739* ἡμῖν]) εὐαγγελίζηται (euaggelizhtai, “should preach” [or some variation on the form of this verb]). But the fact that it floats suggests its inauthenticity, especially since it appears to be a motivated reading for purposes of clarification. The following witnesses lack the pronoun: א* F G Ψ ar b g Cyp Mcion^T Tert^pt Lcf. The external evidence admittedly is not as weighty as evidence for the pronoun, but coupled with strong internal evidence the shorter reading should be considered original. Although it is possible that scribes may have deleted the pronoun to make Paul’s statement seem more universal, the fact that the pronoun floats suggests otherwise. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[1:8]  ²¹ tn Or “other than the one we preached to you.”

[1:8]  ²² tn Grk “let him be accursed” (ἀνάθεμα, anaqema). The translation gives the outcome which is implied by this dreadful curse.

[1:1]  ²³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:20]  ²⁴ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:20]  ²⁵ tn Grk “What things I am writing to you, behold, before God [that] I am not lying.”

[1:22]  ²⁶ tn Or “by sight”; Grk “by face.”

[1:16]  ²⁷ tn Or “to me”; the Greek preposition ἐν (en) can mean either, depending on the context.

[1:16]  ²⁸ tn This pronoun refers to “his Son,” mentioned earlier in the verse.

[1:16]  ²⁹ tn Or “I did not consult with.” For the translation “I did not go to ask advice from” see L&N 33.175.

[1:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “from flesh and blood.”

[141:5]  ³¹ tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.

[141:5]  ³² sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.

[141:5]  ³³ tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.

[9:8]  ³⁴ tn In view of the expected response for reproof, the text now uses a negated jussive to advise against the attempt. This is paralleled antithetically by the imperative in the second colon. This imperative is in an understood conditional clause: “if you reprove a wise person.”

[9:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “lest he hate you.” The particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 79, §476). The antonyms “love” and “hate” suggest that the latter means “reject” and the former means “choosing and embracing.”

[8:45]  ³⁶ tn Or “because I tell you.”