Galatians 3:7-12

3:7 so then, understand ¹  that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. ²  3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, ³  saying, “All the nations ⁴  will be blessed in you.” ⁵  3:9 So then those who believe ⁶  are blessed along with Abraham the believer. 3:10 For all who ⁷  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.” ⁸  3:11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. ⁹  3:12 But the law is not based on faith, ¹⁰  but the one who does the works of the law ¹¹  will live by them. ¹² 

[3:7]  ¹ tn Grk “know.”

[3:7]  ² tn The phrase “sons of Abraham” is used here in a figurative sense to describe people who are connected to a personality, Abraham, by close nonmaterial ties. It is this personality that has defined the relationship and its characteristics (BDAG 1024-25 s.v. υἱός 2.c.α).

[3:8]  ³ tn For the Greek verb προευαγγελίζομαι (proeuangelizomai) translated as “proclaim the gospel ahead of time,” compare L&N 33.216.

[3:8]  ⁴ tn The same plural Greek word, τὰ ἔθνη (ta eqnh), can be translated as “nations” or “Gentiles.”

[3:8]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 12:3; 18:18.

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Grk “those who are by faith,” with the Greek expression “by faith” (ἐκ πίστεως, ek pistew") the same as the expression in v. 8.

[3:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “For as many as.”

[3:10]  ⁸ tn Grk “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all the things written in the book of the law, to do them.”

[3:11]  ⁹ tn Or “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (a quotation from Hab 2:4).

[3:12]  ¹¹ tn Grk “is not from faith.”

[3:12]  ¹² tn Grk “who does these things”; the referent (the works of the law, see 3:5) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:12]  ¹³ 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.