Paul expected a negative reaction from the Galatians because of his physical condition, which was a great trial to them. The rendering of physical condition would, of course, be determined by one’s opinion regarding the nature of Paul’s infirmity. My physical condition was a great trial to you may be expressed as cause and effect, for example, “my sickness caused great difficulty for you,” or “because I was sick, you had great difficulty.”
Paul does not spell out how his condition was a trial for the Galatians. Was it the nature of the sickness itself, or was it simply the problems that went along with having to take care of a sick man? Whatever it was, it is clear that Paul’s condition was such that one might have expected the Galatians to reject him and his message. Fortunately, they did not succumb to the temptation of judging Paul or his message by his outward appearance.
Although Paul’s sickness could have led the Galatians to despise or reject him and his message, they did not do so. The two verbs are strong terms. Despise has the meaning of “to regard as good for nothing.” Reject can be literally rendered “to spit out,” and some commentators regard this as a clue to Paul’s sickness, since at that time it was a common practice for one to spit when a person thought to be possessed by an evil spirit passed by. This would imply that Paul had epilepsy or a similar sickness. However, it is better to interpret the term metaphorically as an expression of disgust. There are various ways in which languages may reflect the meaning of such terms as despise and reject. For example, you did not despise … me may be rendered as “you did not look down on me,” “… say I was worthless,” or “… frown upon me.” Similarly, you did not … reject me may be rendered as “you did not throw me out,” “… turn your backs on me,” or “… throw my words back at me.”
The verb for received suggests the idea of welcome more distinctly than other verbs more commonly used by Paul. In some languages you received me is best rendered as “you welcomed me in your homes,” since this is often an expression for general acceptance. However, in other languages it may be more appropriate to say “you were happy with my words,” “you spoke to me with kindness,” or “you heard my words with open hearts.”
The term “angel” can be taken in the sense of God’s messenger. However, in view of Pauline usage, it is more likely that it refers here to a supernatural being. Since an angel is often called “a messenger from heaven,” a phrase such as “an angel of God” (the literal translation) would then be expressed as “God’s messenger which comes from heaven.” In this way one can distinguish between earthly messengers sent by God (for example, the prophets) and those special messengers often spoken of as dwelling in heaven with God.
The idea of the whole clause is not that the Galatians received Paul as a superhuman being or as Jesus Christ himself, as some translations seem to suggest (for example, Jerusalem Bible “you welcomed me as an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself”; also New American Bible), but that they accorded him such respect and honor as they would have accorded an angel of God or even Jesus Christ. In other words, the Galatians could not have received an angel or Jesus Christ more courteously and more honorably. In order to make clear that what is being compared is the manner of reception, it may be useful to translate the final clause of this verse as “you received me in the same way as you would have received Christ Jesus himself,” or “you received me so well; it was the same as if you were receiving Christ Jesus.”
Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .