Paragraph 5:11–12

In this paragraph, Paul concluded his discussion about circumcision. He made it clear that he was not preaching that people should be circumcised to be made right with God. He strongly condemned the false teachers who did teach this.

5:11a–b

if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?: This is a rhetorical question. Paul used this rhetorical question to prove that he did not preach that a person needs to be circumcised.

The word if introduces a statement that is not true. If Paul were still preaching circumcision, then he would not be persecuted. But since he was being persecuted, the Galatians should know that he did not preach circumcision.

It appears that the false teachers had accused Paul of being inconsistent. They perhaps said that in some circumstances he still taught circumcision.

Some ways to translate this proof are:

• As a rhetorical question. In this rhetorical question, it may be necessary to make it clearer that Paul does not preach circumcision. For example:

if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? (New Living Translation (2004))

• As statement followed by a rhetorical question. For example

I do not teach that a man must be circumcised. If I teach circumcision, why am I still being attacked? (New Century Version)
-or-
Some people say that I am still preaching ?that it is necessary to be? circumcised. But if that were true, why am I still being persecuted?

• As statement followed by a tag question. For example:

if I still preached that circumcision is necessary, I would not still be persecuted, would I?

• As a statement. For example:

if I still preached circumcision, then I would not still be persecuted.
-or-
if I were continuing to preach that people must be circumcised, then I would not be persecuted. ?However, I am still being persecuted. So you can be sure I am not preaching circumcision? .

Use whichever form is natural in your language for Paul to prove that he did not preach circumcision.

5:11a

brothers: As in 1:11a, the word brothers refers to “spiritual brothers.” They were Paul’s “fellow believers.” The word includes both men and women. It does not refer to Paul’s biological brothers.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

brothers and sisters (NET Bible)
-or-
fellow believers
-or-
my friends (New Revised Standard Version)

In some languages, it will be natural to put this word first in the verse. See the Display for an example.

if I am: In 5:11, Paul switched from talking about the false teachers to talking about himself. He used the emphatic form of the pronoun I in Greek to focus on his actions.

Some other ways to begin this verse are:

But as for me…, if I (Good News Translation)
-or-
As for me, if I
-or-
if I myself

preaching circumcision: The clause preaching circumcision means “announcing or proclaiming that a person must be circumcised in order for God to accept him.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

preach that circumcision is necessary (Good News Translation)
-or-
preach that people need to be circumcised (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
preach ?that a person must be? circumcised ?to be made right with God?

5:11b

why am I still being persecuted: The verb being persecuted means “made to suffer because of one’s religious beliefs.” This verb first occurred in 1:13b.

This verb is passive. Some ways to translate it are:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

why am I still being made to suffer
-or-
how is it that I am still persecuted

• Use an active verb. For example:

why are ?the Jews? persecuting me

5:11c

In that case: The phrase In that case is the translation of one Greek conjunction. This conjunction introduces what would happen if it were true that Paul still preached circumcision.

Some other ways to connect 5:11c to the rest of the verse are:

In such a case
-or-
If that were true (Good News Translation)
-or-
If I still taught circumcision (New Century Version)

the offense of the cross has been abolished: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as offense is often translated “stumbling block” (as in the Revised Standard Version) or “stumbling stone.” It is a figure of speech that refers to something that causes opposition, disapproval, anger, or revulsion. The message of the cross does that.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the cross wouldn’t be offensive anymore (God’s Word)
-or-
no one would be offended that ?I preach about Christ’s death on? the cross
-or-
my preaching about the cross would not be a problem (New Century Version)

cross: Here the word cross is a figure of speech called a metonymy. The cross represents the gospel message. This message teaches that the only thing that a person needs to do to be saved is to believe that Christ died on the cross for his sins. The true gospel does not include circumcision.

Some ways to translate cross are:

Christ’s death on the cross
-or-
the message of Christ’s death
-or-
salvation through the cross of Christ alone
-or-
the gospel of Christ’s death on the cross for salvation

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.