Paragraph 1:15–17
In this paragraph, Paul again wrote that he received the gospel from God and not from men. When God revealed Jesus to him, he did not go to Jerusalem to learn the gospel from the apostles.
In Greek, 1:15–17 is a long, complex sentence. Before you translate this complex sentence, it is important to understand its structure.
This long sentence begins with a time clause:
15a But when God …15c was pleased 16a to reveal his Son to me
In the middle of this time clause (after the phrase “But when God”) are two clauses that describe God. (These two clauses are relative clauses):
…who set me apart from my mother’s womb and who called me by his grace…
The main clauses are in 1:16c–17c:
16c I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood 17a nor did I go up to Jerusalem …17b but I went into Arabia 17c and later returned to Damascus.
In many languages it will be necessary to divide this long Greek sentence into several shorter sentences. It may also be necessary to change the order of some of the clauses in this long sentence. Examples are given in the notes below.
1:15
In Greek, 1:15 begins with the clause “But when God was pleased/decided.” This is a time clause. Many English versions put parts of this time clause later in 1:15. Some versions even put this time clause in 1:16.
The King James Version shows the literal Greek order. You should compare the Greek/King James Version order with the other options below. Then decide how to structure this verse and where the most natural place is in your language for the parts of this time clause. Some examples are:
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me (King James Version)
-or-
15a–b But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. 15c And when he decided 16 to reveal his Son to me… (Good News Translation)
-or-
15a But when he who had set me apart before I was born, 15b and who called me by his grace, 15c was pleased 16a to reveal his Son to me (English Standard Version)
1:15a
But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what Paul formerly was (1:13–14) and what Paul became (1:15–24). Most English versions indicate this contrast with the conjunction But.
Some other ways to begin this verse are:
Nevertheless
-or-
But in spite of that
-or-
But then something happened! (New Living Translation (1996))
who set me apart from my mother’s womb: This clause is a relative clause. It describes something that God did.
Be careful to translate this clause in a way that does not imply that there is another God, a God who did not set Paul apart. In some languages, it will be natural to translate this clause as a complete sentence. For example:
God set me apart from birth.
-or-
Even before I was born, God chose me.
set me apart: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set me apart means “appointed me” or “chose/selected me.” For example:
appointed me (God’s Word)
-or-
chose me (New Living Translation (2004))
In some languages, it may be necessary to state what God had chosen Paul to do. For example:
chose me to do his work
from my mother’s womb: The Berean Standard Bible translates this Greek phrase literally.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
while I was in my mother’s womb
-or-
before I was born (English Standard Version)
-or-
from birth (New International Version)
1:15b
and called me by His grace: This is another relative clause. It also describes something that God did. As in 1:15a, be careful to translate this clause in a way that does not imply that there is another God, a God who did not call Paul. In some languages, it will be natural to translate this clause as a separate sentence. For example:
He called me through his grace (New Century Version)
called: The verb called means “invited” or “chose someone for a special purpose.” In this case, God called Paul to be his servant/apostle.
Some other ways to translate this verb are:
He called me ?to serve him? .
-or-
He invited me ?to be his servant/apostle? .
Paul did not mean “call” in the sense of “shouted” or “yelled.”
by His grace: The word grace means “showing kindness, generosity, or favor to someone who does not deserve it.”
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
by/through his kindness/favor
-or-
because of his kindness
-or-
He was kind/good to me
See also grace, Meaning 2 in the Glossary.
1:15c
Notice that some English versions are like the Berean Standard Bible and place “was pleased” at the end of 1:15. Other versions place this phrase at the beginning of 1:16. You should do what the major language version in your area does.
was pleased: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was pleased basically means “took pleasure in” or “considered something to be good.” It can have the additional meaning of “was pleased with something and so decided to do it.” God wants and likes to reveal Jesus to human beings, and here he decided to do reveal Jesus to Paul.
Some other ways to translate this verb are:
Then it pleased him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
when God was delighted
-or-
when God considered it good
-or-
when he decided (Good News Translation)
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