1:16a

to reveal His Son in me: This clause means that God showed Paul that Jesus was his/God’s son.

The verb reveal does not just mean that Paul saw Jesus with his eyes. It means that God caused Paul to understand who Jesus really was. This happened on the road to Damascus.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

to show me his Son (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
to cause me to know his Son
-or-
to make me to understand who his Son really is

His Son: The phrase His Son refers to God’s Son, Jesus. “The Son of God” or “God’s Son” is a title that was often used to refer to a savior who would be a descendant of King David. God would send this savior to rescue his people. This person was often referred to as the “Messiah” or “Christ.”

The title “the Son of God” also indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. The relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some way to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. The Son of God existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In areas where people do not understand the title “the Son of God” in this way, you may want to include a footnote that explains the correct meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:

This title refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It does not mean that God the Father had a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus in a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit of God.

In some languages, it is natural to speak of a son as a “child,” without specifying male or female. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general term, such as:

his Child

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a phrase such as “his male child,” be sure that it does not imply that God had another child who was female.

1:16b

so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles: This clause tells God’s purpose in revealing Jesus to Paul. God showed Jesus to Paul so that Paul would tell the good news about him to the Gentiles.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

so that I would announce his message to the Gentiles (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
so that I might tell the Good News about him to those who are not Jewish (New Century Version)
-or-
so that I would tell people who are not Jewish that his Son is the Good News (God’s Word)

Gentiles: The word Gentiles refers to all people who were not Jews. This is the first time that this word occurs in Galatians.

Some ways to translate this word are:

the people who are not Jews
-or-
non-Jews

See Gentiles, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

1:16c–17

The main clause of 1:15–17 begins in 1:16c. This clause first states what Paul did not do, and then it states what he did do immediately after God revealed Jesus to him. This is the main clause:

…16c I did not immediately consult with anyone 17a nor did I go up to Jerusalem …17b but I went into Arabia…

Paul’s main point is that he did not receive the gospel from people. Your translation should make this main point clear. In some languages, this will be clearer if you first translate what Paul did. For example:

17b I immediately went into Arabia 16c without consulting any man 17a or going up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me. 17c Later I returned to Damascus.

1:16c

I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood: This clause means that Paul “did not ask for information from someone” or “did not ask for instruction from someone.” Paul did not go to anyone to ask them to tell him or teach him or give him advice about the good news.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

I did not go to anyone for advice (Good News Translation)
-or-
I did not ask anyone to teach me about the gospel
-or-
When all this happened to me, I did not rush out to consult with anyone else (New Living Translation (1996))

rush: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rush relates to all three clauses in 1:16c, 1:17a, and 1:17b. In the first two clauses Paul told us what he did not do. In the third clause, he told us what he did do. In some languages, it may be more natural to place the word rush in the third clause (the one that tells us what Paul did do). For example:

but right away I departed to Arabia (NET Bible)

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