Translation commentary on Galatians 1:7

In the previous verse, Paul has just labeled the false teaching as another version of the gospel. Here he is quick to deny that it can even be called that, as he affirms that there is no “other gospel.” Literally rendered, this expression is “which is not another” or “not that it is another” (New English Bible follows the second of these). The apostasy which is affecting the Galatians is simply not another gospel which can be substituted for the gospel which Paul has proclaimed to them. In denying the possibility of “another gospel,” one may say in some languages “but there is no other message which is good news,” “but what is called good news is really not good news,” or “but this other good news really isn’t good news.”

But I say this because renders the Greek word often translated “except,” but in this case it introduces a special factor which needs to be considered, perhaps best introduced by “but I say this only because.” Paul is not through minimizing the fact that he described the false teaching as another gospel. The reason for Paul’s previous statement is that there are some people who were really at work among the Galatians upsetting them and trying to change the gospel of Christ. This is the first mention of those who are preaching the “other gospel” among the Galatians. The verb for upsetting is in the present tense, indicating perhaps that these people are still in Galatia. The verb itself can mean “to disturb mentally, with excitement, perplexity, or fear” (Revised Standard Version “trouble,” New English Bible “unsettle your minds,” New American Bible “confuse”).

Trying to change the gospel of Christ is literally “want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” This indicates that the Galatians have not yet fully succumbed to the influence of the Judaising missionaries. The Greek word for to change is in itself neutral, and simply means to change from one thing into another, or from one state to another, or to an opposite state, but in this context it means to change for the worse (Revised Standard Version “to pervert,” New English Bible “to distort”).

The gospel of Christ is not the gospel belonging to Christ, but the Good News about Christ, hence the Good News with Christ as the content.

There is a serious but subtle problem involved in rendering to change the gospel of Christ since, in fact, to alter the Good News about Christ would be to make it no longer Good News. Therefore, in some languages it may be necessary to say “to take away the good news about Christ and to put in lies,” or “to substitute false words for true words in the good news about Christ.”

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 .

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