Fourteen years later. Again, Paul leaves us guessing as to the beginning of what he mentions as a specific period of time. Do the fourteen years date from his conversion or from his last visit to Jerusalem? Either interpretation is possible, but most commentators favor the latter. The emphasis here is on how long Paul stayed away from the other apostles. In many languages it is obligatory to indicate the reference point for a temporal phrase such as fourteen years later. In this instance one is perhaps best advised to employ an expression such as “fourteen years after I had visited Jerusalem,” “… after my earlier visit to Jerusalem,” “… after Jesus revealed himself to me,” or “… after I became a believer,” depending upon which interpretation is followed.

With Barnabas is to be understood as Barnabas accompanying Paul rather than vice versa. Barnabas is mentioned as Paul’s companion in his first missionary journey (Acts 13.1-3) and as accompanying him to Jerusalem on the occasion of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15.2 ff.). In order to indicate the proper relationship between Paul and Barnabas, it may be best to say “I went along with Barnabas.”

Titus was a Greek, that is, a non-Jew. He played an important role in the correspondence between Paul and the church at Corinth. (See 2 Cor 2.13; 7.6; and other places. Some persons have thought that “Silas” in the book of Acts is another name for Titus.) In translating taking Titus along with me, it is important to avoid an expression for taking which would suggest “lead” (as one would lead a small child). An equivalent of this expression in some languages is “I had Titus go along with me.” However, since Barnabas has already been mentioned as accompanying Paul, it may be necessary to say “… along with us,” in order to indicate clearly that three persons were involved.

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 .