The people who have faith (literally, “those from faith”) are those who, like Abraham, believe and trust in God and whose life and character are determined by that faith. In a number of languages one must always indicate the goal of faith, and therefore it may be necessary to say “the people who have faith in God,” or “those who trust God.” It is these people who are the real descendants of Abraham. This is, literally, “sons of Abraham,” but “sons” is not used here in a genealogical sense, but rather as denoting people who show the same characteristics as the one they are compared with. The “sons of Abraham” are those who, like Abraham, rely on faith. The real descendants of Abraham are not those who have descended from him physically, but those who share a spiritual kinship with him.

A literal translation of the real descendants of Abraham might imply the biological offspring of Abraham, the very opposite of what is intended, and so in this context the word real may be misleading. However, it can sometimes be employed in a restructured context, for example, “more really the descendants of Abraham than are his actual offspring.”

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 .