You were so happy! What has happened? is literally “Where is your happiness?” or “… your blessedness?” The question is rhetorical and implies that when Paul was asking the question the Galatians no longer felt the same way they did when he was with them. This is made clear in Good News Translation and other modern translations (Revised Standard Version “what has become of the satisfaction you felt?”; Jerusalem Bible “what has become of this enthusiasm you had?”; New American Bible “what has happened to your openhearted spirit?”).

It is possible to interpret the happiness of the Galatians as related either to Paul’s presence with them (New English Bible “have you forgotten how happy you thought yourselves in having me with you?”) or to his teaching. However, it may be enough to take the question as a general statement describing the condition of the Galatians at that time.

A literal translation of You were so happy! might be interpreted as merely a description of the Galatians’ normal personality, that is, that they were essentially happy people. Obviously, however, Paul is referring to the particular experience which made them happy, for example, “What happened to you made you so happy,” “Because of your experience, you were so happy,” or “As a result of what had happened, you were so happy.” Thus it may be necessary to render What has happened? as “What has happened now?” or even “What has happened to change all this?”

I myself can say that is literally “I bear you witness that,” and what follows is an illustration of the happiness and satisfaction of the readers (Phillips “I guarantee”; Jerusalem Bible “I swear”; New American Bible “I can testify on your behalf”). One may also translate this introductory statement as “I am absolutely sure that,” “there is not the slightest doubt that,” or “I would say to anyone that.”

As already noted, the statement you would have taken out your own eyes, if you could, and given them to me has led some commentators to conclude that Paul’s sickness was connected with poor eyesight. However, in view of the fact that the eye is a symbol of one’s most precious possessions and is considered the most important part of the body (Deut 32.10; Matt 18.9), it is better to interpret this statement in a metaphorical sense and render it as “you would have given me even that which you valued most,” or “you would have sacrificed everything for me, even your very eyes.” One might even render this expression as “you would have done anything for me; why, you would even have taken out your eyes and given them to me if you could,” or “there is nothing you wouldn’t have done for me if you could; you would even have taken out your own eyes and given them to me.”

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 .