In very strong language Paul now warns the Galatians against the preaching of another version of the good news. But even if we or an angel from heaven would include everyone, and some translations make this explicit (for example New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible). We may refer to Paul and the brothers, mentioned in 1.2, but more probably to Paul alone (see also the discussion of we under Gal. 1.9). There are instances in Paul’s other letters where he has used the plural pronoun to refer to himself (for example Rom 1.5).

The hypothetical condition if we … should preach must be expressed in some languages as a denied condition, for example “if we ever preach, but we will not do so.”

An angel from heaven gives us a clue as to the Jewish nature of the false teaching. Later in this letter Paul speaks of angels in the giving of the Law as a proof that the Jewish Law is less than what the Jews have made of it (see 3.19-20). The Greek word for angel may refer to any messenger, whether human or celestial, but here the emphasis is on the celestial.

The Greek preposition translated different from can be interpreted in this context as expressing either simply difference (compare Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible “at variance with,” New American Bible “not in accord with”) or contrast (for example Revised Standard Version “contrary to,” Moffatt “that contradicts”). A gospel that is different from the one we preached to you may be rendered in some languages as “good news which is not the same as what we preached to you,” “good news which has other meaning from the one we preached to you,” or “… says something different from the good news we preached to you.”

Condemned to hell translates a Greek word which can be transliterated “anathema” and can refer either to a thing or a person under the curse or the wrath of God and therefore set apart for destruction. Some take anathema to mean in this context “excommunication” (New English Bible “he shall be held outcast”); it is more likely, however, that this meaning arose much later. The whole expression is a petition to God that the person referred to may be deprived of God’s favor and be the object instead of his condemnation. Precisely what Paul has in mind is hard to determine, but may he be condemned to hell! captures the intensity of the original phrase. In some languages the phrase may he be condemned to hell! is rendered as “he will surely suffer in hell,” “God will certainly destroy him,” or “I ask God to make him suffer.”

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 .

This verse is apparently an answer to the assertion of Paul’s opponents that his message of being put right with God by faith in Jesus Christ amounts to making Christ a minister of sin, since those who put themselves “outside of the law” (by not obeying its demands) would be regarded by Jews as being “sinners.”

To be put right with God by our union with Christ is literally “to be justified in Christ.” Many interpret the clause to mean that Christ is the active agent of justification (Jerusalem Bible “looking to Christ to justify us”), while others see this to mean that Christ is the means of our justification. A literal translation would, of course, be ambiguous. Good News Translation understands God to be the primary source or causative agent of justification, and therefore the implicit subject of the passive verb, and the phrase “in Christ” to refer to means (as in 2.4), namely, the intimate fellowship between Christ and the Christian. One may also translate this expression as “to get into the right relationship with God because we are joined to Christ,” “… because we have become one with Christ,” or “… by means of our being so closely associated with Christ.” It is rare that one can use in a receptor language a literal rendering of “in Christ.”

Try is literally “seek,” and it should be rendered in such a way that it does not mean simply attempting or striving without any assurance of success, but rather desiring fervently or hoping (Revised Standard Version “endeavor,” Knox “putting our hopes of justification in Christ”).

We are found is a literal translation, but the difficulty with keeping the literal form is that in many cases the agent of a passive verb has to be made explicit. Here, however, the expression is simply equivalent to “to become” (compare New English Bible “turn out to be”). In some languages we are found to be may be rendered as “it happens that we are.”

One of the complications involved in understanding the first part of this verse is the embedding of a clause of attendant circumstances (as we try to be put right with God by our union with Christ) within a conditional clause (if … we are found to be “sinners”). It may be better in some languages to eliminate this embedding of one clause within another. One may translate “We endeavor to be put right with God by our being joined with Christ. But if as we do this we are found to be….”

Sinners could mean either in the ethical sense (wrongdoers, evildoers) or, as in verse 15, a term to designate those who are outside the law. Most probably the latter is meant here, and therefore one may translate the expression as “to be so-called ‘sinners’ as much as the Gentiles are.” It may even be possible in some instances, in order to make the meaning quite clear, to say “to be so-called ‘sinners’ (as far as the Law is concerned) as much as the Gentiles are.”

Does this mean that Christ is serving the cause of sin? is literally “Is Christ therefore a minister of sin?” A “minister of sin” is one who furthers the interests or cause of sin, who promotes and encourages it (Phillips “makes us sinners,” Jerusalem Bible “induced us to sin,” New American Bible “is encouraging sin”; New English Bible “an abettor of sin”).

The whole verse may be understood in the following way: Paul is saying that to be put right with God by faith, Jewish Christians have to abandon the Law. By abandoning the Law, they have become sinners, that is, outside the Law. Can it therefore be deduced from this that they have made Christ a minister of sin? To this, Paul answers: By no means. The expression is emphatic, expressing complete negation of the premise of a question which has just been asked (compare Phillips “of course not”; New American Bible “unthinkable”). In some instances one may translate “that is certainly not true,” or “in fact, the opposite is true.”

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 .

But now to continue is literally “but I say” (Jerusalem Bible “Let me put this another way”), a type of expression which Paul frequently uses to introduce an expansion or explanation of a previous argument (compare 3.17; 5.16; Rom 15.8; 1 Cor 1.12). One may also say “I would also like to say,” or “But I will continue what I was just saying.”

The son who will receive his father’s property translates the one word “heir.” The main problem in retaining this word in translation is the implication that the father is dead. While it can be proved from Roman law that property was transferred to a son only on the death of the father, this understanding cannot be applied here. It would create serious difficulties, particularly with the application of the illustration later in this section, for it would imply that God had died. It is more likely that Paul has in mind a situation where the father, for some reason, establishes a guardianship while he is still alive. In such a case, the word “heir” would simply refer to the son who would eventually receive his father’s property. It is also possible to translate “heir” as “the son who has received what his father has promised to give him,” or “… the property which his father has promised to give him.”

The phrase while he is young involves a Greek word which literally means “infant” or “babe.” It includes components of intellectual and moral immaturity. Many commentators suggest that Paul is using the word here in much the same way as in 1 Corinthians 3.1. However, in view of the context, it is more likely that what Paul has in mind here is the child’s characteristic as a “minor” (as in New English Bible), that is, the child is not old enough to assume legal responsibilities (compare New American Bible “not of age”; Moffatt “under age”). In a number of languages one may use “while he is still a small child.” However, in other instances it is preferable to use a designation which indicates clearly his being literally “before maturity,” expressed in some languages as “before he can act as a man,” “before he sits with the men,” or “before he takes his place among men.”

The phrase is treated just like a slave refers primarily to legal status. The child, being a minor, cannot perform any act except through his legal representatives. However, he differs from a slave in that even though he has no freedom of action, he still owns everything. Potentially, he is the owner of his property, but in actual practice others make decisions for him.

A literal translation of is treated just like a slave, would imply in some languages that the son is ordered about, beaten, and forced to endure privations, even as slaves are generally treated. It may be necessary to say, therefore, “he has no legal rights; he is just like a slave,” or, idiomatically, “he cannot speak in the council of elders; he is just like a slave.”

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 .

Paul accents the importance of what he is going to say by the very way he starts. Listen! is emphatic and invites the readers to pay special attention to what follows (New American Bible “pay close attention to me”; New English Bible “mark my words”). The formula I, Paul is present in some other letters of Paul. It does not at this point indicate that Paul is personally doing the writing; one has to wait until 6.11 to learn that. The meaning here is that he is accenting the fact that this information is coming from him, and is therefore authoritative in two ways: (1) he is an apostle and (2) he knows what he is talking about, since he has gone through the pain and agony of seeking the approval of God through the path of circumcision. His audience is clearly the Galatian Gentile Christians, as indicated by Paul’s use of the plural you and the way he talks about circumcision.

It may be important in some languages to combine Listen! with what immediately follows, for example, “Listen to what I, Paul, am telling you,” or “… what I am going to say to you.” In order to emphasize the force of the command, it may be important in some languages to use an idiomatic expression such as “Listen with both of your ears,” “Listen to nothing else but what I am going to tell you,” or, as in one language, “Take the wax out of your ears.”

The way the conditional sentence is constructed in Greek may suggest that the Galatians have not yet taken the step of being circumcised, but that they are considering it and are at the verge of submitting to it. Good News Translation makes this information explicit: if you allow yourselves to be circumcised (Phillips “if you consent to be circumcised”).

Circumcision, as already noted, was the rite of initiation among the Jews whereby a person was accepted into the Jewish fellowship.

The introduction of the subject of circumcision here seems rather abrupt, as Paul has not discussed it at all in the preceding chapters. He does, however, intimate that it is a problem when he mentions the case of (Titus 2.1-5). The passive expression allow yourselves to be circumcised may be changed into an active one by saying “allow others to circumcise you,” or “permit men to circumcise you.”

Apparently, the false teachers have put forth the claim that for the Galatians to be really Christians, they must first accept the rite of circumcision; in other words, they must become Jews before they can become believers in Christ. That would explain the meaning of Paul’s statement: Christ is of no use to you at all. Submission to circumcision would be to adopt the notion that one can win God’s approval through some legalistic ritual or through doing what the Law requires, and this would constitute a complete denial of the fact that freedom and sonship are God’s gifts through Jesus Christ. Paul’s statement, therefore, could mean that the Galatians make meaningless what Christ has done for them in order that they might receive the gift of sonship from God. Since the term Christ as used here refers essentially to what Christ did rather than to Christ as a person, it may be important to say in some languages “This means that what Christ has done for you is of no value at all.” The same thought may be stated in a rather different fashion in some languages, for example, “This means that you cannot benefit in any way from what Christ did.” In some languages the closest equivalent would be “This means that Christ cannot help you at all.”

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 .

For so then, see the remark on the previous verse.

The expression as often as we have the chance is literally “as we have opportunity.” It can be understood either in the sense of taking every opportunity as it presents itself (New English Bible “as opportunity offers”) or in the sense of taking advantage of the opportunity which is now available (Jerusalem Bible “while we have the chance”). Both of these interpretations are possible, but the second seems to be more appropriate if the time will come of verse 9 is understood in an eschatological sense, that is, as referring to the return of the Lord or the end of the world. In view of the two possible interpretations, one may translate as often as we have the chance as either “as often as we can” or “now that we can.”

Paul exhorts his readers to do good to everyone, whether he belongs to the Christian community or not. But now he adds a specification and lifts it up as a very important obligation of the Christian, as indicated by the word especially, namely, to do good to those who belong to our family in the faith. The family in the faith is, literally, “the household of faith.” The imagery suggests that Christians are like members of one family, the distinguishing aspect of which is their faith in Jesus Christ. The church is thus the “household of God” (Eph 2.19). Our family in the faith may be rendered in some languages as “our fellow believers in Christ,” or “those who along with us also trust Christ and are thus a kind of family.”

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 .

The inclusion of this exclamatory statement is rather typical of Paul (see 1 Thes 2.5; 2 Cor 1.23; 11.31).

What I write can refer either to what immediately precedes or to all that precedes. For the former, see New American Bible “What I have just written,” also Jerusalem Bible; for the latter, see Phillips “All this that I am telling you.”

In order to avoid possible contradiction with the interpretation of 6.11, in which Paul speaks of writing with his own hand, it may be useful in verse 20 to say “what I am telling you.” In this way one can avoid the impression that Paul wrote the entire letter personally rather than dictating it, as it is usually understood that he did.

God knows that I am not lying functions here as an oath (compare Knox “as God sees me,” Moffatt “I swear it before God,” Phillips “I assure you before God”). What Paul is trying to emphasize is the fact that he is telling the truth. The very fact that he can affirm with an oath that he is telling the truth would indicate to his readers that he is indeed not lying. He can risk a curse (implied by the oath) for he knows God knows that he is not lying. An equivalent expression in some languages is “God can tell you that I am telling the truth.”

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 .

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 .

This personal section starts appropriately with I beg you, my brothers. Two things should be noted: (1) in the Greek, this stands at the end of the sentence, thus giving it added emphasis; (2) the verb used occurs only five other times in Paul’s letters, and in four cases it connotes intense longing on Paul’s part. In a number of languages the rendering of I beg you in this type of context may be translated as “I strongly ask you,” “I urge you with pleading,” or, expressed idiomatically in some languages, “I speak to you with my heart exposed.”

The appeal be like me. After all, I am like you is capable of various interpretations (Phillips “I do beg you to follow me here … I am a man like yourselves”; Knox “stand by me: I have taken stand with you”; New English Bible “put yourselves in my place, my brothers, I beg you, for I have put myself in yours”). The whole appeal is connected with Paul’s attitude toward the Law. Most likely he is exhorting the Galatians to imitate him in abandoning the Law as a means of being reconciled to God. In other words, although Paul was a Jew, he has become like the Galatians, that is, as a Gentile, free from the clutches of the Law. That he regarded himself as outside the Law is clear from 1 Corinthians 9.20-21.

It is extremely difficult in some languages to express an obscure meaning such as be like me. One must usually employ a more specific meaning, for example, “behave like I do,” “look like I do,” or “believe as I do.” In other words, imitation is often restricted to specific kinds of activity. If, as seems quite clear, the emphasis here is upon Paul’s specific relation to the Law, it may be necessary in some languages to say “make a break with the Law, even as I have,” “do not be subservient to the Law, even as I am not,” or, perhaps, “as far as the Law is concerned, be like me.”

You have not done me any wrong is capable of various interpretations. Among them are (1) you have not done me any wrong in the past, but now you do; (2) you have not done me any wrong in the past, so don’t start now; (3) it is true, as you have said, that you did me no wrong when I was with you; it is not true, however, that you are not doing me any wrong now; (4) you have not wronged me, it is Christ whom you have wronged; (5) you have not wronged me, it is yourselves whom you have wronged; (6) I have no ground for complaining about your conduct (compare Phillips “I have nothing against you personally”). Of these possible meanings the first and the third seem to fit the context best. Since we do not know the specific circumstances of which Paul speaks, it is impossible to tell precisely what he means by the statement You have not done me any wrong. Again, it is not possible to be obscure in some languages with regard to such a meaning, and it may be necessary to choose one of the possible interpretations. For example, one may say “In the past you did nothing bad to me,” “… you did nothing to cause me harm,” or “… to cause me trouble.”

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 .