Good News Translation indicates that this is a genuine letter by beginning with From Paul (see also New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible; Phillips has “I, Paul”). In a number of languages it is necessary to indicate clearly the author of this letter by the first person singular pronoun “I.” Therefore, in some languages the letter may most appropriately begin “I Paul … send greetings to the churches of Galatia.”

Paul introduces himself as an apostle. This term usually refers to one who is sent to proclaim an important message, in this instance Christ’s message. This term has been described as having both an exclusive and inclusive usage. In the exclusive sense it refers to the original twelve disciples of Jesus (compare Luke 6.13), but in an inclusive sense it is applied to others who were engaged in the mission and proclamation of the Good News (compare Acts 14.4; Rom 16.7). In several of his letters Paul uses this term to designate his own ministry (for example, the Corinthian letters), thereby claiming equal status with the original disciples of Jesus.

One of the issues raised by Paul’s opponents is his qualifications and right to be an apostle. Not only are his credentials for this office called into question, but the very message which he has proclaimed and continues to proclaim is challenged. Paul meets the challenge head on. The first thing he does is to claim his right to be an apostle (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “Paul, an apostle, writes this letter”).

His call, he claims, did not come from man or by means of man (literally, “not from men nor through man”). This means that his apostleship is not derived from any human source (“not from men”) or dependent upon any human agency (“nor through man” or by means of man). In the Greek text, Paul switches from the plural “men” when talking about source to the singular “man” when talking about agency; this distinction is retained in some translations (for example New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible). However, many interpreters understand this change to be simply a matter of style, and therefore do not recommend its retention in translation (compare New English Bible “not by human appointment or human commission”; Phillips “appointed and commissioned … not by man”).

Paul’s call to be an apostle is not therefore dependent on human influence of any kind; on the contrary, it is from Jesus Christ and God the Father. The emphasis here is twofold; that is, his call is from Jesus Christ as well as from God. In the latter part of this chapter, he expands on this point (see verses 11-24). The Greek preposition in this phrase can be translated “through” (as in Revised Standard Version); most modern translations, however, understand it as Good News Translation does. Jesus Christ and God are linked to only one preposition, suggesting that for Paul there is no distinction between the calling by Jesus Christ and the calling by God.

Because of the elliptical structure of verse 1 and because of the passive construction, it may be necessary in some languages to restructure this beginning statement rather extensively. For example, in some languages one must say “Jesus Christ and God the Father called me to be an apostle,” or “… appointed me to be an apostle.” A further difficulty may be involved in the expression God the Father, since in some languages the term Father must always occur with some so-called possessive pronoun indicating the relationship of “Father” to someone else. In general, the most satisfactory expression is “God our Father,” and since Paul was here addressing his letter to the Galatians who were presumably believers in God, it would be possible to use “our” in the first person plural inclusive sense for those languages which make a distinction between inclusive and exclusive first person plural.

In translating the verb call, it is important to avoid an expression which would mean “to shout at.” The meaning here is “to summon” or “to appoint” or even, as in some languages, “to give a work to.”

In a number of languages an apostle is “a sent one” or “one given a special commission.” In some languages the term is almost equivalent to “ambassador,” that is, an individual who represents another person by carrying a message.

In some languages it is important to state the positive fact before the negative one, and therefore it may be perfectly appropriate to begin in some such form as “Jesus Christ and God our Father called me to be an apostle,” followed by the negative contrast, for example, “No man appointed me to be an apostle, and no man was sent in order to appoint me as an apostle.” The expression by means of man must refer to secondary agency; that is to say, Jesus Christ and God the Father did not appoint Paul by means of some human intermediary.

Since so much is interspersed between the statement of Paul as the author and his greetings to the churches of Galatia in verse 2, it may be useful to introduce the matter of greetings at two different points, for example, “I, Paul, send greetings to the churches of Galatia. Jesus Christ and God our Father have called me to be an apostle…. All the fellow Christians here join me in sending greetings to you in the churches of Galatia.” Only in this way can one do justice to the fact that the letter does begin with both a form of greeting and some defense of Paul’s position as an apostle. It must be noted, however, that if the greeting is introduced before the matter of Paul’s apostleship is discussed, then the intended emotive impact, which is so basic to the purpose of the letter, may be minimized, if not lost altogether.

The expression who raised him from death is added here without any explanation. It is Paul’s practice, when referring to God, to mention something of what he is and what he has done, usually in terms of what he has done in Christ Jesus. Elsewhere in his letters, God’s act of raising Jesus from death is taken as proof that Jesus is God’s Son (see Rom 1.4). Furthermore, the doctrine of Jesus being raised from death is central to early Christian preaching (see 1 Cor 15.4,12-20).

The clause who raised him from death must be clearly marked as nonrestrictive; that is to say, it does not specify which God it was who raised Jesus from death. In some languages a nonrestrictive meaning must be set off as a separate sentence, for example, “… God our Father. He raised Jesus from death,” “… caused Jesus to live again,” or “… come back to life.”

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’s usual practice is to mention by name those who are with him at the time of writing. Here, however, he mentions no name but only refers to his companions as all the brothers who are here. Brothers usually means “fellow Christians,” although it is very possible that here Paul is referring to his fellow missionaries. There has been a great deal of speculation and guesswork as to who these brothers are. One could wish that Paul had named them so that the writing and reception of the letter could be better defined historically and geographically; but they remain anonymous for a very good reason: it is Paul’s intention to defend himself against the attacks of his opponents without help from anyone.

In a number of languages the brothers must be rendered as “fellow Christians.” If one were to translate brothers literally, the term would have to refer to Paul’s own brothers. If, however, one understands brothers in this context to mean “fellow workers,” it is then possible to translate the term as “all the persons who are working here together with me for the gospel.”

Join me in sending greetings may be rendered in some languages as “are also sending greetings,” or “together with me they are sending greetings.”

The intended recipients of the letter are now identified: the churches of Galatia. Churches, of course, refers to various local congregations in Galatia. As to the location of Galatia, there are two possibilities: Paul may be referring to the geographical area known as Galatia, or to the political province of the same name. Arguments for both positions abound, and any modern commentary on Galatians will give a summary of the arguments. The weight of scholarly opinion tends to favor the latter view, that is, that Paul wrote to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia in Asia Minor, the towns of which he visited during his first and second missionary journeys (see Acts chapters 13, 14, and 16.1-5).

The question of which Galatia is intended is tied up with the problem of the date of this letter. Many scholars hold the opinion that Galatians was the first letter written by Paul, and they assign to it a date as early as the year 47 or 48 A.D. A later date, however, is suggested by the similarity of this letter to letters of Paul which clearly were written at a later date, particularly Romans and the Corinthian correspondence. The similarity tends to show that all these letters were probably written close to each other. If that is the case, the letter to the Galatians may have been written either during Paul’s second missionary journey or before the start of the third. This also makes it possible to equate Paul’s visit to Jerusalem mentioned in Galatians 2 with the visit recorded in Acts 15, when Paul and Barnabas attended the Jerusalem council.

In some languages it is almost a matter of necessity to indicate the nature of Galatia. One must translate “the churches in the province of Galatia,” or “… the region of Galatia,” depending upon one’s interpretation as to which Galatia is intended.

In selecting a term for churches, it is important to avoid an expression which will merely refer to buildings. Paul’s reference here is to groups of believers or “believers who meet together in various places.”

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 .

Verses 3-5 amplify the content of the greeting. Pauline greetings usually start with grace and peace, continue with a description of what God has done in Jesus Christ, and conclude with an expression of praise to God.

In the Greek text the greeting starts with “grace to you and peace” at the beginning of verse 3. Grace is primarily a Christian word, a comprehensive term which describes God’s undeserved love, God’s limitless favor towards man. Peace is essentially a Jewish term, and it connotes total well-being, total health. Some commentators take these two words in their full theological import. While this can be justified, it should be borne in mind that what we have here is a greeting formula which should be considered as a single unit.

The content of verse 3 is essentially a petition or prayer, and in many languages it must be introduced by a corresponding verb of speaking, for example, “I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ may give you grace and peace,” or “I ask God … to give you grace and peace.”

In a number of languages one cannot speak of “giving grace and peace.” One can, however, “show kindness to,” “be very good to,” or even “show undeserved favor to” as an expression of grace. In connection with the term peace, it may be necessary to use a causative, for example, “cause you to have peace,” or “cause you to be well in every respect.” In some other languages an idiomatic expression may be employed, for example, “to cause you to sit down in your hearts.” Such an idiom suggests that one is in such a state of well-being that there is no need for anxiety of any kind.

A comparison between Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version shows a difference which is caused by a textual problem. Basically the question is, does the pronoun our go with Father or with Lord? While the reply does not materially affect the meaning of the passage, we are still interested in ascertaining what Paul really wrote. There is much evidence favoring the text followed by the Revised Standard Version (“God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”), and many translations follow the same reading (for example, New English Bible, Phillips). However, the textual evidence seems to favor the solution followed by Good News Translation, that the our goes with Father rather than with Lord (see also New American Bible).

In place of the appositional construction God our Father, it may be necessary in some languages to use a relative clause, for example, “God who is our Father.”

The name Jesus Christ should normally be treated in this type of context as simply a proper name consisting of two parts. Some translators always want to render Christ as “Messiah.” In this particular context the focus is not upon Christ’s Messiahship, as in some instances in the Synoptic Gospels, but here the term Jesus Christ is used essentially as a proper name.

In a number of languages it is not possible to use a translation of Lord as merely a title in combination with a name such as Jesus Christ. The only satisfactory equivalent may be “Jesus Christ who is our Lord.” However, in some languages one cannot use a possessive pronoun with “Lord,” for one does not possess a person who controls, and “Lord” may be equivalent to “the one who controls us” or “the one who commands us.” Accordingly, the Lord Jesus Christ may be essentially equivalent to “Jesus Christ who commands us.”

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 .

Departing from the usual pattern of the greeting, Paul includes a description of the work of Christ, which is one of the issues which he will later discuss at length. There are three elements in this verse: (1) Christ gave himself for our sins, (2) Christ sets us free from this present evil age, and (3) Christ was obedient to the will of God. The ordering of these varies from one translation to another. Good News Translation has the order 2-1-3, Phillips has 3-1-2, and New English Bible 1-2-3. Usually, the order does not matter as long as the relations between the three elements are made clear. In some languages, however, it is necessary to employ an order of means followed by purpose; that is to say, Christ gave himself for our sins must precede the statement of purpose, in order to set us free from this present evil age.

The first affirmation that Paul makes is that Christ gave himself for our sins. The expression gave himself emphasizes Jesus’ voluntary self-giving; some translations render this as “sacrificed himself” (for example, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible). The preposition translated for is usually used in the New Testament to mean “(to do something) on behalf of, in respect to.” With this in mind, for our sins could mean “to deliver us from our sins.” In a number of languages, however, an expression such as gave himself has little or no meaning. What is meant is that he “gave his life” or “voluntarily died.” In some languages one may simply say “Christ died for our sins,” but in other languages the voluntary aspect must be expressed as a causative, for example, “Christ caused himself to die.”

It is even more difficult in some languages to render appropriately the phrase for our sins. Too often the tendency has been to express for our sins as a reason or cause, for example, “because of our sins,” meaning that “our sins caused Christ to die.” But that is not the meaning of the passage. It is not “because we sinned Christ died,” but rather “Christ died in order to deliver us from sins”; therefore “Christ died on behalf of sins.” However, a literal translation of “on behalf of sins” could suggest that “he died in order to increase sins,” which would be a complete distortion of the meaning of the passage. Therefore it may be more satisfactory to say “Christ gave his life in order to deliver us from our sins,” or “… to free us from our sinning.” It is also possible to interpret this as “… in order to take away the guilt of our sins.”

The purpose of Christ’s giving himself is to set us free from this present evil age. The division between “the present age” and “the age to come” was familiar to every Jew. The present world is described during Paul’s time, and echoed in many of the New Testament writings, as a transitory world, a world ruled by evil forces. The position of the adjective evil in the sentence is emphatic, and the phrase could be restructured thus: “this present age with all of its evils” (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “this world … in which evil rules”).

Paul does not define for us what he means by the phrase to set us free. Is he talking about a future deliverance which will come at the end of the age? Or is he talking about being set free from the power of evil forces? Or yet again, is he using the expression “being set free” as a synonym for being justified, that is, being put right with God? We cannot be absolutely certain, but considering the overall purpose of the letter, which is concentrated on the way of being accepted by God in this present life, the second and third of these alternatives are surely closer to Paul’s thought than the first.

In many languages it is easy enough to speak of “being set free,” but not from the pattern of life suggested by a phrase such as “evil age”; one may be “set free from jail,” but not “set free from an age”! In order to convey the essential meaning of this passage, it may be necessary in some languages to say “to set us free so that we do not have to live like people do in this present evil age.”

Christ did all this in obedience to the will of our God and Father. It is possible to connect this expression with Christ’s giving himself (for example, in Good News Translation, Phillips, Jerusalem Bible), or with his setting us free (as in Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible). Perhaps, however, it is connected with both ideas, that is, it is in obedience to God’s will that Christ gave himself in order to rescue us from the present age. In a number of languages it is best to render in obedience to the will of our God and Father as a separate sentence (as in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). This makes it possible to show the connection between the preceding and what follows in such a form as to include both Christ’s giving himself and his setting us free, for example, “when Christ did that, he was obedient to what our God and Father wanted,” or “in doing that, Christ obeyed what our God and Father desired.”

In a number of languages there is a serious problem involved in the phrase our God and Father. If one combines the two nouns with a conjunction such as “and,” the suggestion may be that two persons are involved, one God and the other Father. It may therefore be necessary to translate our God and Father as “our God who is our Father,” or “our God; he is our Father.”

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 .

In the Greek, this verse is still part of the one sentence beginning with verse 1. To God is literally “to whom,” but it is clear that the pronoun refers to God. Glory is a word with many meanings, but here it probably is used in the sense of “praise,” and the whole expression may be equivalent to “May God be praised forever and ever.” The word Amen is usually used to end a prayer, and is equivalent to saying “May it be so,” or “May it come true.”

In a number of languages the closest equivalent to the expression To God be the glory forever and ever! is “Let us praise God forever and ever!”, “God deserves praise…!”, or “People should praise God…!” The expression forever and ever may, of course, be rendered as “always” or “without ever stopping.” A number of languages use a transliteration of the term Amen, but such a transliteration is often misleading in this type of context, since it is generally used at the end of prayers. In this type of context it is usually more appropriate to say “That is the way it should be,” “Yes, indeed,” or “That is usually true” (referring, of course, to their praise to God).

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 verb translated surprised includes an element of intense unbelief. I am surprised at you is therefore very close to the English expression “I can’t believe this of you at all!” In some languages it is difficult to express mere surprise about a person. The more usual equivalent would be “surprise about what a person has done.” Therefore, I am surprised at you may be rendered as “I am surprised at what you have done.” In other languages “what you have done” constitutes the cause for surprise, and therefore the first sentence of this verse may be rendered as “What you have done causes me to be surprised,” “… astonishes me,” or “… makes me wonder so that I can scarcely believe it.”

Paul’s surprise stems from the fact that in no time at all the Galatians are deserting the one who called them. In no time at all translates an expression which may refer to (1) the pace of their desertion after it has begun; (2) the short time between their conversion and their desertion, or (3) the short time between Paul’s last visit to them and the writing of this letter. While all three interpretations are possible grammatically, most commentators favor the second of these alternatives.

In no time at all may be rendered in a number of languages as “in such a short time” or “so soon now.” In some languages, however, it is almost necessary to indicate more precisely the length of time involved, presumably the time between the conversion of the Galatian believers and the desertion of their faith in the grace of Christ. If one must choose between expressions which would involve a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or a few years, it is probably best to employ the one which would mean “within a few months you are deserting.”

The word deserting carries with it the idea of changing one’s mind, of a willful forsaking of one’s former loyalty and adoption of another. Paul’s use of the present tense suggests that the process of desertion is still going on, and that it is not yet complete, and therefore it is still possible to check it. In some languages the term deserting may be rendered as “abandoning,” “leaving to the side,” or even “going off and forgetting.”

The object of the desertion is not some doctrine or teaching, but the one who called you, referring not to Paul but to God himself (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “God has called you”). Because it is so easy to understand the phrase the one who called you as a reference to Paul, it may be essential in some languages to say “you are deserting God, who called you.”

As the footnote indicates, there is a textual problem involving the phrase by the grace of Christ. In the Greek text there are actually four possible readings: (1) “by grace,” (2) “by the grace of Christ,” (3) “by the grace of Jesus Christ,” and (4) “by the grace of God.” The first of these alternatives is probably the original reading of the phrase, and at least one modern translation (New English Bible) follows it, but most translations follow the second alternative. They follow it, however, primarily for translational reasons, so as to indicate clearly that in this context grace is a reference to God’s grace, which comes by means of Jesus Christ.

The expression “by grace” could itself refer either to the purpose of the calling (for example, “who called you to be in a state of grace”) or to the instrument through which the calling was accomplished, that is “by grace.” While both interpretations are possible, most commentators and translators prefer the second. The whole emphasis of the letter is that the Good News is made possible by the free gift of God through Jesus Christ (which is what grace really is) in contrast with obedience to the Jewish Law. The phrase by the grace of Christ expresses the means by which God had called the believers. This may be expressed in some languages as “by means of Christ being so good to you,” “by means of Christ showing you such favor,” or “by means of Christ’s great kindness to you.” If, however, one follows the fourth alternative form of the text, then “God” becomes the active agent of the grace.

The desertion is further explained in the conclusion of the verse: the Galatians are accepting another gospel. The word gospel is the term used to describe the Good News of what God has done in Jesus Christ on behalf of all men. When Paul talks of another gospel, however, he is not talking of this Good News; he is talking about a different message which claims to be the Good News, but really is not (compare Jerusalem Bible “a different version of the Good News” seems to capture accurately Paul’s intention). It may be extremely difficult in some languages to speak of another gospel particularly if the term gospel is rendered as “good news.” Under such circumstances it would seem to mean something like “more good news,” which obviously is not what is intended in this verse. The closest equivalent may be “another message which is said to be good news,” “… claims to be good news,” or “… is spoken of as good news.”

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 .

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 .

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 .