Those who depend on obeying the Law is literally “as many as are out of works of law” (Revised Standard Version “who rely on works of the law”). Although law can mean any law, since the Greek speaks of “law” and not of “the Law,” most translators and commentators take “law” here to refer to the Jewish Law, since it was the Jewish Law whose role as an instrument in putting man in a right relationship with God is now in question. It is this same Jewish Law that the Galatians are being urged by the false teachers to accept.

“Works of law” means here, as it does in 3.2, “doing what the law requires.” The whole expression, then, “as many as are out of works of law” means those who depend on obeying the Law as the means by which they may be put in right relationship with God, or those who seek to please God by following specific regulations in the Law.

The expression those who depend on obeying the Law involves considerable semantic ellipsis, since the purpose of the dependence has been omitted; in other words, these are people who depend on obeying the Law in order to be put right with God. Furthermore, in a number of languages it makes very little sense to say depend on obeying the Law unless one indicates the purpose for such an action. Therefore, it may be necessary to translate this initial clause as “those who think they will be received by God because they obey what the laws say,” or “those who think they will get right with God because they obey what the laws say they must do.”

Curse is in this verse contrasted with “blessing” in verses 8 and 9. A curse is a wish or a prayer for evil to befall someone. In treaties and contracts, the curse was directed at any party who in the future might dare to violate the provisions agreed upon. In verse 10, the curse is defined more fully in the quotation which follows. Therefore, while it is possible to say “under a curse from God” or “under the curse of God,” it is better in the present case to retain the original form “under a curse,” so that it can clearly be seen as a reference to the quotation which follows.

The phrase live under a curse may be extremely difficult to render in such a way as really to communicate the meaning of the Greek text. In many languages a literal translation of this expression would mean “to continue living after someone has already cursed you.” This, of course, is not the meaning. It is rather the threat of condemnation which continues for any person who thinks that he can become right with God by obeying the Law. Therefore, one may translate live under a curse as “continue under threat of being condemned,” or “live all the time knowing that God will condemn them.”

In some languages it may be perfectly appropriate to use a technical term for curse, but in other languages this would not be advisable since a “curse” is regarded only as an instrument of evil, and anyone putting a curse on another would be doing something entirely wrong. Such an interpretation would, of course, not be satisfactory for the scripture quotation which speaks of God’s curse.

The quotation “whoever does not…” is from Deuteronomy 27.26 and follows the Septuagint, with some variations.

The implied premise of the whole verse is twofold: (1) that in order for one to gain God’s approval through the Law, he must obey everything that is provided therein; and (2) that no one can follow everything that is written in the book of the Law. Since, therefore, anyone who does not follow everything in the Law is under God’s curse, and no one is able to follow everything in the Law, then everyone who depends on obeying the Law lives under a curse.

The phrase for the scripture says must sometimes be rendered “as one may read in the Scriptures,” or “according to the words of the Scriptures.”

The indefinite relative clause “whoever does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law” must be reinterpreted in some languages as a condition, for example, “if someone does not always obey everything that is written in the book of the Law.” In place of the passive expression everything that is written in the book of the Law, it is possible in some cases to use “all the words of the book of the laws.”

Since in this context the term book refers simply to the listing, it may be preferable not to employ a term which would imply that all the laws were contained within a single book. It may be better to say “obey all the regulations of the laws,” or “obey all the regulations listed in the laws.”

Under God’s curse is literally “cursed,” with the implied agent being God, hence “cursed by God.” Accordingly, is under God’s curse, may be rendered as “is exposed to God’s condemnation.” On the other hand, the entire sentence may be restructured to read as “God condemns anyone who does not always obey all that is written in the book of the Law.” It may be necessary to indicate here that the Law refers to “the laws coming through Moses,” or “… given by means of Moses.”

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 .

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 .

What I say is this is literally “but I say,” a common way by which Paul starts a section. In 3.17 and 4.1 such an expression is used to introduce a further explanation of a subject already under discussion. Here, as in Gal. 5.2, Paul uses it to get his readers’ attention to a personal appeal. In some languages an expression such as what I say is this would seem to be so self-evident as to be either meaningless or misleading. An equivalent expression may be “what I mean is this,” or “what I am trying to say is the following.”

Let the Spirit direct your lives is literally “walk by the Spirit.” Some take the Spirit here to mean spiritual life as opposed to “flesh.” Most translators, however, understand it as referring to the Holy Spirit. The verb “to walk” is frequently used in the New Testament in a moral sense, that is, as equivalent to “to live” or “to conduct one’s self.” The present tense of the Greek verb denotes action that is already in progress. Hence it can be rendered as “continue to walk.” The whole expression means that the Galatians should allow their whole life to be controlled, or regulated, by the Holy Spirit (Jerusalem Bible “guided by the Spirit”; also New English Bible). Let the Spirit direct your lives should not be understood merely as a kind of “permission.” The imperative form of the Greek text may be translated as “live in accordance with the way in which the Spirit tells you to,” or “… the way God’s Spirit directs you.”

The next clause in this verse has been interpreted as equivalent to an imperative (as in Revised Standard Version), but most translations employ a future indicative (as in Good News Translation). In the former case, it is an emphatic command; in the latter, it is a strong assertion that once they allow the Spirit to guide them, “then you will never satisfy the passions of the flesh” (Moffatt).

There are three words in this clause that need to be commented on: satisfy, desires, and human nature (literally “flesh”). Satisfy is literally “to fulfill,” but it is used here in the sense of “to gratify” (Revised Standard Version). Desires or “passions” refers to any kind of desires, both good or bad, but the New Testament usage points more to the bad. Human nature (“flesh”) is the same word used in verse 13, and refers once again to that part of human nature which does not submit to God. This is not easy to translate; there is danger even in the Good News Translation way of rendering it, since it makes human nature all bad, and all its desires evil.

In a number of languages there is no closely corresponding way to speak of human nature. The closest equivalent may simply be “you yourselves,” for example, “do not do just what you yourselves want to do.” In other languages one may say “do not do what you as a human being want to do,” or “… just as a person wants to do.” In still other languages human nature is best spoken of as “the heart,” for example, “do not do just whatever your heart wants you to do,” or “… just whatever you want to do in your heart.”

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 .

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 .

There is only one condition appended to the agreement: that Paul and Barnabas should remember the poor and needy (see Acts 11.30 and 2 Cor 9.1). These are the poor Christians in Jerusalem, a fact made clear by Good News Translation (compare New English Bible “their poor”). The needy in their group must be made somewhat more specific in some languages: “the poor people among the believers there in Jerusalem,” or “the poor people who belonged to their group of believers.”

The word translated eager in the clause the very thing I have been eager to do does not simply refer to one’s state of mind, but primarily to one’s activity. It could therefore be translated “worked hard at.” Some translations tend to put emphasis on the former (Good News Translation, also Jerusalem Bible “I was anxious to do”; Phillips “only too ready to agree”). Most translations, however, capture the spirit of the clause, being divided only as to whether this refers to a subsequent action and/or attitude of the apostle (as it seems to be in Knox) or to a previous action and/or attitude which continued up to the time of this letter (New American Bible “the one thing that I was making every effort to do”). In order to indicate clearly the continuous nature of Paul’s activity on behalf of the poor believers in Jerusalem, one may say “and I have always been eager to do just that.” Note, however, that in this context the verb remember does not imply necessarily that the poor had been forgotten. The meaning here is that “we should continue to think about,” or “should constantly be concerned for.”

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 .

Before the time for faith came (literally, “before the faith came”) is Paul’s way of talking of the time of the reign of the Law. Faith here (literally, “the faith”) refers to what Paul mentioned in the previous verse, namely, faith in Jesus Christ. Some translations indicate this relationship (for example, New English Bible, Moffatt “before this faith came”).

In a number of languages faith must be expressed as a verb, and therefore a certain amount of restructuring may be required, for example, “before it was time that people could trust in Jesus Christ,” or “before people could be related to God by trusting in Jesus Christ.” However, the focus here is upon the extent of time involved, and it may be important to say in some languages “up to the time that people could put their trust in Jesus Christ.”

Kept us all locked up as prisoners translates two Greek verbs. The first may be rendered “kept us guarded,” with the purpose not of protection but of restriction. The second is the same word used in verse 22, but here it has the present participle form, indicating continuous action, and therefore can be translated “being held in confinement,” or “being imprisoned.” What Paul is trying to picture to us is that the Law is like a stern jailer who not only has imprisoned us, but who has made sure that we remain imprisoned by stationing himself on the outside where he can guard us.

The Law is here once again the Jewish law, and not any law as in verse 21b. It is often impossible to personify the Law, and it may even be necessary, as in some other contexts, to speak of the Law as “the laws given by Moses.” One can often say “the laws given by Moses were just like guards who kept us locked up in prison,” “… stood guarding us in prison,” or “… stood guarding us while we were prisoners locked up in jail, so to speak.” Because of the figurative meaning involved, it may be essential in some languages to employ an expression such as “so to speak” or “as it were” in order to identify the figurative interpretation.

Until this coming faith should be revealed presents the translator with several difficulties in understanding and interpreting the passage. The Greek word for until (literally “into”) may be either temporal (Good News Translation and some other translations) or purposive; that is, an event introduced by “into” can be the purpose of the immediately preceding and related event. In this particular passage, the Law’s act of confinement and imprisonment may be said to have as its purpose preparation for embracing and accepting the faith when it is finally revealed. This latter interpretation is followed by some translations (for example Moffatt “with the prospect of the faith that was to be revealed”).

In this coming faith should be revealed it is important to understand “coming” (literally, “about to be”) as modifying not faith but the revelation of it. Faith here is the same faith referred to at the beginning of the verse, namely, faith in Jesus Christ.

From the Greek text of verse 25, it is clear that at the time of writing the revelation is already past, and therefore faith has already been revealed. The time of the coming of faith is future only in relation to the time of the Law, and not in relation to the time when Paul was writing this letter.

The clause until this coming faith should be revealed poses problems for the translator. In the first place, this coming faith is extremely difficult to render in some languages. One may say in some cases “this trusting in Jesus which people would do,” or “this trusting in Jesus which would happen later.” Moreover, the passive expression should be revealed may need to be made active, with God as the agent, for example, “until the time that God would show.” However, if this final clause is to be understood as purpose, then one may say “so that God would show.”

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 now presents the contrast between the present city of Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem, the former in slavery while the latter is free. The image of the heavenly Jerusalem was evidently common among Jews even before the Christian era, and it occurs elsewhere in the New Testament, particularly in the book of (Revelation 3.12; 21.2,9 ff.). Perhaps one should not understand the heavenly Jerusalem in an eschatological sense (“the Jerusalem up in heaven”) or in a futuristic sense (“the Jerusalem which is to come”) but simply in a figurative sense. Just as the present city of Jerusalem refers to the Jewish nation, so the Jerusalem above refers to the church as the community of those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. In this community there is freedom from bondage to law and freedom to become sons or children of God.

It may be quite difficult to find in some receptor languages a term such as heavenly which will suggest a qualitative distinction applicable to Jerusalem. The Greek text itself simply says “the above Jerusalem.” The closest equivalent in some languages may be “the Jerusalem related to heaven” or “the Jerusalem which has to do with heaven.” In some languages the most appropriate contrast seems to be between “the Jerusalem on earth” and “the Jerusalem of God.”

As in various other contexts, it may be best to translate is free as “is not a slave.”

Paul continues the figure of a mother: this heavenly Jerusalem is our mother. Sarah is not specifically named, but Paul assumes that his readers will make the appropriate connection. The term our refers to all Christian believers, and the idea of motherhood includes membership in the Christian community, together with nourishment and spiritual growth within its fellowship. It may be necessary to change the metaphor she is our mother into a simile, “this Jerusalem is just like our mother,” or “… is like a mother to 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 .

There seems to be a close connection between verses 2 and 3, since the Greek has a transitional “for” (see Revised Standard Version) at the beginning of the latter verse, but the connection is not altogether clear. It may even be that Paul wants to remind his readers that often the sight of an erring brother (verse 1) creates in some a sense of spiritual superiority rather than a genuine desire to help. Or perhaps he is asserting the obvious fact that the proud man finds it difficult, if not impossible, either to lend a helping hand or to receive help of any kind. A third possibility is to connect verse 3 with verse 1, particularly the last part of that verse. There Paul was saying that a man should take care of himself in order not to be tempted. Here he continues to warn those who feel sure of themselves.

The word translated think is the same word used by Paul when talking of the three leaders of the Jerusalem church in 2.2,6,9. There the meaning is “to be regarded by others as important”; here the word is reflexive: “to regard oneself as important.”

When he really is nothing could be understood as a statement that describes believers in general, for since they owe their very lives to Christ, they have no right to claim importance or status of any kind. It is possible, however, that Paul has in mind those who think of themselves as important, and he is trying to show them how insignificant they really are.

The relation between the conditional clause if someone thinks he is something and the temporal clause when he really is nothing must be expressed in some languages as a conditional clause with an embedded relative clause, for example, “if someone, who really is nothing, thinks he is something.” However, to say merely that “he thinks he is something” may not carry any significance, for everyone is in a sense “something.” Therefore it may be necessary to say “if someone—and he really amounts to nothing at all—thinks he is something big,” or “… thinks he is very important.”

The verb translated deceiving is one which seems to have been coined by Paul himself; it cannot be found in earlier writings, and later it is used only by ecclesiastical writers. It is used only here in the New Testament, and a cognate noun (“deceiver”) occurs in Titus 1.10. Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Phillips agree with Good News Translation in translating this verb as “deceive”; New English Bible, Knox have “delude.” He is only deceiving himself may be expressed in some languages as “he is only lying to himself,” or “it is just the same as though he were calling himself a fool.”

The relation between the three parts of this verse will depend on the exegetical viewpoint one takes. One way of rendering it would be “if a man thinks he is something, he is only fooling himself, for the truth is he is nothing.” Another way, representing another exegetical viewpoint, is “if a man thinks he is ‘somebody’, he is deceiving himself, for that very thought proves that he is nobody” (Phillips), or “it is the people who are not important who often make the mistake of thinking that they are” (Jerusalem Bible).

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 .