6:13a

For: Verse 6:13 adds another point to the discussion in 6:12 about the purposes of the false teachers. The false teachers forced the Galatians to be circumcised so that:

(a) they would not be persecuted (6:12c)

and

(b) they could boast. (6:13c)

The Greek introduces this point with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For. Here, this conjunction does not introduce a reason. So many versions do not translate it. For example:

Not even those who are circumcised obey the law (New International Version)

In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves: The clause the circumcised refers to the false teachers. They are the same people to whom Paul referred in 6:12a as “those who want to make a good impression outwardly.” They forced the Galatians to keep one part of the law: circumcision. But they did not bother to try to keep other parts of the law. They themselves did not keep the whole law. They were hypocrites.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

They are circumcised, but they don’t obey the Law of Moses. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves (New Living Translation (2004))

6:13b

yet: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the fact that the false teachers did not obey the law themselves (6:13a), and the fact that they wanted to force the Galatians believers to obey the law by being circumcised (6:13b). The Greek indicates this contrast with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yet.

they want you to be circumcised: Some other ways to translate this clause are:

they desire to have you circumcised (English Standard Version)
-or-
they want you to get circumcised

6:13c

that they may boast: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that indicates that 6:13c is the purpose of 6:13b. The false teachers desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

so that they can brag (God’s Word)
-or-
in order that they may boast

in your flesh: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as in your flesh refers to “what was done to your flesh/body.” In other words, it refers to “your circumcision.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

about what was done to your body (God’s Word)
-or-
about what they forced you to do (New Century Version)
-or-
about having you circumcised (Contemporary English Version)

In this clause, Paul repeated the point he made in 6:12a. That is, the false teachers want the Galatians to be circumcised because outward appearances were important to them. They wanted to boast/brag about their converts. They want others to praise them for their work.

See flesh, Meaning 4 in the Glossary for more information.

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

2:3

In 2:3, Paul gave some evidence that he had not run in vain. He gave some evidence that the leaders in Jerusalem approved the gospel that he preached. Paul did not state this explicitly, but he showed that they agreed by telling the Galatians that the leaders did not force Titus to be circumcised.

2:3a

Yet: There is a contrast between 2:2 and 2:3. The contrast is between what Paul feared might happen and what actually happened. He was concerned that the leaders would not agree with him. He was concerned that he had “run in vain” (2:2). But the leaders did agree with him and his message. Paul did not directly state that they agreed. He showed that they agreed with him by telling about Titus.

Some English versions, such the Berean Standard Bible and New International Version, indicate this contrast with the conjunction Yet. Other English versions, such the English Standard Version and New American Standard Bible, indicate this contrast with the conjunction “but.”

In some languages, it might be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

But I was not running in vain.
-or-
And they did agree (New Living Translation (1996))

not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised: The words not even focus attention on the proof that the church leaders agreed with Paul’s message. The proof was that they did not even require a Gentile to be circumcised. If the church leaders had not agreed with Paul, they would have required that Titus be circumcised. He was right there when they made the decision. But they did not require him to be circumcised. This proved that they agreed with Paul that God accepted Gentile Christians even if they were not circumcised.

Another way to translate this clause is:

They did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised (New Living Translation (1996))

Titus, who was with me: The clause who was with me is a relative clause. It describes Titus. In some languages, using this type of relative clause here would imply that there was another Titus, a Titus who was not with Paul. Even though there were certainly other men with that name, that is not the point here. In those languages, it would be better to translate these words without using a relative clause. For example:

Titus was with me (God’s Word)
-or-
my companion Titus (New Living Translation (2004))

was compelled: The phrase was compelled is passive.

Some ways to translate this phrase are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

he was not forced (New Century Version)

• Use an active clause. For example:

no one forced (God’s Word)
-or-
they did not require/demand
-or-
they did not insist

circumcised: The word circumcised means “cut off the loose skin at the end of a boy’s penis.” Jews circumcised their sons as an act of obedience to the law.

In some cultures, it may be acceptable to use an explicit expression that means “cut off the loose skin at the end of a boy’s penis.” In other cultures, it may be necessary to use a euphemism to describe this event. Some examples are:

cut off some of the skin
-or-
receive the mark
-or-
ritual cutting
-or-
a mark of cutting

This is the first time that Paul mentioned circumcision in Galatians.

2:3b

even though he was a Greek: The fact that Titus was a Greek implies that he was not a Jew. So he had never been circumcised. (Most of the first Christians were Jews and had already been circumcised.) Nevertheless, the church leaders did not require Titus to be circumcised in order to be accepted as a believer.

In some languages, it may be clearer to put this clause earlier in the verse. For example:

3a Titus went to Jerusalem with me. 3b He was a Greek, 3a but still he wasn’t forced to be circumcised. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

3a Titus was with me, 3b and although he is Greek, 3a no one forced him to be circumcised. (God’s Word)

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:14a

in order that: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in order that indicates that 3:14a is the purpose of 3:13a. He means that Christ became a curse for us and redeemed us from the curse of the law (3:13a) so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles (3:14a).

3:14b

the blessing promised to Abraham: This phrase refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham. This blessing was that Abraham could be put right (justified) with God by trusting in him. God did not require him to obey laws to be justified. That was his blessing.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the blessing given to Abraham (New International Version)
-or-
the blessing which God promised to Abraham (Good News Translation)

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate blessing as a verb. For example:

God blessed Abraham

See bless, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information.

would come to the Gentiles: This phrase means that the Gentiles would have/receive the same blessing as Abraham. The meaning is very similar to 3:9a–b, “those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham.”

You should use a verb in your language that is natural to use with the word “blessing.” In some languages, blessings do not come to people. They are “given” or “received.” For example:

might be received by the Gentiles
-or-
God might give the same blessing to the Gentiles
-or-
God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham (New Living Translation (2004))

Gentiles: The word Gentiles refers to all people who were not Jews.

Some ways to translate this word are:

the people who are not Jews
-or-
non-Jews

See Gentiles, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

in Christ Jesus: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in Christ Jesus is the means by which God blessed the Gentiles. He blessed them “by” or “through” Christ Jesus.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by believing in Christ Jesus
-or-
through that which Christ Jesus has done

In some languages, it will be more natural to put this phrase earlier in 3:14b. For example:

in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles (English Standard Version)

Christ Jesus: In the phrase Christ Jesus, Christ is his title and Jesus is his personal name.

One way to show this is:

the Christ/Messiah Jesus

Most English versions follow the Greek order here and translate these two words as Christ Jesus. However, in 1:1c, Paul used the phrase “Jesus Christ.” Both Christ Jesus and “Jesus Christ” refer to the same person. So here it is also possible to put Jesus before Christ. For example:

Jesus Christ (Contemporary English Version)

3:14c

so that: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that introduces the second purpose for which Christ redeemed us (in 3:14d).

13a He redeemed us

14a in order that

14b we might receive the blessing promised to Abraham

14c
and so that

14d we might receive the Spirit.

Some ways to connect this part of the verse to the rest of the verse are:

and so that
-or-

He also redeemed us so that

3:14d

by faith: This phrase refers to the way a person receives the Spirit. He receives it by/through believing.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

through faith (English Standard Version)
-or-
because of our faith
-or-
because we believe in Jesus
-or-

We receive this Spirit because we have believed.

See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

we might receive the promise of the Spirit: The phrase the promise of the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. God promised to give the Holy Spirit to those who believe. The promise referred to is probably the passage from Joel 2:28–29 that is quoted in Acts 2:17–18.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

we could receive the Spirit that God promised (New Century Version)
-or-
we might receive the Spirit whom God promised to give us

The Spirit is another blessing of justification by faith. The Galatians received the Spirit by faith. Paul had already said this in 3:2 and 3:5.

we: The pronoun we includes all Christians, both Jews and Gentiles.

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

4:17a

Those people: The phrase Those people refers to the false teachers. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

those false teachers (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
those people who want you to obey the Jewish law

are zealous for you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as are zealous for you means “are deeply concerned about” or “show a great interest in.” It refers to the attitude that the false teachers had toward the Galatians. They seemed to care about them, but in reality they did not care about them.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

show a deep interest in you (Good News Translation)
-or-
show concern for you
-or-

appear to want to help you
-or-
behave as if they are devoted to you

but not in a good way: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not in a good way refers to the intentions of the false teachers. Their intentions/motives were not good. They wanted the Galatians to accept the law. This would have made them slaves to the law. It would not have been good for them.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

but their intentions are not good (Good News Translation)
-or-
but their motives are not good
-or-
but it isn’t for your good (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
but it will not really help you

4:17b

they want to isolate you from us: This clause means that the false teachers wanted to separate the Galatians from Paul and his co-workers. In this clause Paul stated what the false teachers were really doing in contrast to what they appeared to be doing.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

They only want to keep you away from me (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
They don’t want you to associate with me (God’s Word)
-or-
all they want is to separate you from me (Good News Translation)

4:17c

so that you may be zealous for them: This clause states the purpose for 4:17a–b.

The false teachers make much of you (4:17a) and want to shut you out (4:17b), so that you may be zealous for them (4:17c).

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be zealous for is the same word as in 4:17a. If possible, you should use the same expression here. This word indicates that the false teachers wanted the Galatians to accept their teaching and thus honor them and be devoted to them.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

in order that you will show a great interest in them
-or-
so that you show concern for them
-or-
so that you help them
-or-
so that you will be devoted to them

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

5:18a–b

But: In 5:17, the topic was both the flesh and the Spirit. In 5:18, the topic is only the Spirit. The Greek indicates this change with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But.

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law: In this verse, Paul stated a further benefit of following the Spirit. That benefit is freedom from the law.

The verb are led is passive. Some ways to translate it are:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

when you are directed by God’s Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.

• Use an active verb. For example:

If the Spirit leads you, then you are not subject to the Law. (Good News Translation)
-or-
if you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, the law has no control over you.

you are not under the law: This phrase refers to being obligated to follow/obey the law of Moses.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

you are not under the authority of the law
-or-
you are not required to follow/obey the law of Moses
-or-
the Law of Moses has no control over you (Contemporary English Version)

This phrase also occurs in 4:4c.

© 2016 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.