SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 2016 – Page 9

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 5:16

Paragraph 5:16–18

In this paragraph, Paul told the Galatians to allow the Holy Spirit to guide their lives. The Holy Spirit enables believers to not live sinful lives and not live as slaves to the law.

5:16a

So I say: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So I say introduces a further explanation of what 5:13–15 means.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Let me explain further. (God’s Word)
-or-
What I mean is this: (Revised English Bible)
-or-
But I say, (English Standard Version)

This same Greek expression occurs in 4:1a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “What I am saying is.”

walk by the Spirit: This is a command. The word walk means “live” or “allow the Spirit to direct one’s life.” Paul wanted the Galatians to follow the Spirit’s leading.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Live by following the Spirit. (New Century Version)
-or-
let the Holy Spirit guide your lives (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
submit yourselves to the Holy Spirit

Spirit: The word Spirit refers to the “Holy Spirit.” See Spirit, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

5:16b

and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will not gratify means “will not do” or “will not fulfill.” Those who follow the Spirit will not do what they would otherwise selfishly want to do.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Then you will not do what your sinful selves want. (New Century Version)
-or-
you won’t obey your selfish desires (Contemporary English Version)

the desires of the flesh: This phrase refers to the desires/wants that come from our human nature.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

what your sinful nature craves (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
what your corrupt nature wants (God’s Word)
-or-
what your evil heart/mind wants
-or-
what you want because of your sinful nature

See flesh, Meaning 5 in the Glossary.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 1:4

1:4a

In this verse Paul introduced one of the themes in his letter: salvation is based on Christ’s death on the cross.

who: The pronoun who refers to Jesus. It connects verses 3 and 4. In some languages, it may be natural to make this connection by starting a new sentence that has Jesus as the subject. For example:

Jesus gave himself for our sins (New Century Version)

gave Himself: This phrase means that Jesus “voluntarily gave his life,” “willingly died,” or “chose to die” on the cross.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Christ…gave himself as a sacrifice (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He yielded/surrendered his life
-or-
Jesus was willing to be punished and killed

for our sins: This phrase means “to pay for our sins” or “to take the punishment for our sins.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

on account of our sins
-or-
so that our sins might be forgiven

sins: The word sins means the things that we do when we disobey God’s standard of what is right or good. Sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. A person can also sin by not doing what God wants him to do.

Use a general term that can include any wrongdoing against God. For example:

disobedience
-or-
wrong acts
-or-
offenses against God
-or-
evil deeds

In some languages it may be natural to translate the word sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:

wrong things that we have done

Here are problems to avoid:

(a) The term should not imply that only crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Actions like gossip and greed are also sins.

(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

1:4b

to rescue us from the present evil age: This clause states the purpose of Jesus’ giving himself to die for our sins (1:4a). He gave himself in order to deliver us from the evil that dominates our world. He freed us from being slaves to sin.

Some other ways to express this purpose are:

4a Christ gave himself for our sins 4b in order to deliver us from the present evil age.
-or-

4a Christ gave himself for our sins 4b so that he might deliver us from the present evil age.

to rescue us: The phrase to rescue us means “to free us.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

to deliver us (English Standard Version)
-or-
to rescue us (New International Version)
-or-
to redeem us

This phrase does not mean that Jesus removes us from this world.

the present evil age: At times Paul used this phrase to refer to the evil period of time in which Christians lived. He also used it to refer to the evil way that people lived during this period. In this context, this phrase focuses on the sinful and wicked way of life in our world.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the sinful way that people live in this world
-or-
this evil that is in this world
-or-
the wickedness that is now on the earth
-or-
the evil ways in which human beings think and act (SSA)

1:4c

according to the will of our God and Father: This clause gives the background and reason for Jesus giving his life to set us free (in 1:4a–b). It means that it was God’s will that Jesus die for our sins in order to deliver us.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Christ did this to obey the will of our God and Father.
-or-
because that was what our God and Father wanted (God’s Word)

See the General Comment below for some other ways to translate this clause.

our God and Father: This phrase describes God in two ways: he is our God, and he is also our Father. It does not refer to two different beings.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

God our Father (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
our God, who is our Father
-or-
our Father God

General Comment on 1:4a–c

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:

4a Jesus gave his life for our sins, 4c just as God our Father planned, 4b in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

4c Christ obeyed God our Father 4a and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins 4b to rescue us from this evil world. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 2:12

2:12a–b

The clause “certain men came from James” (in 2:12a) describes what happened after Peter had been eating with the Gentiles (2:12b). In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of these two clauses. For example:

b He ate with people who were not Jewish a until some men James had sent ?from Jerusalem? arrived. (God’s Word)
-or-

b Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, a but then some men from James arrived.

2:12a

For: Verse 2:12 explains why Paul rebuked Peter. The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Some other ways to introduce this explanation are:

I rebuked him because
-or-

I did this because
-or-
Here’s what was happening:

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. For example:

Before certain men came from James (New International Version)

In some languages, it may not necessary to use a conjunction here either.

before certain men came from James: There are two ways to interpret the way that these certain men were connected to James :

(1) They were sent from/by James. (James was the leader of the church at Jerusalem.) And they came with a message from James. For example:

Before some men who had been sent by James arrived there (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version)

(2) They came from the church in Jerusalem where James was the leader. But they came with their own message, not a message from James. According to this interpretation, these Jewish believers are the same men mentioned in Acts 15:24. This verse in Acts tells us that these men were not sent by the leaders in Jerusalem, although they had come from the church there. For example:

some Jewish friends of James came (New Living Translation (1996))

Many English versions are ambiguous, and so it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), with the majority of English versions that express a specific interpretation.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

until some men James had sent from Jerusalem arrived (God’s Word)
-or-
when some Jews arrived whom James had sent

As mentioned above, it may be more natural to put this clause after 2:12b. See an example above and in the Display.

certain men: The phrase certain men refers to some Jewish believers.

2:12b

he used to eat with the Gentiles: This clause indicates that, in the past, Peter had regularly eaten with the Gentiles, but then he stopped.

Jews were not allowed to eat with non-Jews, because they thought that they became unclean by doing so. When Peter, a Jew, ate with the Gentiles, it showed that he accepted them and had close fellowship with them. This was how Peter behaved when he first arrived in Antioch.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Peter had been eating with the Gentile believers (Good News Translation)
-or-
at first, he always/regularly ate with Gentile Christians

the Gentiles: Here, the phrase the Gentiles refers to the Christians in Antioch who were not Jews and did not follow the Jewish laws.

Another way to translate this clause is:

Gentile believers

2:12c

But when they arrived: There is a contrast between Peter eating with the Gentile believers and Peter separating himself from them. Many English versions introduce this contrast with the word But.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

But after these men arrived (Good News Translation)
-or-
After they came to Antioch

2:12d

he began to draw back and separate himself: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as draw back also means “withdraw” or “retreat.” This verb and the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as separate himself are very similar in meaning. These verbs imply that Peter stopped eating with the Gentiles.

The forms of both Greek verbs also imply that Peter gradually began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentile believers at meals. He did not do it all at once.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

• Find synonyms to translate these two verbs. For example:

he gradually withdrew and began to keep himself away from the Gentile believers

• Translate one verb as “stopped eating.” For example:

he gradually avoided/stopped eating with the Gentile believers and began to not associate with them
-or-
little by little Peter started retreating from the non-Jewish believers and no longer ate with them

• Translate both verbs as one. For example:

he gradually distanced himself from believers who were not Jews
-or-
soon stopped eating with Gentiles (Contemporary English Version)

2:12e

for fear of those in the circumcision group: There are at least two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the circumcision group :

(1) It is a specific term referring to the group of Jews who insisted that a man must be circumcised in order for God to accept him. For example:

He was afraid of those who insisted that circumcision was necessary. (God’s Word)

(2) It is a general term for all Jews. (All Jewish men were circumcised.) For some unspecified reason, Peter was afraid of, or concerned about, these people. For example:

Peter was afraid of the Jews (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In Galatians, Paul showed that is it not necessary for a man to be circumcised in order to be saved, and interpretation (1) is consistent with that.

Furthermore, this circumcision party could have been:

(a) a group of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem whom the men from James told Peter about.

(b) Jewish militants who were not Christians and were persecuting Jewish Christians. It is possible that the men from James told Peter about these men.

(c) the men from James themselves

In your translation, you should not specify which group it was.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

He was afraid of those who insisted that circumcision was necessary. (God’s Word)
-or-
he was afraid of those who were in favor of circumcising them (Good News Translation)
-or-
He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. (New Living Translation (2004))

Peter was perhaps afraid that this group would not approve of him eating with Gentile believers. He was perhaps afraid of what they would think or say about him. He was not afraid that they would physically harm him. If this party was (b) above, he may have even feared that his actions could cause Jewish militants to persecute Jewish believers.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 3:23

Paragraph 3:23–25

In this paragraph, Paul’s main point is that we are sons of God through faith in Christ. The role of the law is finished because Christ has come. He pointed out that once people have become children of God, they are entitled to all the blessings of the new life in Christ. He reminded the Christians in Galatia that they became children of God through faith. Because they were now children of God there was no longer a dividing line between Jew or non-Jew, male or female, slave or free.

3:23a

In 3:23, Paul continued his discussion about the law and the promise/faith. He connected this verse to the previous verses with a Greek conjunction that many English versions translate as “now.” In this context, “now” is not a time word.

The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this conjunction, and some other versions, such as the New International Version and New Living Translation (2004), also do not translate it. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either. Connect 3:23a to 3:22b in a way that is natural in your language.

Before this faith came: The word faith refers to “faith in Jesus Christ” (from 3:22b). So this clause refers to the time before people could be made right with God through faith/believing in Christ.

Another way to translate this clause is:

Before the way of faith in Christ came

In some languages, it is not natural to say that faith came. In other languages, faith must be translated as a verb. In those languages, some ways to translate this clause are:

before the time of believing/trusting in Christ
-or-
before the time arrived when people could believe/trust in Christ
-or-
When Christ in whom people should believe/trust had not yet come

See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary.

3:23b

we were held in custody under the law: The words held in custody mean “held captive,” “held prisoners,” “confined,” or “guarded.”

This is a passive clause. Some ways to translate this clause are:

• As a passive clause. For example:

we were held prisoners by the law (New International Version)
-or-
we were placed under guard by the law (New Living Translation (2004))

• As an active clause. For example:

the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners (Good News Translation)
-or-
The Law controlled us and kept us under its power (Contemporary English Version)

This clause is also a figure of speech called personification. In this figure of speech, Paul spoke of the law as if it were a prison guard who guarded people in prison. In some languages, it is not natural to keep this personification. Some ways to translate this clause without using personification are:

the law was like a guard who held us in prison
-or-
we were like prisoners whom the law guarded

In your translation, do not use a word that implies “protected.”

3:23c

locked up: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as locked up is the same Greek word as in 3:22a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “confined.” You should translate it in a similar way or in the same way as you did there. For example:

confined
-or-
under the power of
-or-
controlled

In some languages, it may be necessary to begin a new sentence here. For example:

We were locked up
-or-
The law kept us in prison

until faith should be revealed: This clause refers to a particular period of time. It is the time that lasted up to the time when God revealed/showed the way of faith in Christ. That time happened when Christ came. When it happened, the time ended during which people were prisoners to the law. The time of the law ended.

This is a passive clause. Some ways to translate this clause are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

until the coming way of faith in Christ was revealed
-or-
until the time came when believing/trusting in Christ was shown to us

• as an active clause

until the time came when God revealed/showed to us that we should believe in Christ

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 4:26

4:26

In this verse, Paul continued the contrast between slave and free that he introduced in 4:21. In 4:25 he said that the slave woman and her offspring represent the covenant of the law. Here he contrasted them with the free woman and her offspring who represent the covenant of promise and grace. All those who believe in Christ as the means of justification are free and under the covenant of grace. They are not slaves. The “Jerusalem above” and Sarah, the free woman, represent the believers in the same way that “the present-day Jerusalem” and Hagar represented those who followed the law.

4:26a

But: There is a contrast between 4:25 and 4:26. The contrast is between the present Jerusalem (slavery) and the Jerusalem above (freedom). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction But.

the Jerusalem above is free: This clause refers to the heavenly Jerusalem. The free woman (Sarah) corresponds to this Jerusalem. This Jerusalem represents those who believe in Jesus Christ as the means of being made right with God. It is contrasted with “the present-day Jerusalem” and with Hagar, which represent those who obey the law to be justified. Those who trust in Jesus for their salvation are free. They are not slaves.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the Jerusalem in heaven represents freedom.
-or-
the heavenly Jerusalem is free.
-or-
the Jerusalem above is not a slave.
-or-
the free woman represents the Jerusalem that is above

4:26b

and she is our mother: This clause is also personification (like the clause “she is in slavery with her children” in 4:25c). In this personification, Paul spoke of the heavenly Jerusalem as the mother of the people who are free.

In this allegory, the heavenly Jerusalem represents salvation by faith. The people who believe in Christ to make them right with God are the children of this Jerusalem. These people are free from the law. Just as Sarah was a free woman, so the people who believe in Christ are free.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

• Keep the personification. For example:

this city is our mother
-or-
our mother is the city of Jerusalem (Contemporary English Version)

• Translate this as a simile. For example:

and this city is like our mother

• Translate the meaning without the personification. For example:

we are people of this city

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 6:1

Section 6:1–10

How to walk in the Spirit together with fellow believers

In this section, Paul asked the Galatians to continue to live a life directed by the Holy Spirit. He encouraged them to help one another and do good deeds.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Believers fulfill the law of Christ when they help each other
-or-
Help Carry Each Other’s Burdens (God’s Word)
-or-
Help Each Other (New Century Version)

Paragraph 6:1–5

6:1a

Brothers: This word refers to all the believers in Galatia. It includes both men and women. Paul used this word to show that he loved the Galatians and was concerned for them.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Brothers and sisters (NET Bible)
-or-
My dear fellow believers
-or-
My friends (New Revised Standard Version)

if someone is caught in a trespass: There are two ways to interpret the Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as if someone is caught in a trespass :

(1) It means that sin has overcome or overpowered a person. According to this interpretation, someone has yielded to a desire to do something wrong. For example:

if another believer is overcome by some sin (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means that someone has caught or discovered another person in the act of sinning. He has surprised him.

if one of you is caught doing something wrong (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The main point is what to do when a sin is committed, not whether or how a sin is discovered.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

if someone is trapped in sin (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
if a person among you yields to sin
-or-
if someone in your group does something wrong (New Century Version)

6:1b

you who are spiritual: This clause means “you who live/walk by the Spirit.” Some believers are more mature or advanced in following the Holy Spirit than others. They are the ones who have the proper character to restore a believer who has sinned.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you who walk with the Spirit
-or-
you who live by the Spirit
-or-
you whom the Spirit leads/guides
-or-
you who submit to the Holy Spirit

should restore him with a spirit of gentleness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as restore means “mend, restore, set right, and make complete.” Here it means that spiritual believers should seek to lead the sinful person back into a right relationship with God and fellow believers.

They should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. This means that they should be humble and kind as they lead the sinful person back into a right relationship with God.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

you should gently lead that person back to the right path (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
should go to that person and gently help make him right again (New Century Version)
-or-
they should bring him back to fellowship in a humble/kind manner

6:1c

But watch yourself: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as watch means “look at” or “pay attention to.” Paul warned the people who were to restore the sinner that they should not think too highly about themselves. They should not think that they themselves could never be tempted.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

At the same time watch yourself (God’s Word)
-or-
But be on your guard
-or-
But be careful (New Century Version)

6:1d

or you also may be tempted: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as or you also may be tempted can also be translated as “so that you too are not tempted to sin.” Here the verb does not only mean being tempted but actually giving in to temptation and sinning.

This verb is passive. Some ways to translate this clause are:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

so that you are not tempted too (NET Bible)
-or-
because you too might be tempted by Satan to sin

• Use an active or other non-passive verb. For example:

not to fall into the same temptation yourself (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
so that Satan does not also tempt you, and you too sin

you: Paul changed from the plural “you” in 6:1b to the singular “you” here in order to address each person individually. However, it is acceptable to use a plural form if your language requires it. For example:

so that you(plur) too will not be tempted

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 1:15

Paragraph 1:15–17

In this paragraph, Paul again wrote that he received the gospel from God and not from men. When God revealed Jesus to him, he did not go to Jerusalem to learn the gospel from the apostles.

In Greek, 1:15–17 is a long, complex sentence. Before you translate this complex sentence, it is important to understand its structure.

This long sentence begins with a time clause:

15a But when God …15c was pleased 16a to reveal his Son to me

In the middle of this time clause (after the phrase “But when God”) are two clauses that describe God. (These two clauses are relative clauses):

…who set me apart from my mother’s womb and who called me by his grace…

The main clauses are in 1:16c–17c:

16c I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood 17a nor did I go up to Jerusalem …17b but I went into Arabia 17c and later returned to Damascus.

In many languages it will be necessary to divide this long Greek sentence into several shorter sentences. It may also be necessary to change the order of some of the clauses in this long sentence. Examples are given in the notes below.

1:15

In Greek, 1:15 begins with the clause “But when God was pleased/decided.” This is a time clause. Many English versions put parts of this time clause later in 1:15. Some versions even put this time clause in 1:16.

The King James Version shows the literal Greek order. You should compare the Greek/King James Version order with the other options below. Then decide how to structure this verse and where the most natural place is in your language for the parts of this time clause. Some examples are:

15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, 16 To reveal his Son in me (King James Version)
-or-

15a–b But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. 15c And when he decided 16 to reveal his Son to me… (Good News Translation)
-or-

15a But when he who had set me apart before I was born, 15b and who called me by his grace, 15c was pleased 16a to reveal his Son to me (English Standard Version)

1:15a

But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what Paul formerly was (1:13–14) and what Paul became (1:15–24). Most English versions indicate this contrast with the conjunction But.

Some other ways to begin this verse are:

Nevertheless
-or-
But in spite of that
-or-
But then something happened! (New Living Translation (1996))

who set me apart from my mother’s womb: This clause is a relative clause. It describes something that God did.

Be careful to translate this clause in a way that does not imply that there is another God, a God who did not set Paul apart. In some languages, it will be natural to translate this clause as a complete sentence. For example:

God set me apart from birth.
-or-
Even before I was born, God chose me.

set me apart: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set me apart means “appointed me” or “chose/selected me.” For example:

appointed me (God’s Word)
-or-
chose me (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages, it may be necessary to state what God had chosen Paul to do. For example:

chose me to do his work

from my mother’s womb: The Berean Standard Bible translates this Greek phrase literally.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

while I was in my mother’s womb
-or-
before I was born (English Standard Version)
-or-
from birth (New International Version)

1:15b

and called me by His grace: This is another relative clause. It also describes something that God did. As in 1:15a, be careful to translate this clause in a way that does not imply that there is another God, a God who did not call Paul. In some languages, it will be natural to translate this clause as a separate sentence. For example:

He called me through his grace (New Century Version)

called: The verb called means “invited” or “chose someone for a special purpose.” In this case, God called Paul to be his servant/apostle.

Some other ways to translate this verb are:

He called me to serve him.
-or-
He invited me to be his servant/apostle.

Paul did not mean “call” in the sense of “shouted” or “yelled.”

by His grace: The word grace means “showing kindness, generosity, or favor to someone who does not deserve it.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by/through his kindness/favor
-or-
because of his kindness
-or-
He was kind/good to me

See also grace, Meaning 2 in the Glossary.

1:15c

Notice that some English versions are like the Berean Standard Bible and place “was pleased” at the end of 1:15. Other versions place this phrase at the beginning of 1:16. You should do what the major language version in your area does.

was pleased: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was pleased basically means “took pleasure in” or “considered something to be good.” It can have the additional meaning of “was pleased with something and so decided to do it.” God wants and likes to reveal Jesus to human beings, and here he decided to do reveal Jesus to Paul.

Some other ways to translate this verb are:

Then it pleased him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
when God was delighted
-or-
when God considered it good
-or-
when he decided (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 3:2

3:2a

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Paul used this clause to introduce the rhetorical question in 3:2b. The purpose of this clause was to make the readers think about what they had done. If they thought about these things, they would know the truth.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Let me ask you this one question (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Tell me this one thing (Good News Translation)
-or-
I want you to think about this:

3:2b–c

Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?: This is a rhetorical question. In this rhetorical question, Paul emphasized how the Galatians had received the Spirit. They had not received it by obeying the law. They had received it by faith. The Galatians already knew this. So they should not have returned to obeying the law.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. In some languages, it may be necessary to divide this rhetorical question into two or three questions. For example:

Did you receive God’s Spirit by doing what the law requires? Or was it by hearing the gospel and believing it?
-or-
How did you receive God’s Spirit? Was it because of obeying the law? Or did you receive the Spirit because of believing what you heard?

• As an exclamation. For example:

You certainly did not receive the Spirit by observing the law! You received it by believing what you heard.

• As a rhetorical question with a response. For example:

Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law? Of course not! Instead, you received the Spirit by believing what you heard.

Use whichever form is most natural in your own language.

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order the clauses. For example:

2b Did you receive the Spirit 2c by believing what you heard or 2b by observing the law?

Also, you should consider how to present an “either-or” idea. In an “either-or” idea, only one part is true. Some possible ways to translate this are:

• Use a conditional statement. For example:

2c If you received the Spirit by means of believing, 2b then you could not have received the Spirit by means of works of the law.

• Make it clear which part is not true and which part is true. For example:

2b Did you receive the Spirit by means of observing the law? No, you did not. 2c Instead, you received the Spirit by means of believing the good news of Jesus.

3:2b

the Spirit: The word Spirit refers to the “Holy Spirit.”

Some other ways to translate this word are:

the Holy-or-
God’s Spirit (Good News Translation)

by works of the law: This phrase refers to obeying the law. This is the same phrase that Paul used in 2:16a. The Galatians did not receive the Spirit by means of obeying/keeping the law.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by means of following the law
-or-
through keeping the law
-or-
if/when you obeyed the law
-or-
because of your following the law of Moses
-or-
following the law that God gave to Moses

You should translate this phrase in the same way that you did in 2:16a.

3:2c

or by hearing with faith: This phrase refers to believing what the Galatians had heard about Jesus Christ. Paul reminded them that they had received the Spirit by means of believing what they heard about Jesus Christ.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by believing what you heard (New International Version)
-or-
because of hearing the gospel and believing it

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

Search

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 2016

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 5:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 1:4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 2:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 3:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 4:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 6:1

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 1:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 3:2

Search

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

American Bible Society