complete verse (Galatians 3:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 3:4:

  • Uma: “I hope [lit., don’t-don’t] you will not really stray from your following the Lord Yesus. I hope it doesn’t happen that there will no longer be any value to all of God’s blessings that you have experienced.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “All that you have experienced/has happened to you because of your trust in Isa, you have no use for it? Surely you have.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Evidently the good blessings which came to you because of your believing are of absolutely no value. It cannot be that they are of no value.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Have the many-things you have experienced beginning-with when you believed had no use perhaps? I-hope (lit. may-it-be) they have.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What, will you cause all that you have experienced to end up as having achieved nothing? Hopefully it’s not like that.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You have suffered much because you believe in Christ. Isn’t there any good to come from this now? But I think there is some good to come from it.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Galatians 3:4

Your experience translates a verb which is ambiguous, since it could be understood either negatively or positively. Negatively, it could be understood as “suffering” and therefore could refer to the persecutions that the Galatian Christians had gone through (Phillips “Has all your painful experience brought you nowhere?”; Knox “Was it to no purpose that you went through so much?”). Positively, it could refer to the spiritual experiences of the Galatians as a result of their reception of the Holy Spirit (Jerusalem Bible “Have all the favours you received been wasted?”; New American Bible “Have you had such remarkable experiences all to no purpose…?”; New English Bible “Have all your great experiences been in vain…?”).

The Galatian Christians would probably have known the specific experience referred to in Paul’s words, but unfortunately we do not. Our choice therefore is either to select one of the above renderings or to retain the ambiguity of the Greek verb, as indeed Good News Translation does. This ambiguity may be retained in some languages by translating “Did all that happened to you mean nothing at all?” In some languages this type of question may be retained since it is answered in the immediately following statement, Surely it meant something! In general, however, it is difficult to find a strictly neutral term with regard to experience, and therefore one is normally obliged to select an expression which means either “to suffer” or “to enjoy benefits.”

Surely it meant something! is literally “if it be really in vain” (Revised Standard Version). The expression once again indicates that Paul finds it hard to believe that everything the Galatians have experienced has not meant a thing to them (Phillips “I simply cannot believe it of you!”). It may be difficult, however, in some languages to speak of an experience as “meaning something.” It may be possible to speak of “words meaning something,” but an experience often belongs to quite a different semantic domain. However, one can sometimes say “Did what happened to you not cause you to think about it?” Similarly, Surely it meant something! may be rendered as “Certainly what happened to you must have made you think how important the happening was.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 3:4

3:4a

Have you suffered so much for nothing: Before you translate 3:4a, there are two issues to consider:

Issue 1: The interpretation issue

There are three ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as suffered :

(1) It refers to the bad things that the Galatians had experienced. In other word, it refers to the persecution that they had suffered. In this interpretation, the verb is understood in a negative sense. It is likely that the Galatian believers had previously suffered for their faith because of persecution. For example:

Have you suffered so many things for nothing? (NET Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, English Standard Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (1996), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It refers to the good and bad things that they had experienced. In this interpretation, the verb is understood as either positive or negative experiences. For example:

Did you experience so many things in vain? (Revised Standard Version)

(3) It refers to the good experiences they have had since they believed in Christ. In this interpretation, the verb is understood in a positive sense. For example:

Have all your great experiences been in vain…? (New English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). “Suffered” is the normal meaning of this word in the New Testament. And this is the meaning that Paul intended in all other places in his letters where he used this word.

Issue 2: The rhetorical question

This is Paul’s fourth rhetorical question in this chapter. Like the other rhetorical questions, it is a rebuke. The Galatians suffered because they believed in Jesus. Paul rebukes them and says that if they turn away from that faith, they have suffered for nothing.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Did you suffer so much for nothing? (God’s Word)

• As a statement. For example:

You have suffered so much for the Good News. (New Living Translation (1996))

• As a command. For example:

Do not allow your suffering to be for nothing.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language.

for nothing: This word refers to something that is useless or without purpose.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

no use/value
-or-
in vain
-or-
wasted

3:4b

if it really was for nothing: Paul added this phrase to his rhetorical question to express his hope that the suffering of the Galatians was not in vain. It was not too late for them to return to the true gospel.

Some ways to translate this phrase are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Surely it was not in vain, was it? (New Living Translation (1996))

• As a statement. For example:

I do not believe that it was for nothing!
-or-
I hope not! (New Century Version)

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