Galatians 3
Foolish Galatians, who bewitched you — was the Spirit received from works of law or from the hearing of faith? Abraham believed and it was reckoned for righteousness; those of faith are his sons, and the scripture told the good news beforehand that all the nations would be blessed in him. Those of works of law are under a curse — Christ bought us out of the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, since everyone hung on a tree is cursed. A ratified covenant no one sets aside — the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed (singular: Christ), and the law four hundred and thirty years later cannot annul it. What then is the law — added for transgressions, until the seed should come, through angels in a mediator’s hand. The scripture shut up all under sin; the law was a tutor unto Christ. Now you are all sons of God through faith — having put on Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, no male and female; all are one in Christ, Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν, οἷς κατ’ ὀφθαλμοὺς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς προεγράφη ἐσταυρωμένος; … ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως; … ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε; τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῇ; — O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you … did you receive the Spirit from works of law, or from the hearing of faith? … Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being brought to completion by flesh? Did you suffer so many things for nothing? Six questions in five verses — the letter addresses its readers by name here for the first time (Ὦ occurs only here in the letter). βασκαίνω occurs once in the New Testament — the word of the evil eye — and the next phrase is ‘before your eyes’ (κατ’ ὀφθαλμούς). προεγράφη is the verb of Rom 15:4, ‘written beforehand’; the reading ‘placarded’ is in the rejected option. ἐσταυρωμένος is a perfect participle — the form of 1 Cor 1:23 and 2:2, ‘Christ crucified’. Verses 2 and 5 ask the same question twice — ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως. The two datives of v.3, πνεύματι / σαρκί, divide the beginning from the completion — ἐνάρχομαι (two places, with Phil 1:6) paired with ἐπιτελέω (Rom 15:28, ‘bring to completion’). εἰκῇ is the word of Rom 13:4, ‘for nothing’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis πρό as ‘beforehand’ — one verb with Rom 15:4, Eph 3:3, Jude 4; ‘before your eyes’ is said separately by κατ’ ὀφθαλμούς.
Basis προγράφω can mean to post a public notice.
Rejected Read spatially, πρό duplicates κατ’ ὀφθαλμούς and cuts the thread to Rom 15:4.
Basis Not paraphrased as ‘hearing with faith’ or ‘the message of faith’ — the genitive stays open.
Lost in translation
βασκαίνω (the evil eye) beside κατ’ ὀφθαλμούς (before your eyes) — ‘bewitch’ carries no eye.
Verse 2 = verse 5 — the same question in the same words, twice.
πνεύματι / σαρκί — two bare datives, ‘by the Spirit / by flesh’, in one construction.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.6 Observation
Syntactic observation
καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Γινώσκετε ἄρα ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσιν Ἀβραάμ. προϊδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ … προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως εὐλογοῦνται σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ — Just as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness. Know then that those of faith, these are sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing … brought the good news beforehand to Abraham: ‘In you all the nations will be blessed.’ So those of faith are blessed together with the faithful Abraham. Verse 6 is Gen 15:6 — the quotation of Rom 4:3, in the same words. Γινώσκετε is one form for indicative and imperative — this edition takes the imperative. In v.8 the scripture is the subject — ‘foreseeing’ (προοράω) and ‘brought the good news beforehand’ (προευαγγελίζομαι, once in the New Testament) — πρό twice. The quotation is Gen 12:3 / 18:18 — the sentence of Acts 3:25 (there ‘in your seed all the families of the earth’). The root of faith four times in vv.6-9 — ἐπίστευσεν · ἐκ πίστεως twice · τῷ πιστῷ (the faithful Abraham). Two verbs of blessing — ἐνευλογηθήσονται (the quotation of v.8, ἐνευλογέω) · εὐλογοῦνται (v.9, εὐλογέω).
Rendering options · 3
Basis ἄρα draws the conclusion and hands it to the reader; the indicative ‘you know’ is the rejected option.
Basis The indicative reading of the same form.
Rejected After ‘foolish’ in v.1, ‘you know’ sits awkwardly — though the text itself does not decide; recorded here.
Basis One frame with 2:12 ‘those of the circumcision’ and 3:10 ‘those of works of law’ — not ‘believers’ (v.22 has τοῖς πιστεύουσιν for that).
Lost in translation
ἐπίστευσεν · πίστις ×2 · πιστός — ‘believed · of faith ×2 · faithful’: the fourth keeps the root only in English.
The two moods of Γινώσκετε — closed to the imperative.
προϊδοῦσα · προευηγγελίσατο — the two πρό kept as ‘foreseeing … beforehand’.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσὶν ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν … Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει … Ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται … Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα … Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου — For as many as are of works of law are under a curse … ‘Cursed is everyone who does not remain …’ … ‘The righteous one by faith will live’ … ‘The one who has done them will live in them.’ Christ bought us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse for us … ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’ Four quotations in four verses — Deut 27:26 · Hab 2:4 · Lev 18:5 · Deut 21:23. The second is the sentence of Rom 1:17 (there with δέ), the third that of Rom 10:5 (there with ἄνθρωπος — here ⸀αὐτά). The first and fourth open alike, Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς — the curse moves from the one who breaks the law to the one hung on a tree. κατάρα three times in vv.10-13, ἐπικατάρατος twice. ἐξαγοράζω is ἀγοράζω (buy) with ἐκ — ‘buy out’, once more at 4:5. ξύλον is the word of Acts 5:30 and 10:39, ‘hang on a tree’ — not σταυρός. In v.14 εὐλογία stands against the κατάρα of v.13.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The verb of 1 Cor 6:20, 7:23 ‘bought with a price’, with ἐκ — ‘redeem’ belongs to ἀπολύτρωσις (Luke 21:28, Rom 3:24).
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected It gives the word of ἀπολύτρωσις to an ἀγοράζω verb and merges two roots.
Basis The word of Deut 21:23 kept — not changed to ‘cross’.
Lost in translation
κατάρα ×3 · ἐπικατάρατος ×2 — ‘curse / cursed’ keep one root; in English ἀνάθεμα (1:8-9, ‘accursed’) stays a different word.
Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς … Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς — the two quotations open alike.
ἐξαγοράζω ↔ ἀγοράζω (1 Cor 6:20) — ‘buy out / buy’ keep the root.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀδελφοί, κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω· ὅμως ἀνθρώπου κεκυρωμένην διαθήκην οὐδεὶς ἀθετεῖ ἢ ἐπιδιατάσσεται. τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἐρρέθησαν αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ· οὐ λέγει· Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐφ’ ἑνός· Καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστός … ὁ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη γεγονὼς νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ — Brothers, I speak according to man: even a man’s covenant, once ratified, no one sets aside or adds directions to … It does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ … but … ‘And to your seed,’ who is Christ … the law which came four hundred and thirty years afterwards does not annul. κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω is the phrase of Rom 3:5. κυρόω (2 Cor 2:8) · προκυρόω (v.17, once in the New Testament) · ἀκυρόω (Matt 15:6, ‘annul’) — three on one root. διαθήκη is the word of Matt 26:28, ‘covenant’ — one word even for a man’s. Verse 16 argues from the number of σπέρμα — not ‘to seeds’ (plural) but ‘to your seed’ (singular) · ὅς ἐστιν Χριστός. The subject of λέγει is not supplied (the scripture, or God). Four hundred and thirty years is Exod 12:40. In v.18 κεχάρισται is the perfect of Rom 8:32 ‘freely give’ — with no object.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Seed’ as fixed at John 7:42, Rom 1:3 — ‘offspring’ would lose the argument from number.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected The argument rests on ‘seed’ being one word that is both one and many; ‘descendant’ cannot carry that.
Basis ‘Will/testament’ would cut it from God’s διαθήκη in v.17 — the argument is that vv.15 and 17 share the word.
Lost in translation
κυρόω · προκυρόω · ἀκυρόω — ‘ratify · ratify beforehand · annul’: the third loses the root.
σπέρμα singular and plural — ‘seed / seeds’ keep the number.
The subject of λέγει — supplied by neither the text nor the rendering.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τί οὖν ὁ νόμος; τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν προσετέθη, ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ᾧ ἐπήγγελται, διαταγεὶς δι’ ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου· ὁ δὲ μεσίτης ἑνὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ὁ δὲ θεὸς εἷς ἐστιν … συνέκλεισεν ἡ γραφὴ τὰ πάντα ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίαν … ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκλειόμενοι … ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν — What then is the law? It was added for the sake of transgressions … being directed through angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not of one; but God is one … the scripture shut up all things under sin … we were garrisoned under law, shut up … the law has become our tutor unto Christ. Τί οὖν ὁ νόμος has no verb — ‘what’, not ‘why’. χάριν is a postpositive preposition (Luke 7:47 οὗ χάριν). δι’ ἀγγέλων is the tradition of Acts 7:53, ‘ordinances of angels’. Verse 20 is the darkest sentence of the letter — ἑνός (of one) against εἷς (one), and the text does not say one what. This edition leaves it open: ‘is not of one’. συγκλείω (Rom 11:32 ‘shut up’) twice in vv.22-23, φρουρέω (2 Cor 11:32 ‘garrison’) once — military words. παιδαγωγός is the ‘tutor’ of 1 Cor 4:15 — εἰς Χριστόν can be ‘until Christ’ (time) or ‘to Christ’ (goal); ‘unto Christ’ keeps both.
Rendering options · 3
Basis ‘Of one party’, ‘of one person’, ‘for one’ — none is in the text; the bare genitive stands.
Basis The familiar gloss.
Rejected It supplies ‘party’ and ‘only’; the gloss belongs here, not in the text.
Basis ‘Until Christ came’ closes the goal reading.
Lost in translation
ἑνός / εἷς — ‘of one / one’: one numeral in two cases, the opening kept.
συνέκλεισεν · συγκλειόμενοι — ‘shut up / shut up’: one verb in two voices.
εἰς Χριστόν, time or goal — ‘unto’ keeps both.
The verbless Τί οὖν ὁ νόμος — ‘What then is the law?’ supplies the copula.
Why this rendering
Gal.3.26 Observation
Syntactic observation
πάντες γὰρ υἱοὶ θεοῦ ἐστε διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε· οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ· πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. εἰ δὲ ὑμεῖς Χριστοῦ, ἄρα τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐστέ, κατ’ ἐπαγγελίαν κληρονόμοι — For you are all sons of God through the faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise. υἱοί is ‘sons’ — the word of v.7 ‘sons of Abraham’ becomes ‘sons of God’; not ‘children’ (τέκνα). In v.26 διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ reads either as ‘faith that is in Christ Jesus’ or as ‘through the faith … in Christ Jesus’ — this edition keeps the two apart. ἐνδύω is the verb of Rom 13:14, ‘put on Christ’. The three pairs of v.28 — the first two with οὐδέ (neither … nor), the third alone with καί (male and female) — the words of Gen 1:27, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ. ἔνι is the form of 1 Cor 6:5. εἷς is masculine ‘one’ — ‘one body’ or ‘one person’ is not supplied. In v.29 Χριστοῦ is a bare genitive — ‘Christ’s’. Base text ⸀πάντες (v.28) · ⸀κατ’ (v.29 — the Received Text καὶ κατ’).
Rendering options · 3
Basis The first two pairs use οὐδέ, the third καί — the Gen 1:27 phrase negated whole. ‘Neither male nor female’ would erase the difference.
Basis The familiar rendering that levels the three pairs.
Rejected It erases the text’s change of conjunction in the third pair.
Basis One word with v.7 ‘sons of Abraham’, leading into υἱοθεσία (4:5-7); ‘children’ would cut the thread.
Lost in translation
οὐδέ · οὐδέ · καί — the third pair’s different conjunction stands as ‘neither … nor / and’.
The masculine of εἷς — ‘one’ carries no gender.
υἱοί ×2 (v.7, v.26) — one ‘sons’ links Abraham and God.
The two phrases of v.26 — kept apart, so both readings remain.