Galatians 5
For freedom Christ freed us — do not be held again in a yoke of slavery; if circumcised, Christ profits nothing and one is a debtor to the whole law. In Christ neither circumcision nor foreskin avails, only faith working through love. Who hindered you who were running well — a little leaven leavens the lump; the troubler will bear judgement, and would that the upsetters cut themselves off. Called for freedom, do not make it a foothold for the flesh but be slaves to one another through love — the whole law is filled up in one word, ‘your neighbour as yourself’. Walk by the Spirit — flesh and Spirit desire against each other. The fifteen works of the flesh are manifest; the fruit of the Spirit is one, singular — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Those who are Christ’s crucified the flesh; if we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step by the Spirit.
Why this rendering
Gal.5.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε … ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει … ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶν ὅλον τὸν νόμον ποιῆσαι. κατηργήθητε ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ οἵτινες ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε … οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη — For freedom Christ freed us; stand therefore, and do not again be held in a yoke of slavery … if you are circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing … he is a debtor to do the whole law. You were abolished from Christ … you fell from grace … neither circumcision avails anything nor foreskin, but faith working through love. Verse 1 carries ⸂⸃ — the Received Text orders the words differently (‘Stand therefore in the freedom …’). τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ is a bare dative — ‘for freedom’ or ‘with freedom’; ἐλευθερία / ἐλευθερόω, one root twice in one verse. ζυγός is the ‘yoke’ of Matt 11:29; ἐνέχω, the verb of Mark 6:19 ‘held it against him’, here ‘be held in’. In v.4 κατηργήθητε ἀπό — the verb of Rom 7:2, 6 ‘be abolished’ with ‘from’. ἐκπίπτω (‘fall’) is the word of the shipwreck in Acts 27. In v.6 οὔτε … οὔτε sets circumcision and foreskin side by side and ἀλλά sets faith up; ἐνεργουμένη is middle — the ‘work’ of 2 Cor 1:6.
Rendering options · 3
Basis John 8:32, 36 ἐλευθερόω ‘free’ · Rom 8:21 ἐλευθερία ‘freedom’ as fixed; the dative taken as purpose, the ‘with freedom’ reading recorded here.
Basis The Received Text’s order.
Rejected Not the base text, and ‘liberty/made free’ splits the root that the Greek keeps.
Basis One word even with a personal subject (as decided at Rom 7:2, 6) — not ‘severed’.
Lost in translation
ἐλευθερίᾳ / ἠλευθέρωσεν — ‘freedom / freed’ keep one root.
The dative τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ — closed to ‘for’.
περιτομή / ἀκροβυστία — ‘circumcision / foreskin’ as fixed, two bodily words.
κατηργήθητε ἀπό — the thread of ‘abolished’ runs to Rom 7:2, 6.
Why this rendering
Gal.5.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς· τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι; ἡ πεισμονὴ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς. μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ. ἐγὼ πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ … ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὑμᾶς βαστάσει τὸ κρίμα … ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ. ὄφελον καὶ ἀποκόψονται οἱ ἀναστατοῦντες ὑμᾶς — You were running well; who hindered you from being persuaded by the truth? The persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I trust in you in the Lord … the one who troubles you will bear the judgement … Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. Would that those who turn you upside down would even cut themselves off! Ἐτρέχετε is imperfect — the ‘run’ of 2:2. ἐγκόπτω is the ‘hinder’ of Rom 15:22 — a word for cutting in on a runner. πείθω three times on one root — v.7 (passive, ‘be persuaded’) · v.8 (πεισμονή, once in the New Testament, ‘persuasion’) · v.10 (perfect πέποιθα, ‘trust’). Verse 9 is letter for letter the sentence of 1 Cor 5:6. ταράσσω is the ‘trouble’ of 1:7. σκάνδαλον is the ‘stumbling block’ of Matt 13:41 and of the cross in 1 Cor 1:23. ὄφελον is the ‘would that’ of 1 Cor 4:8 and 2 Cor 11:1; ἀποκόψονται is middle — ‘cut themselves off’; ἀναστατόω is the verb of Acts 17:6, ‘turn upside down’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Verses 7-8 keep one root, ‘persuaded / persuasion’; the perfect active of v.10 follows 2 Cor 2:3 ‘trust’ — the third loses the root (recorded).
Basis The familiar ‘obey’ for πείθεσθαι.
Rejected It cuts the root to πεισμονή in v.8, and ‘obey’ belongs to ὑπακούω.
Basis As fixed at Mark 9:43; the text does not say what is cut — ‘castrate’ is not supplied.
Lost in translation
πείθεσθαι / πεισμονή — ‘persuaded / persuasion’ keep the root.
πέποιθα (v.10) ↔ vv.7-8 — the third πείθω arrives as ‘trust’.
Verse 9 = 1 Cor 5:6 — the same sentence in the same words.
ἐγκόπτω, ‘cut in on’ — ‘hinder’ carries no track.
Why this rendering
Gal.5.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἐπ’ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἐκλήθητε, ἀδελφοί· μόνον μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῇ σαρκί, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις· ὁ γὰρ πᾶς νόμος ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ πεπλήρωται … εἰ δὲ ἀλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε, βλέπετε μὴ ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων ἀναλωθῆτε … πνεύματι περιπατεῖτε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσητε. ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός … εἰ δὲ πνεύματι ἄγεσθε, οὐκ ἐστὲ ὑπὸ νόμον — For you were called for freedom, brothers; only do not make the freedom a foothold for the flesh, but through love be slaves to one another. For the whole law has been filled up in one word … if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another … walk by the Spirit, and you will by no means complete the desire of flesh. For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh … if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Verse 13 sets freedom and slavery in one verse — ἐλευθερία twice · δουλεύω (Rom 6:6 ‘be a slave to’). The second clause of v.13 has no verb (‘make’ is supplied). ἀφορμή is the ‘foothold’ of Rom 7:8. In v.14 πεπλήρωται is the perfect of Rom 13:8 ‘fill up the law’; the quotation is letter for letter that of Rom 13:9. Verse 15 has three verbs of beasts — δάκνω (once in the New Testament, ‘bite’) · κατεσθίω (‘devour’) · ἀναλίσκω (‘consume’ — Luke 9:54, of fire). In vv.16-18 πνεύματι three times, all bare datives — ‘by the Spirit’. ἐπιθυμία / ἐπιθυμέω three times in vv.16-17. In v.17 whether ἵνα is purpose or result the text does not decide.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Not softened to ‘serve’ — the verse sets freedom and slavery in one sentence.
Basis The familiar rendering.
Rejected δουλεύω is not διακονέω — the echo of ‘a yoke of slavery’ in v.1 is lost.
Basis Not ‘summed up’ or ‘fulfilled’ — the ‘filled up’ of Matt 13:14.
Lost in translation
ἐλευθερία ×2 · δουλεύω — ‘freedom … be slaves’ echo v.1 ‘a yoke of slavery’.
The quotation of v.14 = Rom 13:9 — the same words.
ἐπιθυμία / ἐπιθυμέω — ‘desire / desires’ keep the root.
The ἵνα of v.17, purpose or result — ‘so that you do not’ keeps both.
Why this rendering
Gal.5.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστιν πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια, εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλος, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις, φθόνοι, μέθαι, κῶμοι, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις, ἃ προλέγω ὑμῖν καθὼς προεῖπον ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν — Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are: sexual immorality, uncleanness, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, rages, selfish ambitions, dissensions, sects, envies, drunkenness, revelries, and the things like these … those who practise such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Fifteen — singulars (sexual immorality · uncleanness · indecency · idolatry · sorcery · strife · jealousy) mixed with plurals (enmities · rages · selfish ambitions · dissensions · sects · envies · drunkennesses · revelries). ζῆλος (v.20) and φθόνος (v.21) — ‘jealousy / envy’, as fixed at Rom 13:13 and Rom 1:29. αἵρεσις is the ‘sect’ of Acts 5:17. Five overlap with Rom 13:13 (κῶμος · μέθη · ἔρις · ζῆλος · ἀσέλγεια), four with 2 Cor 12:20 (ἔρις · ζῆλος · θυμός · ἐριθεία), and φθόνος and ἔρις with Rom 1:29. Base text ⸀ἐστιν (v.19 — the Received Text adds ‘adultery’ first) · ⸂ἔρις, ζῆλος⸃ (singular — the Received Text plural) · ⸀φθόνοι (the Received Text adds ‘murders’). προλέγω / προεῖπον are the present and aorist of one verb — the frame of 2 Cor 13:2. The close is the sentence of 1 Cor 6:9, ‘will not inherit the kingdom of God’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The word of the sect of the Sadducees and of the Pharisees (Acts 5:17, 15:5, 28:22) — not raised to ‘heresies’.
Basis The later ecclesiastical sense.
Rejected It cuts the six Acts places and changes the register of the list (dissensions, strife).
Basis A word from φάρμακον (drug) — ‘witchcraft’ and ‘divination’ belong elsewhere; measured again at the two places in Revelation.
Lost in translation
ζῆλος / φθόνος — ‘jealousy / envy’ keep two words.
The mix of singular and plural — ‘enmities · rages · selfish ambitions …’ keep the plurals except drunkenness.
προλέγω / προεῖπον — ‘say beforehand / said beforehand’: one verb, two tenses.
Why this rendering
Gal.5.22 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πραΰτης, ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος. οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. εἰ ζῶμεν πνεύματι, πνεύματι καὶ στοιχῶμεν. μὴ γινώμεθα κενόδοξοι, ἀλλήλους προκαλούμενοι, ἀλλήλοις φθονοῦντες — the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law … crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step by the Spirit. Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another. ‘Works’ (ἔργα, plural) is answered by ‘fruit’ (καρπός, singular) — all nine are singular. χρηστότης (kindness) and ἀγαθωσύνη (goodness) stand side by side — two roots, χρηστός ‘good’ of Luke 6:35 and ἀγαθός ‘good’ of Matt 7:17; English divides them as kindness / goodness (aligned 2026-09-20), and only Korean keeps both roots (좋음 / 선함). πίστις stays ‘faith’ — not ‘faithfulness’ (πιστός at 3:9 is kept apart). πραΰτης is the ‘gentleness’ of 1 Cor 4:21, ἐγκράτεια the ‘self-control’ of Acts 24:25. In v.24 ἐσταύρωσαν is active aorist — a different voice from 2:19 ‘have been crucified’ (perfect passive); πάθημα is the ‘passions’ of Rom 7:5. In v.25 περιπατέω (v.16 ‘walk’) and στοιχέω (‘keep in step’) share one chapter — two verbs of walking. In v.26 κενόδοξος (empty glory — κενός + δόξα), προκαλέομαι and φθονέω all occur once in the New Testament.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Not changed to ‘faithfulness’ even in the list — one word, one rendering; ‘faithful’ belongs to πιστός (3:9).
Basis The familiar rendering fitted to the list.
Rejected The text chose πίστις; it gives no reason to render it differently here.
Basis As fixed at Acts 21:24 — the chapter’s two verbs of walking stay two.
Lost in translation
χρηστότης / ἀγαθωσύνη — ‘kindness / goodness’ are two words, but only the second keeps its root (good).
ἔργα (plural) / καρπός (singular) — ‘works / fruit’ keep the number.
περιπατέω / στοιχέω — ‘walk / keep in step’ keep two verbs.
κενόδοξος, κενός + δόξα — ‘vainglorious’ carries glory but not the ‘empty’ of 2:2.