Galatians 3

1 Oh, ignorant Galatians, who has bewitched you? Christ was crucified in public, before your very eyes, yet you seem to have forgotten it.

2-4 I only want you to tell me one thing: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law, or by faith, from hearing and believing the Gospel? Do you really intend to rely on your flesh, which could not begin your salvation, to perfect it? It would be insanity. Would you simply throw away the benefits of the tribulation you have suffered?

5 You have seen miracles worked in you, and you have known the presence of the Spirit. Did this come about because you relied on works of the Law, or because you relied on faith?

6-9 Recall that Abraham “trusted God, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness” - not his obedience to the law, because Abraham lived before the law was handed down. God actually foretold the Gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed in you.” The same faith that blessed Abraham now blesses Jew and Gentile alike, and the true sons of Abraham are all who are justified by such faith.

10-12 Anyone relying on works lives under a curse. It is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not confirm the words of the Law by doing them.” Do the righteous live by law? No, “The righteous will live by faith.” Trying to become righteous before God by following the Law is futile. One must believe, first and foremost, and trust in faith rather than works. Try to comprehend the implications of Scripture, when it tells you, “Whoever does them will live by them.”

13-14 You know what is written: “The cursed will be hung on a tree.” This is why Christ endured crucifixion for us, to redeem us from the curse of the law by taking our place. In this way He transmitted the blessing of Abraham to the Gentiles, so that we all might receive, by faith, God’s promise of the spirit.

16 The promise to Abraham was granted to him and his descendant. Not “descendants”, in the plural, but descendant. And this descendant is Jesus Christ.

15-18 This was a promise of God, a testament established 430 years before Moses; so how could the Law nullify it or add to it, so as to invalidate the promise? Even in the world of men, nobody nullifies or adds to someone’s last will and testament. If our inheritance came from the Law, then it did not come from a promise; but this is impossible, once you see that God’s promise to Abraham was not revoked.

19 Then why the Law? To increase our awareness of sin. It showed humanity what constituted transgressions in the eyes of God.

20Angels delivered the Law to humanity through a mediator, to serve until the descendant should come, the one who was heir to the promise. And consider this: A mediator by definition serves more than one person, but there is only one God.

21-24 I am not saying that the Law is contrary to the promises of God. Not at all. But if the Law had power to give life, then it would have resulted in righteousness, and it did not. What it did was to confine together and guard those who followed it, showing them to live in sin. It was our disciplinarian, our tutor, until the promise by faith would be revealed in Jesus Christ, given to us so that we would believe.

25-27 Now that true faith has arrived, you are no longer governed by a guardian. You have inherited God’s promise through your faith in Christ; for if you were baptized in Christ, you were clothed in Christ, as a child is clothed when he comes of age and can receive his inheritance.

28-29 You are all sons of God in Christ; for if you abide in Christ, you are equal heirs according to the promise God made to Abraham. There exists neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Oh foolish Galatians, what has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was displayed crucified?

2 I only want to learn this from you: did you receive the Spirit by works of law, or by listening with faith?

3 Are you so foolish that, having begun in the Spirit, you will attain your goal in the flesh?

4 Have you suffered so much in vain? If, indeed, it was in vain.

5 The giving of the Spirit and working of miracles in you: from works of law, or from hearing in faith?

6 In the same way, Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

7 You must realize, then, that those who live by faith, they are the sons of Abraham.

8 And the Scripture, foretelling that by faith God would justify the Gentiles, delivered the Gospel to Abraham in advance: “All the nations will be blessed in you,”

9 so those by faith are blessed with the faith of Abraham.

10 For those under works are cursed. It is written, “All who do not persevere in all the writing, in the book of law He created for them, are cursed.”

11 And it is clear that nobody becomes righteous with God through the law. “The righteous will live by faith,”

12 but the law is not based on faith, rather, “He following them will live by them.”

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming accursed for us, as is written, “Accursed are all who hang on a tree,”

14 that Abraham’s blessing might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15 Brothers, even in human terms, when a covenant has been ratified nobody nullifies or adds to it.

16 Now, the promises were made to Abraham and his descendant. It did not say “And to descendants,” as for many, but as for one, “And to your descendant,” who is Christ.

17 What I am saying is this: A covenant previously established by God is not rescinded by law established 430 years later, so as to invalidate the promise.

18 For if the inheritance came from the law, it was no longer from a promise; but God granted it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Therefore, why the law was added was because of transgressions, until the time the descendant to whom it was promised might come, being established through angels by the hand of a mediator.

20 A mediator, however, is not for one person; but God is One.

21 Then is the law contrary to the promises of God? Absolutely not, for righteousness would truly come from law, if it had the power to give life.

22 But the Scripture confined all together under sin, so that the promise might be given to believers, by faith in Jesus Christ.

23 For before faith came, we were being guarded by confinement under law, until the approaching faith would be revealed.

24 Thus the law was our disciplinarian until the coming of Christ, that by faith we might be justified.

25 But faith having come, we are no longer under discipline.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many of you as were baptized in Christ, were clothed in Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you are in Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and thus, according to promise, his heirs.

1 Oh ignorant Galatians, what you bewitches, to whom before eyes Jesus Christ was publicly–displayed being-crucified?

2 this only I desire to learn from you, by aOr from. works of law the spirit you received or by hearing of faith?

3 So ignorant are you having started in spirit bAmbiguous. This could mean the Holy Spirit, or the spiritual nature of the believer. Both are grammatically correct and theologically sound. now in flesh you complete cOr finish. The concept of completion in Greek often carries a connotation of success and/or perfection, as it does here. (The sarcasm should thus be evident.) ?

4 So much you suffered in vain? If indeed in vain.

5 So, the furnishing dOr (he) who furnishes. The phrase could refer to either the act of giving or the person who did the giving. We would say “the Giver” for the latter meaning in English. We can just barely use a participle in English as a noun characterizing a person by an action; we could understand “The Sinning will be judged” but we would prefer “Those who sin” or “The sinner”.
This brings up a rather complex issue of translation. Put as simply as possible: Most translators (even in “literal” translations) become habituated to treating noun participles, such as “the giving”, as a relative pronoun and finite verb, such as “who gives”, and then implying a subject if needed. They are not necessarily wrong in doing so, either. But I think they get so used to doing it, that the possibility of translating these constructions literally never occurs to them. In this case, for example, "the act of furnishing" (as opposed to "(he) who furnishes") is a valid translation and changes the meaning, but the possibility appears to be overlooked by most. See the General Note on translating Greek participles. eThis is a compound verb, whose component roots literally mean “to lead a chorus”; and in fact, this is what it originally meant. But it came to mean “sponsor a chorus,” i.e. supply the funds for it, and over time became broader in meaning, to the point where it can be translated simply “to give” or “to furnish”. Even so, the verb carries overtones of a public or charitable service being rendered, and also, a sense of an abundant gift. to you the Spirit and working miracles in you from fOr by. See following note. works of law or from hearing by gOr in, or with. Prepositions are so inexact in this regard that they must be supplied by context. The temptation for a translator to supply a preposition that fits a preconceived notion is correspondingly strong. faith.

6 Just as Abraham believed in god, and it was credited hOriginally a numerical term. One could read it as an accounting metaphor, so the English credited is doubly accurate. Older translations use “reckon”, but in modern popular English (at least in the U.S.) “reckon”, in its original sense, is disappearing, and many will not understand it as an accounting term. to him as righteousness.

7 You know iOr Know. This could be either a command (imperative) or a simple (indicative) statement. therefore that the by-faith, these sons are of Abraham.

8 And knowing-in-advance the scripture that by faith justifies j Poss. makes upright. Paul takes a verb meaning “to vindicate”, as in a court of law, and applies it to God’s judgment. We know and use this word, translated “justify”, in the context of Christian theology; and it seems to be Paul who originated the usage. the Gentiles god pre-evangelized to Abraham, “Will be blessed in you all the nations,”

9 so the by-faith are blessed with the faith of Abraham.

10 For whoever by works is under curse is. For is written, “Accursed all who not persevere in all the writing in the book of the law to do them.

11 And that in law nobody becomes righteous with god is plain, “The righteous by faith will live”,

12 but the law is not based on faith, rather, “He following them will live by them.”

13 Christ us bought out kOr redeemed. Much like in English, the literal meaning of redeem, “to buy something back” with money, is extended to the more abstract notion of Christ buying back our lost souls by paying our “debt” with His life. of the curse of the law becoming for us curse, that is written, “Accursed all the hanging on tree lAlt. wood. “Wood” is the narrow and most literal meaning of the Greek word, but the Old Testament quote refers to a dead body hung for display on a tree. It is a verbal oddity that the literal word “wood” is translated as “tree”, and then we must understand that “tree” means “wood”, i.e. a cross built from lumber. ,”

14 that to the Gentiles the blessing of Abraham might occur in Christ Jesus, that the promise of spirit we might receive through faith.

15 Brothers, even in human terms, when a covenant has been ratified nobody nullifies or adds to it.

16 Now to Abraham was said the promises and to the descendant of him. Not says it, “And to the descendants,” as for many, but as for one, And the descendant of you, who is Christ.

17 And this I am saying, covenant previously-established by god the after four-hundred and thirty years being-established law not annuls, in order to invalidate the promise.

18 For if the inheritance came from the law, it was no longer from a promise; but God granted it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? Because of Or on account of; or for the sake of. This could hardly be less clear. Does the law “restrain” sin, or “define” sin, or “deal with” sin (on an interim basis), or “increase” sin? All four meanings are possible and have been argued by eminent scholars. transgressions it was added, until when might have come the descendant to whom it was promised, being established through angels by hand of mediator.

20 And the mediator of one not is, but god one is.

21 Then the law contrary to the promises of god? Definitely not, for if was given law the having-power to give life, actually from law would have been righteousness.

22 But confined mPoss. shut up together. The word is used of a single person put in prison, but its components use a prefix normally meaning “together”. That would be appropriate here, reflecting the limited and well-defined group who received the law. Or, it might stress the completeness of a surrounding wall, enclosed on all sides. the scripture nLit. the writing. the entirety under sin that the promise by faith of oOr of, or from, etc. Another instance of the pistis Xristou ambiguity. Jesus Christ might be given to the believing.

23 For before to have come faith under law we were being guarded pOr being shut out from (the faith by the law). An ambiguity exists as to whether the law guarded us in a protective sense until the time for faith to be revealed, or imprisoned us in the sense of excluding us from true faith. The NASB and KJV use the latter reading, but it might be preferable to leave the ambiguity intact, as many others do. being-confined until the coming-soon faith to be revealed.

24 Thus the law disciplinarian of us was until Christ, that by faith we might be found righteous

25 But faith having come, we are no longer under discipline.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For as many in Christ you were baptized, in Christ you were clothed qClothed might have a connotation of coming into maturity, an event that was marked by a formal and frequently ceremonial change of clothing from that of a child to that of a man. .

28 not there is Jew nor Greek, not there is slave nor free, not there is male and female, for all you one are in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you in Christ, then of Abraham descendants you are, according to promise heirs.