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Galatians 1

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Salutation and Apostolic Authority 1–5

1
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) ​
2
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: ​
3
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, ​
4
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: ​
5
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Astonishment at the Desertion of the Gospel 6–10

6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ​
7
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ​
8
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ​
9
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. ​

The Gospel Received by Revelation 11–24

11
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. ​
12
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. ​
13
For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: ​
14
And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. ​
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, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: ​
17
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. ​
18
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. ​
19
But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. ​
20
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
21
Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
22
And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: ​
23
But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. ​
24
And they glorified God in me. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Galatians 1

Verse 1

not of men, neither by man — Paul denies his commission both a human source and a human channel, and one 'by' covers 'Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead'. Apostolos is one sent out. The Lord had said of Saul, 'he is a chosen vessel unto me' (Acts 9:15).

Verse 2

all the brethren which are with me — They are not named, unlike 'Sosthenes our brother' in 1 Cor 1:1. 'Churches' is plural: Galatia was a region of several congregations, which Paul had directed about the collection (1 Cor 16:1) and had crossed 'in order, strengthening all the disciples' (Acts 18:23).

Verse 3

Grace be to you and peace — Charis and eirene, the opening of Rom 1:7 and 1 Cor 1:3 as well. Both come from 'God the Father, and… our Lord Jesus Christ' together. 'Grace' returns in v.6 as the very thing the Galatians were leaving, 'the grace of Christ'.

Verse 4

gave himself for our sins — The gift was his own: 'who loved me, and gave himself for me' (Gal 2:20). 'Deliver' is exaireo, to pluck out, the verb of Peter's rescue, 'delivered me out of the hand of Herod' (Acts 12:11). 'World' is aion, an age: the 'present evil' age, and the rescue is 'according to the will of God and our Father'.

Verse 6

removed… unto another gospel — Metatithemi, to transfer, the verb of Enoch who 'was translated' (Heb 11:5). The Galatians were being moved from 'him that called you'. 'Another' here is heteros, a different one; in v.7 'not another' is allos, so there is no second gospel.

Verse 7

would pervert the gospel of Christ — Metastrepho, to turn into the opposite, as 'The sun shall be turned into darkness' (Acts 2:20) and 'laughter be turned to mourning' (Jas 4:9). The troublers (tarasso) match those who 'troubled you with words' about circumcision (Acts 15:24).

Verse 8

let him be accursed — Anathema, one placed under a curse; it occurs in six verses of the New Testament (Acts 23:14; Rom 9:3; 1 Cor 12:3; 16:22; Gal 1:8, 9). The test is the message, not the messenger: even 'we, or an angel from heaven' (cf. 2 Cor 11:14, Satan 'transformed into an angel of light') stand under it.

Verse 10

do I now persuade men, or God? — Peitho, to win over. 'Please' is aresko, used for the second and third clauses. Seeking human favour and being 'the servant of Christ' (doulos, bondservant) are set against each other, as in 'We ought to obey God rather than men' (Acts 5:29) and 1 Thess 2:4.

Verse 11

not after man — Gnorizo, 'to make known', opens the proof: the gospel Paul preached is not 'after man' (kata anthropon), not shaped by a human pattern. The same verb introduces 'the gospel which I preached unto you' in 1 Cor 15:1, and 'by revelation he made known unto me the mystery' in Eph 3:3.

Verse 12

neither received it of man, neither was I taught it — Two verbs: paralambano, to take over what is handed on (Paul's word for the Supper, 'I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you', 1 Cor 11:23), and didasko, to teach. Its source is 'the revelation of Jesus Christ', apokalypsis, an unveiling.

Verse 13

the Jews' religion — Ioudaismos, found only here and in v.14. 'Conversation' (anastrophe) is manner of life. 'Wasted' is portheo, to ravage: the verb of v.23 ('destroyed') and of Acts 9:21, 'Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem?' Paul repeats the confession in 1 Cor 15:9.

Verse 14

my equals — Synelikiotes, a contemporary of the same age, found only here. 'Zealous' (zelotes) of 'the traditions of my fathers' matches his own list: 'a Pharisee… Concerning zeal, persecuting the church' (Phil 3:5–6), and 'the most straitest sect of our religion' (Acts 26:5).

Verse 15

separated me from my mother's womb — Aphorizo, to set apart, the verb of Rom 1:1, 'separated unto the gospel of God'. The wording echoes the LORD's word to Jeremiah, 'before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee' (Jer 1:5), and 'The LORD hath called me from the womb' (Isa 49:1). 'Called' is the verb of v.6.

Verse 16

reveal his Son in me — Apokalupto, to unveil, the verb behind 'revelation' in v.12. The aim is to 'preach him among the heathen' (ethnos, the nations). 'Conferred' (prosanatithemi) is found only here and Gal 2:6, 'in conference added nothing to me'. Compare 'flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee' (Matt 16:17).

Verse 17

into Arabia — Paul names no purpose and no length of stay in Arabia, only that he returned to Damascus and did not go up to those who 'were apostles before me'. The Damascus escape under 'Aretas the king' is told in 2 Cor 11:32–33, and Acts 9:25 has 'let him down by the wall in a basket'.

Verse 18

to see Peter — Historeo, to visit in order to become acquainted, found only here. The fifteen days with Peter are the Jerusalem visit of Acts 9:26–29, where Barnabas 'brought him to the apostles' (v.27) and Saul 'spake boldly' (v.29) — a stay measured in days, not a course of instruction.

Verse 19

James the Lord's brother — He heads the names in 'his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas' (Matt 13:55). The risen Lord 'was seen of James' (1 Cor 15:7), and Paul lists him first among 'James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars' (Gal 2:9).

Verse 22

unknown by face — Agnoeo, here 'unknown': the churches of Judaea had never seen him. They are described as 'in Christ', as in 'the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus' (1 Thess 2:14). Judaea is set apart from Jerusalem, where he had stayed fifteen days (v.18).

Verse 23

the faith which once he destroyed — 'Preacheth' is euangelizo, to announce good news, with 'the faith' as what is announced. 'Destroyed' is portheo, the verb of 'wasted' in v.13, so the report names the very work undone. Acts 9:20 records the first step: 'he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.'

Verse 24

they glorified God in me — Doxazo. The Judaean churches' praise went to God, and Paul was the ground of it. The same response follows works of God in Matt 9:8, 'they marvelled, and glorified God', and Acts 11:18, 'they held their peace, and glorified God'.