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Occasion of the Letter

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one[a] who called you by the grace of Christ[b] and are following[c] a different[d] gospel— not that there really is another gospel,[e] but[f] there are some who are disturbing you and wanting[g] to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach[h] a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,[i] let him be condemned to hell![j] As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell![k] 10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people,[l] or of God? Or am I trying to please people?[m] If I were still trying to please[n] people,[o] I would not be a slave[p] of Christ!

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 1:6 sn The one who called you is a reference to God the Father (note the mention of Christ in the following prepositional phrase and the mention of God the Father in 1:1).
  2. Galatians 1:6 tc Although the majority of witnesses, including some of the most important ones (P51 א A B Fc Ψ 33 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 M f vg syp bo), read “by the grace of Christ” (χάριτι Χριστοῦ, chariti Christou) here, this reading is not without variables. Besides alternate readings such as χάριτι ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (chariti Iēsou Christou, “by the grace of Jesus Christ”; D 326 1241s syh**) and χάριτι θεοῦ (chariti theou, “by the grace of God”; 327 Thretlem), a few mss and other witnesses (P46vid F* G Hvid ar b Tert Cyp Ambst Pel) have simply χάριτι with no modifier. Internally, the reading that seems best to explain the rise of the others is the shortest reading, χάριτι. Indeed, the fact that three different adjuncts are found in the mss seems to be a natural expansion on the simple “grace.” At the same time, the witnesses for the shortest reading are not particularly impressive, being that they largely represent one textual strand (Western), and a less-than-reliable one at that. Further, nowhere else in the corpus Paulinum do we see the construction χάρις (charis, “grace”) followed by Χριστοῦ without some other name (such as κυρίου [kuriou, “Lord”] or ᾿Ιησοῦ). The construction χάρις θεοῦ is likewise frequent in Paul. Thus, upon closer inspection it seems that the autographic wording here was χάριτι Χριστοῦ (for it is difficult to explain how this particular reading could have arisen from the simple χάριτι, in light of Paul’s normal idioms), with the other readings intentionally or accidentally arising from it.
  3. Galatians 1:6 tn Grk “deserting [turning away] to” a different gospel, implying the idea of “following.”
  4. Galatians 1:6 tn Grk “another.”
  5. Galatians 1:7 tn Grk “which is not another,” but this could be misunderstood to mean “which is not really different.” In fact, as Paul goes on to make clear, there is no other gospel than the one he preaches.
  6. Galatians 1:7 tn Grk “except.”
  7. Galatians 1:7 tn Or “trying.”
  8. Galatians 1:8 tc ‡ Most witnesses have ὑμῖν (humin, “to you”) either after (א2 A [D* ὑμᾶς] 6 33 326 614 945 1881 M Tertpt Ambst) or before (P51vid B H 0278 630 1175 [1739* ἡμῖν]) εὐαγγελίζηται (euaggelizētai, “should preach” [or some variation on the form of this verb]). But the fact that it floats suggests its inauthenticity, especially since it appears to be a motivated reading for purposes of clarification. The following witnesses lack the pronoun: א* F G Ψ ar b g Cyp McionT Tertpt Lcf. The external evidence admittedly is not as weighty as evidence for the pronoun, but coupled with strong internal evidence the shorter reading should be considered the earliest. Although it is possible that scribes may have deleted the pronoun to make Paul’s statement seem more universal, the fact that the pronoun floats suggests otherwise. NA28 has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.
  9. Galatians 1:8 tn Or “other than the one we preached to you.”
  10. Galatians 1:8 tn Grk “let him be accursed” (ἀνάθεμα, anathema). The translation gives the outcome which is implied by this dreadful curse.
  11. Galatians 1:9 tn See the note on this phrase in the previous verse.
  12. Galatians 1:10 tn Grk “of men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) is used in a generic sense of both men and women.
  13. Galatians 1:10 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) is used in a generic sense of both men and women.
  14. Galatians 1:10 tn The imperfect verb has been translated conatively (ExSyn 550).
  15. Galatians 1:10 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) is used in a generic sense of both men and women.
  16. Galatians 1:10 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households. sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

Distorting the Gospel

I marvel that you are so quickly deserting (A)Him who called you [a]by the grace of Christ for a (B)different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are (C)disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or (D)an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you a gospel [b]contrary to the gospel we have proclaimed to you, let him be [c](E)accursed! As we (F)have said before, so I say again now, (G)if any man is proclaiming to you a gospel [d]contrary to what you received, let him be [e](H)accursed!

10 For am I now (I)seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a (J)slave of Christ.

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 1:6 Lit in
  2. Galatians 1:8 Or other than, more than
  3. Galatians 1:8 Gr anathema
  4. Galatians 1:9 Or other than, more than
  5. Galatians 1:9 Gr anathema