Synthesis Paper for Galatians 3:1-9: An Exegetical Commentary from the Greek

SYNTHESIS PAPER FOR

GALATIANS 3:1-9

THOMAS W. BAKER

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

WRITTEN ON APRIL 8, 2007

COPYRIGHT © 2015 THOMAS W. BAKER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

1

Thomas W. Baker

APRIL 8, 2007

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

Galatians 3:1-9

Translation of Galatians 3:1-9 from the UBS 4th

Greek Critical Text

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed

by means of having been crucified? 2 This only I desire to learn from you, did you receive the Spirit

from the works of law, or from the hearing which produces faith? 3 Are you so foolish, after having

begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in

vain? If indeed it was in vain. 5 Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among

you, does He do it because of your works of law or because you believed by faith in what you heard?

6 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, 7 know then that

those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham. 8 And the scripture foreseeing that God would

justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel beforehand to Abraham saying, "All the nations

will be blessed in you." 9 So that those of faith are being blessed with faithful Abraham.

Outline of Galatians 3:1-9

Justification by Faith ........................................................................................................3:1-9

I. Confrontation with the Galatians ............................................................................3:1

A. Interrogation ......................................................................................................3:1-5

1. Questions knowledge ..................................................................................3:1

2. Questions cause of justification ..................................................................3:2

3. Questions cause of sanctification ................................................................3:3

4. Questions previous persecution ..................................................................3:4

5. Questions the manner of the work of God ..................................................3:5

B. Explanation of Justification by Faith ................................................................3:6-9

2

OBSERVATIONS

Critical Introduction

The book of Galatians was written by Paul around 48-52 A.D. The authorship for this letter

can be clearly determined by the opening in verse 1:1 and also in the body of the epistle in 5:2.

Moreover, most of chapter one and two are autobiographical in that they discuss Paul's activities in

first person. These activities also agree with those mentioned in the book of Acts (cf. Acts 9).

Campbell writes, "The Pauline authorship of Galatians has, except for a few radical critics, been

generally acknowledged. Even when the higher critics of 19th-century Germany were denying

apostolic authorship of book after book, the Tübingen school regarded Galatians as Pauline. The

reasons for this are based on the clear testimony of both internal and external evidence."1 For the

external evidence Campbell sites, "The external evidence for Pauline authorship of Galatians is also

convincing. In the second and third centuries Galatians was attributed to Paul and quoted by

Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. Even the heretics of that time, including Marcion,

assumed it was written by Paul."2

The date of the book is a bit controversial and as stated above estimated around 48-52 A.D.

Although a lot of analysis and discussion has been made about the dates, it seems apparent that no

one can know for sure without some conclusive evidence, which does not seem to exist. Hiebert

writes, "There is no evidence which makes it possible to determine with certainty the exact date of

1Donald K. Campbell, "Galatians," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed.

John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Colorado Springs: Victor Books, 2000), 587.

2Ibid.

3

the epistle. The best that can be done is to fix certain limits within which it was written."3 The

decision on the date seems to revolve around a few key areas. The first deals with whether Paul was

using Galatia in the political sense, or in the ethnographic sense. This has evolved into two main

theories called the North-Galatian Theory, and the South-Galatian Theory. Those using these

theories suggest that holding to one theory or the other affects the location of the churches and thus

the date. Hiebert writes, "As is evident from the Acts narrative, the date is affected by the view taken

of the location of the churches. On the North-Galatian theory it could not have been written until

some time after Acts 16:6, and more probably not until after Acts 18:23. If the South-Galatian theory

is adopted, a much longer period is opened up for a possible date. Advocates of this theory have

assigned Galatians to almost every conceivable date between the end of the first missionary journey

and the latter part of the third."4 Unfortunately, squabbling over these different theories just does not

seem important to the task of exegesis for the passage being analyzed. Hiebert comments,

"Fortunately, neither the value of the epistle or its interpretation is seriously affected by the question.

It is not a liberal versus conservative controversy. It is rather a question of historical and

biographical interest."5 The question of the Northern versus the Southern Theory may not be one of a

conservative versus liberal debate, but just for the record, setting the date does have the potential of

being that kind of debate. Those who place the date much later than the 3rd

missionary journey

usually have a liberal agenda. The only issue that might have some affect on the exegesis is whether

this epistle was written after or before the Acts 15 Jerusalem Conference. Yet, even that has a very

minor affect on interpretation. Unfortunately, to make an attempt at answering that question requires

one to delve into the deep analysis of the location of the churches and the time of writing of the

3D. Edmond Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament (Waynesboro: Gabriel Publishing, 2003), 82.

4Ibid.

5Ibid., 80.

4

epistle. This will not be done for the reasons already mentioned, namely, that one can not know for

certain. Hence, knowing whether Acts 15 took place or not would only help fix a better background

for the response to the Gentiles about the law, but would still not negate any of the arguments made

by Paul. Therefore, the simple date range of 48-52 is being chosen only to help set some sort of

fixture for the background. This accounts for the epistle being written after either the first or second

missionary trip by Paul.

The occasion for the writing of the epistle is alluded to in the first chapter in verse 1:6. The

occasion for writing Galatians comes mainly from the epistle itself, Acts, and historical information

about the political and cultural environment in Galatia. Galatians states that Paul previously

preached the gospel to them (1:7, 9, 11), but there were some (Judaizers) who were trying to pervert

the gospel of Christ (1:7) and turn them to a different gospel (1:6). This different Gospel is a return

to the law (3:3, 4:10, 4:21, 5:4) in order to be justified (5:4). Galatians 5:4 (NKJV) states, "You have

become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."

In addition, it seemed necessary to Paul to defend his creditability to the Galatians. This indicates

that there might have been some discrediting by the Judaizers of Paul's creditability to speak the

truth. This comes after a period where Paul enjoyed a loving relationship with the Galatians (4:14-

16). Paul states in Gal. 4:16 (NKJV), "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the

truth?" Campbell writes, "The Judaizers in Galatia both discredited Paul and proclaimed a false

gospel. It was necessary that Paul vindicate his apostleship and message, a task he undertook in the

first two chapters."6 Then, Paul takes on the task in chapter three of interrogating the Galatians and

reaffirming that justification is by faith not by the works of the law.

6Campbell, 588.

5

Observations of Genre

Galatians' genre is didactic discourse. As an epistle, it can be classified as epistolary

literature. It has a prologue and an epilog like the other epistles do (see table 1 below). Galatians is a

combination of exhortations, interrogations, and expositions to the "Churches of Galatia" (1:2).

Given those characteristics it does not fall cleanly into a hortatory discourse or an expository

discourse, but has a little of both. It also has a historical background and an occasion for writing like

the other epistles. This occasion is treated in verses 1:6—2:10. In addition, there is a logical

development of thought in this epistle as there is with the other epistles. Below in Table 1 you will

find the basic structural elements in the prologue and epilogue for Galatians as compared with the

rest of the New Testament epistles and general letters as justification of its classification.

Table 1. Structural Elements in the Prologue and Epilogue of the Epistles

Prologue Epilogue Book Author

and

Company

Recipients Greeting, Blessings Gratitude and

Thanksgiving to

God

Closing

Greetings

Benediction,

Exhortation

Romans Paul To all who are in

Rome

1:7, "Grace to you and

peace from God our Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ."

1:8, "First, I thank

my God through Jesus Christ..."

16:21-24 16:25-27

1 Corinthians Paul and Sosthenes

Church of God at Corinth

1:3, "Grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ."

1:4, "I thank my God…"

16:19-20 16:22-23

2 Corinthians Paul and Timothy

Church of God at Corinth


Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ."

1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus

Christ…"

13:11-13 13:14

Galatians Paul and

Brethren

Churches of

Galatia


peace from God the

Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,"

1:5, "to whom be

glory forever and

ever. Amen."

6:18 6:18

Ephesians Paul Saints in

Ephesus who are faithful



Jesus Christ."

1:3, "Blessed be the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ…"

6:23 6:24

Philippians Paul and

Timothy

Saints in Christ

Jesus in Philippi



Jesus Christ."

1:3, "I thank my

God …"

4:21-22 4:23

Colossians Paul and Timothy

Saints and Faithful Brethren

in Colosse


Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ."

1:3, "We give thanks to the God and

Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ…"

4:7-15 4:16-18

6

Table 1—Continued.

Prologue Epilog Book Author

and

Company

Recipients Greeting, Blessings Gratitude and

Thanksgiving to

God

Closing

Greetings

Benediction,

Exhortation

1 Thessalonians Paul,

Silvanus, and Timothy

Church of the

Thessalonians



Jesus Christ."

1:2, "We give thanks

to God …"

5:26 5:12-28

2 Thessalonians Paul,

Silvanus, and Timothy

Church of the

Thessalonians



Jesus Christ."

1:3, "We are bound

to thank God…"

No 3:16-18

1 Timothy Paul Timothy 1:2, "Grace, mercy, and peace from God our

Father and Jesus Christ

our Lord."

No No 6:11-21

2 Timothy Paul Timothy 1:2, "Grace, mercy, and peace from God the

Father and Christ Jesus

our Lord."

1:3, "I thank God…" 4:19-21 4:22

Titus Paul Titus 1:4, "Grace, mercy, and

peace from God the

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our

Savior."

No 3:15 3:14

Philemon Paul and Timothy

Philemon, Apphia,

Archippus and

the Church in your house

3, "Grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ."

4, "I thank my God, making mention of

you always in my

prayers,"

23-24 25

Hebrews No Not in prolog No No 13:22-25 13:20-21

James James Twelve Tribes

Scattered Abroad

1:1, "Greetings." No No No

1 Peter Peter To the pilgrims of the

Dispersion...

1:2, "…Grace to you and peace be

multiplied."

1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus

Christ"

5:12-14 5:11

2 Peter Peter To those who

have obtained

like precious faith …

1:2, "Grace and peace

be multiplied to you in

the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,"

No No 3:17-18

1 John No No No No No 5:21

2 John The Elder To the elect lady

and her children

3, "Grace, mercy, and

peace will be with you from God the Father and

from the Lord Jesus

Christ…"

No 12-13 No

3 John The Elder Gaius 2, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all

things and be in health, just as your soul

prospers."

No 13-14 11

Jude Jude To those who are

called, sanctified by God the

Father, and

preserved in Jesus Christ

2, "Mercy, peace, and

love be multiplied to you."

No No 24-25

Revelation John To the seven

churches which are in Asia


peace from Him …"

1:5-6, "...to Him be

glory and dominion forever and ever."

No 22:21

7

Observations of Structure

Observational Outline of Galatians I. Prologue ................................................................................................................................... 1:1-5

A. Author and company ................................................................................................................ 1:1-2a

B. Recipients ............................................................................................................................ 1:2b

C. Greeting ............................................................................................................................ 1:3

D. Blessings ............................................................................................................................ 1:3

E. Gratitude and thanksgiving to God .......................................................................................... 1:4-5

II. Occasion ................................................................................................................................... 1:6—2:10

A. Turning away from God to a different Gospel ......................................................................... 1:6

B. Persecution and trouble from others ........................................................................................ 1:7a

C. Perversion of the Gospel .......................................................................................................... 1:7b-9

D. Paul's Defense of Himself ........................................................................................................ 1:10—2:10

1. Paul is not pleasing men ................................................................................................... 1:10

2. Received true Gospel from God ....................................................................................... 1:11-12

3. Former persecutor of the Church ...................................................................................... 1:13

4. Previously excelled in Judaism ......................................................................................... 1:14

5. Did not confer with flesh and blood after called by God .................................................. 1:15-16

6. Past Journeys .................................................................................................................... 1:17-24

a. Arabia ........................................................................................................................ 1:17a

b. Damascus .................................................................................................................. 1:17b

c. Went to Jerusalem to see Peter .................................................................................. 1:18-20

d. Syria and Cilicia ........................................................................................................ 1:21-24

e. Jerusalem Visit with Barnabas and Titus ................................................................... 2:1-10

1. Communicated the Gospel previously preached ................................................ 2:1-2

2. Titus not compelled to be circumcised ............................................................... 2:3-5

3. Received right hand of fellowship from apostles ............................................... 2:6-10

III. Defending the Gospel and Justification by Faith ....................................................................... 2:11—4:7

A. Confrontation with Peter .......................................................................................................... 2:11-21

B. Confrontation with the Galatians ............................................................................................. 3:1

1. Interrogation ..................................................................................................................... 3:1-5

a. Questions knowledge................................................................................................. 3:1

b. Questions cause of justification ................................................................................. 3:2

c. Questions cause of sanctification .............................................................................. 3:3

d. Questions previous persecution ................................................................................. 3:4

e. Questions the manner of the work of God ................................................................. 3:5

2. Explanation of Justification by Faith ................................................................................ 3:6-9

a. Abraham justified by faith ......................................................................................... 3:6

b. Sons of Abraham are those justified by faith ............................................................. 3:7

c. Gentiles justified by faith .......................................................................................... 3:8a

d. Gospel given to Abraham .......................................................................................... 3:8b

e. Blessings of faith ....................................................................................................... 3:9

3. Explanation of the law ...................................................................................................... 3:10-14

a. Curse of the law ......................................................................................................... 3:10

b. No one is justified by the law .................................................................................... 3:11

c. The law is not of faith ................................................................................................ 3:12

4. Explanation of redemption from the law through Christ .................................................. 3:13-14

a. Christ redeems from the curse of the law .................................................................. 3:13

b. Christ redemption brings the blessing of Abraham and promise of the Spirit ........... 3:14

5. Explanation that the promise of Abraham cannot be annulled by the law ........................ 3:15-18

6. Explanation of the purpose of the Law ............................................................................. 3:19-25

7. Explanation of being a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus ................................... 3:26-29

8. Explanation of adoption and inheritance through Christ .................................................. 4:1-7

8

IV. Appeal to the Galatians to not Return to the Bondage of the Law ........................................... 4:8-31

A. Plea to not return to the weak and beggarly elements .............................................................. 4:8-11

B. Plea from Paul to become like himself .................................................................................... 4:12

C. Reminder of past relationship .................................................................................................. 4:12-15

D. Questions whether Paul is an enemy, because of the truth that he shared ............................... 4:16

E. Explanation of Judaizer's actions and motives ......................................................................... 4:17-18

1. They want you to be zealous for something not good. ..................................................... 4:17

2. Be zealous for good things only ....................................................................................... 4:18

F. Doubts about the Galatians ...................................................................................................... 4:19-20

G. Explanation of bondage to the law and freedom from the law through illustration ................. 4:21-31

V. Defense of Christian Liberty ........................................................................................................ 5:1-26

A. Stand fast in the liberty found in Christ ................................................................................... 5:1

B. Christ does not profit if you attempt to be justified by law...................................................... 5:2-6

C. Hindrance of progress does not come from God ..................................................................... 5:7-10

D. Paul questions basis for persecution ........................................................................................ 5:11-12

E. Christian liberty should not be used for opportunities for the flesh ......................................... 5:13-15

F. Spirit contrasted with the flesh ................................................................................................ 5:16-26

1. Walking in the Spirit will not fulfill lusts of flesh ............................................................ 5:16

2. Spirit and flesh contrary and at war .................................................................................. 5:17

3. Are not under the law if led by Spirit ............................................................................... 5:18

4. Works of the flesh............................................................................................................. 5:19-21

5. Fruit of the Spirit .............................................................................................................. 5:22-23

6. Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh ............................................................... 5:24

7. If we live in the Spirit, then walk in the Spirit .................................................................. 5:25

8. Exhortation to not be conceited, provoking, or envying ................................................... 5:26

VI Living out the Life in the Spirit with Others .............................................................................. 6:1-10

A. Help restore others ................................................................................................................... 6:1

B. Bear one another's burdens ...................................................................................................... 6:2

C. Don't think of yourself to be something ................................................................................... 6:3

D. Examine your own work .......................................................................................................... 6:4

E. Bear your own load .................................................................................................................. 6:5

F. Those who are taught should share with him who teaches ...................................................... 6:6

G. You will reap what you sow .................................................................................................... 6:7-8

H. Do not grow weary while doing good ...................................................................................... 6:9

I. Do good as opportunity arises ................................................................................................. 6:10

VII. Epilogue ................................................................................................................................... 6:11-18

A. Closing Comments ................................................................................................................... 6:11-17

1. Paul's care shown by his large letters................................................................................ 6:11

2. Boasting in the flesh to avoid persecution of the cross ..................................................... 6:12

3. The circumcised do not keep the law, but want to boast in your flesh ............................. 6:13

4. Paul's boast is only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ................................................. 6:14

5. Circumcision and uncircumcision avails nothing only a new creation. ............................ 6:15-16

6. Paul wants not to be troubled, because he bears the marks of Jesus ................................. 6:17

B. Benediction ............................................................................................................................ 6:18

The observational structure above is based on the flow of thought that was observed while

using any indicators in the text that might affect that flow. These indications come in the form of

markers observed such as, "Therefore," "Now," and so on. This structure is obviously not an

9

exegetical outline that is based on chained subject-complement statements and other technical

analysis, but a structure simply on observation.

The book as an epistle has a prologue (1:1-5), a body (1:6—6:10), and an epilogue (6:11-18).

Observationally, the body seems to be constructed with five major parts. The first part outlines in a

general form the issues for which Paul is writing. This occasion has already been noted earlier. This

begins in verse 1:6 and continues until 2:10. This section is marked by the clear ending of the

prologue with an "Amen" in verse 1:5. This section deals with the reason why Paul is writing to

them along with a defense of himself. The second part of the body begins Paul's main thrust of

interrogations and explanations which deal primarily with a defense of the Gospel and justification

by faith and not by works of the law. This section begins with "Now" noting a clear change in the

direction of the flow of thought. This is also clearly seen in the subsequent content in which the

following section no longer deals with Paul's defense of himself, his history, or travels, but his active

defense of justification by faith. The third section begins in verse 4:8, " " This is

roughly translated as, "But then indeed." Paul is no longer trying to argue for justification by faith,

but now has turned to plea to the Galatians to not return to the law. He expresses this plea with

questions, appeals to their prior relationship, and illustrations from the Old Testament. This

continues to verse 4:31. This is followed by the fourth section dealing with the Christian liberty that

we have in Christ by faith. The change of direction in the flow of thought is indicated by both

content and textual markers. Verse 5:1 begins, "Stand fast therefore. . . ." The Greek has, "

."

Tucked away in the middle of the sentence is " " This is literally translated as, "Therefore." This

is a key marker indicating that Paul wants to capitalize or conclude on what has been previously

10

stated as it relates to this topic of Christian Liberty. Basically, after all of the previous argumentation

for justification by faith and not by works of the law, Paul wants to turn towards how this plays out

in our Christian liberty in Christ. The fifth and final part of the body deals with living out our

Christian life in the Spirit as it relates to our works and the treatment of others. This section is

marked with a vocative addressing the brethren. This serves almost like a "Now," in terms of trying

to re-establish their attention to a new topic. This entire body section is then followed by the

epilogue, which consists of some pointed closing comments and a benediction.

The specific passage that is going to be focused on in this book is Galatians 3:1-9. Paul

begins Galatians 3:1 with an emphatic address to the Galatians. This address comes in the form of a

sharp and interrogating question. This is subsequently followed by four more questions all having a

tone of interrogation. It is not until verse 3:6 that Paul begins his explanations to the Galatians

regarding these questions. The chart below illustrates this structure.

11

Chart 1: Chart of Galatians 3:1-9

Galatians 3:1-9

Questions

Who has bewitched you?

How did you receive the Spirit?

Are you being made perfect by

the flesh?

Did you suffer in vain?

Does the Spirit and Miracles come

from the law or by faith?

Thing Being Questioned

Knowledge

Cause of Justification

Cause of Sanctification

Previous Persecution

Work of God

Inte

rro

ga

tio

nE

xp

lan

ati

on

Pa

rt 1

Explanations

Abraham, Father of Jews Justified by

Faith

Sons of Abraham Are Those Justified

by Faith

Gentiles Justified by Faith

Gospel Given to Abraham

Blessings of Faith

Thing Being Explained

Justification by Faith

v1

v2

v3

v4

v5

v6

v7

8a

v9

8b

Each of the five questions seems to be targeted at dealing with a particular area of the issues

facing the Galatians. The Galatians were being deceived by the Judaizers as it related to the Gospel

and Justification by Faith. Paul's questions were designed to provoke them to think deeply about

their situation and what Scripture says. The questions are followed by several explanations, which

are noted in the larger observational outline above. In Galatians 3:1-9, the explanation centers on

explaining the very important doctrine of justification by faith, which is crucial for the Galatians to

understand given the situation.

General Observations

This section will deal with general observations related to the specific passage of Galatians

3:1-9. These observations come in the form of general questions related to the what, where, when,

12

how, and who. Why questions related to interpretation will be dealt with in the interpretation section

below.

Galatians 3:1 opens with, " ." Paul begins this passage with an emphatic

address giving strong words to the Galatians. What prompted Paul to call the Galatians ?

Paul then asks the question of who has " " you? Notice the verb is in the singular. Did

Paul have a particular person in mind? It would not have been the first time that Paul dealt with

specific people like this such as Elymas in Acts 13, who was in opposition to the Gospel. So, who

was this person? How did this person " " the Galatians? The semantic range for this word

includes both deception and black magic. So, which meaning should be used in this context? The

New Living Translation of the Bible translates the sentence as, "What magician has cast an evil spell

on you?" The New Century version of the Bible translates the sentence as, "You people in Galatia

were told very clearly about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But you were foolish; you let

someone trick you." Is Paul really talking about black magic here, or simply deception? In addition,

Paul states that Jesus Christ was " " before ( ) their eyes. How was this done? Was

Paul referring to a public proclamation of sorts, or some other means? If this was done by someone,

who was it? Was this done by Paul, and if so when? Which missionary trip was it that he did this? If

it was not done by Paul, then how did he know about it, was he there, or was he informed by

someone else?

In addition, verse 3:1 has in the Greek, "

" A somewhat polished translation

of this verse is, "O foolish Galatians, who has deceived you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was

portrayed as crucified?" This sentence shows no variants in UBS 4th

edition. However, in NKJV and

13

KJV, the translation includes several words that do not have any counterparts in the Greek Critical

Text. Here is the NKJV version with the extra words shown in italics, "O foolish Galatians! Who has

bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly

portrayed among you as crucified?" Unlike the UBS 4th

, the Nestle Aland 27th

edition does show a

variant in the text coming from a few manuscripts. So, which variant is correct? What were the

reasons why the NKJV and KJV translators added the extra words?

In verse two, before Paul even asks the question he says, "This only ( ) I want to learn

from you." For this to be the "only" thing among the others that Paul wants to learn, marks this

question as an important question. The question asked was, "

" It is interesting that Paul is asking

them how they received the Spirit. How would they know that they have the Spirit? Many sincere

Bible believing Christians today question whether they have the Spirit. How would the Galatians

have known? Was there an experience like Cornelius had in Acts 10?

Verse three says, " "

Noteworthy is that the text says they have begun in/by the Spirit. This seems to indicate that they are

believers. The NET Bible translates this verse as, "Are you so foolish? Although you began with the

Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort?" How is this verse to be understood in light of

Phil. 2:12? Phil 2:12-13 says in the NKJV, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not

as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear

and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." How

does one work out their salvation without resorting to human strength? What does the term flesh in

14

Gal. 3:3 mean? Does it mean human effort, or does it mean something else? In addition, what was

meant by, ? Does this have the idea of being complete in terms of being sinless?

Verse four says " " How would it have been in vain

( )? When did they suffer? Did Paul see this firsthand or did he simply hear that they suffered?

In the next verse (v.5) it says, "

" The phrase " " is the same

phrase in verse 2. The NET Bible translates this phrase as "by your believing what you heard?"

Literally translated with keywords it says, "from hearing of faith?" How are we to translate the

genitive, ? Is this phrase synonymous with basically saying, believing the Gospel? If not,

then what does it mean?

In verse six it says, "

" How is to be understood? How should it be translated? When

righteousness has been to someone, how does that affect their lives and their relationship

with God? Is Abraham now seen as holy and blameless and above reproach in the sight of God?

Does Abraham now have the same standing as New Testament Christians? Colossians 1:22 (NKJV)

describes this as, "in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and

above reproach in His sight."

Verse seven says, " " Does this

include Gentiles or just Jews? In other words, if Gentiles believe in God by faith, are they also

considered sons of Abraham? What kind of relationship with Abraham is this?

15

Verse 8 says, "

" Was this the same

mystery that Paul described in Ephesians 3:1-7? This verse seems to declare that the gospel was

preached to Abraham. So did Abraham know at that time that Jesus was going to be the messiah and

our sacrifice for sins?

Verse 9 says in the Greek, " "

How are believers blessed? In addition, how is the proper name, , functioning in the

sentence, what is its' case, how should it be translated?

These observations will hopefully provide for a good base of questions for the commentary

below.

16

INTERPRETATION

Word Studies

Morphological Information

Strong's Ref. No.: 940

Lexical Form/Root Text Form Parsing

Verb, third person, singular, aorist,

active, indicative, "Bewitched."

Justification

The word, , is uniquely positioned in Galatians 3:1 and only occurs in this verse

out of the entire New Testament. Why did Paul use this word? There seems to be more to this word

than meets the eye. This word stands out at the beginning of Paul's interrogation. The desire to

understand this word comes mostly from curiosity rather than any hope of drastically affecting the

meaning of the passage. The semantic range at first glance in the lexicon does not seem to do any

major impacts to the text. However, there is hope here to uncover some history of this word and a

better understanding of the semantic range in order to understand this verse better. Is Paul really

talking about black magic here, or simple deception? It would not have been the first time that Paul

dealt with specific people such as Elymas in Acts 13 who was a magician or sorcerer of sorts that

was in opposition to the Gospel. If it was black magic of some sort what kind of black magic was

implied by this word? How does this affect the understanding of this verse? How was this used in

other Koine literature? How was this used in the Septuagint?

17

Lexical Information

The lexical research for , will include summaries from lexicons, and academic

word studies. This research will contain summaries of definitions, synonyms/antonyms, and

cognates from these resources along with personal analysis of the data with a goal to provide a

semantic range, and useful data for understanding its usage in Galatians 3:1.

Semantic Range

After consulting several lexicons for information on and also looking at the

occurrences in the Septuagint there seems to be usages that define five different meanings.

1. To bewitch, as with the evil eye.7

2. To deceive a person by devious and crafty means.8

3. To look or have an evil eye towards someone, be cruel, or hostile.9

4. To speak ill of one, to slander.10

5. To envy.11

The first two meanings have to do with different forms of deception and possibly could be

collapsed except that the first meaning explicitly has as a part of its meaning black magic or sorcery,

where as the second does not. The third meaning tries to capture the meanings being used in the

7William Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the

New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: A Translation and Adaption of the Fourth Revised and Augmented

Edition of Walter Bauer's Griechisch-Deutsches Worterbuch Zu Den Schrift En Des Neuen Testaments Und Der Ubrigen

Urchristlichen Literatur (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996, c1979), 137.

8Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic

Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. (New York: United Bible societies, 1996, c1989), 1:759.

9James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Test of the Common

English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in Regular Order., electronic ed. (Ontario:

Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996), G940. This meaning tries to capture how the word is being used in the Septuagint in

verses Deut. 28:54 and 28:56.

10Strong, G940.

11Arndt, 137.

18

Septuagint in verses Deut. 28:54 and 28:56. One lexicon12

places these usages under envy, but envy

does not seem to fit with the context or sense of the passage as the third meaning does. However, for

completeness it is specified as the fifth item. The fourth has to do with speaking evil of one or to

slander them. The fifth meaning was referenced by two lexicons. As was stated before this was a

meaning that one lexicon used for the Deuteronomy passage and is included here for completeness.

Synonyms/Cognates

The synonyms and cognates for fall into two main categories according to Louw

and Nida's semantic domains. These two categories are: (1) Mislead, Lead Astray, Deceive13

; and (2)

Magic14

. For the first category (Mislead, Lead Astray, Deceive) the following Greek words are

found in addition to : and

. For the second category (Magic) the following Greek words are found in addition to

: , and . None of these words in either

category are found in the book of Galatians except in Gal. 5:20, which is translated by

NKJV as "sorcery." In addition, the lexicons referenced above showed having envy as

one of its usages. However, Louw and Nida do not include in their category for envy. The

words they have in this semantic domain are:

and .15

What is interesting about this domain is the

12

Arndt, 137.

13Louw, 1:758.

14Ibid., 1:544.

15Ibid., 1:759.

19

phrase they included here, " " meaning evil eye. This is an important overlap

that envy has with the evil eye usage of . This has sort of an interesting re-enforcement of

envy as a meaning in the semantic range of . Also interesting is the fact that the words,

and , all occur in the book of Galatians. Some of these occur in as

descriptions of those who are trying to lead the Galatians away from Christ.

Contextual Information

The word occurs in Galatians 3:1 and also in Deuteronomy 28:54 and 28:56 in the

Septuagint. Gal. 3:1 says, "

" Here Paul is about to interrogate the Galatians for

why they have turned away from justification by faith to a different Gospel, one in which they are

trying to be justified by the works of the law. In the Deuteronomy passage the description of the

siege that would come upon Israel is being described in terms of how the women and the men will

behave during that time. Deut 28:54 (NKJV) says, "The sensitive and very refined man among you

will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children

whom he leaves behind." Here the phrase, "you will be hostile toward," is where the Septuagint has,

" ." The exact same phrase is what is also used in Deut. 28:56. The KJV

translates the same passage quoted above (28:54) as, "So that the man that is tender among you, and

very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward

the remnant of his children which he shall leave." Comparing the usages of the word in the

Septuagint with the usage of it in Galatians seems significantly different.

20

Other Significant Uses by Author

Since the word, , only occurs once in the New Testament in Galatians, Paul does

not use this word anywhere else. This is also significant. In other words, out of all of the words that

Paul could have used why does he choose to use this unique word here in this passage and no where

else? Not to mention the form of the word in the passage is, . Did Paul have a particular

person in mind since it is found in the third person singular?

Significant Uses by Other Authors

There are no other authors in the New Testament that have used this word. However, the

Septuagint author of Deuteronomy used it. In addition, the standard Greek Lexicon shows that

Aristotle as well as church fathers used the word. Here is the complete entry:

βασκαίνω 1 aor. ἐβάσκανα, Bl-D. §72 (Aristot.+; LXX).

1. bewitch, as with the ‘evil eye’ τινά someone (Aristot., Probl. 34, 20 p. 926b, 24 με; Diod. S.

4, 6, 4; Alex. Aphr., Probl. 2, 53 παῖδας; Dt 28:56) Gal 3:1 (one can ward off β. by spitting 3

times: Theocr. 6, 39; s. ἐκπτύω Gal 4:14).

2. envy (Demosth. 20, 24; Theocr. 5, 13; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 72) τινά somebody (Demosth. 8, 19;

Dt 28:54, 56; Sir 14:6, 8) IRo 3:1. M-M. B. 1495 (Lat. fascinum).16

There are many references in this entry. Below is an expanded list of these references in order:

1. Aristotle, IV bc; De Mundo (spurious), I ad

2. Diodorus Siculus, ed. [LDindorf-] FVogel-CTFischer [1866ff] 1888ff., I bc

3. Theocritus, III bc

4. Demosthenes, IV bc

5. Josephus, ed. BNiese 1887-95, cited as Jos., with book and §, I ad

6. Ignatius to the Romans

16

Arndt, 137.

21

Historical Information

The word does have some interesting historical information. Zodhiates states, "A Greek

commentator on the work of the poet Theocritus observes that the noun báskanos means one who

with his eyes kills or destroys. Superstitious people believed that great harm might result from the

'evil eye' or from being looked upon with envious and malicious stares."17

Another dictionary on this

word says, "Baskainō is possibly related to Eng. Fascinate via the Latin (cf. fascino, bewitch,

charm). The meaning is to cast a spell by what is called the evil eye. Paul uses the word of the

deceived Galatians in Gal. 3:1 ('Who has bewitched you…?'). The effect of the spell, if the evil eye

is detected at the time, could be averted by spitting, and some hold that this was in Paul's mind in his

use of ekptyō in Gal. 4:14 (lit., spit out; RSV 'despise')." The form of the word in Gal. 4:14 is,

The lexical form of the word is, . The lexicon says this about the word, "lit.

spit (out) as a sign of disdain (s. 2) or to ward off evil spirits (s. 1 and Theocr.

6, 39; 20, 11; Lucian, Navig. 15, Pro Merc. Cond. 6; Theophr., Char. 16, 14

)."18

It is interesting to note that is referenced

again here in this entry. This at least shows that there is some connection between these two words

as briefly noted in the last dictionary reference.

In the classical Greek lexicon the word also occurs and has the same semantic range as was

referenced in the Koine lexicons. Liddell and Scott have, "To slander, malign, belie, disparage…to

envy, grudge…to bewitch by the evil eye."19

Another dictionary also states, "Baskainō and its deriv.

17

Spiros Zodhiates, Editor, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG

Publishers, 1993), 328.

18Arndt, 244

19Henry George Liddell and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: At The Clarendon Press, 1968),

278.

22

Are frequently used in the Class Gr. Authors for envy, and the Sept. & Apocryphal writers apply the

words with the same meaning."20

This leads one to believe that the word has not changed much from

the classical period to the Koine period. One might have guessed as much since there might not be

much change in usage for words that do not get used all that often.

Conclusions and Applications

The word, , is still a bit mysterious for our verse in Galatians. The lexicon shows a

semantic range of about five different meanings. The context in the Septuagint seems to be different

than what occurs in the New Testament. Colin Brown's entry leans towards the usage of, to bewitch,

and points out that some believe Gal. 4:14 was capitalizing on this meaning. The occurrences found

of this word in accessible Koine literature seem to use the word more frequently in a non-black

magic sense.

The book of Galatians was written because of a situation that arose in Galatia, because

converts were turning back to the law to be justified. Galatians 3 begins with an interrogation style

series of questions, and in the first verse is where the word occurs. It does not seem conclusive at

this point which usage Paul used. Out of the five different meanings listed above, only bewitch, or

deception seem to be the ones that fit the context the best. The reference to Gal. 4:14 is interesting,

but does not seem to be enough to sway the decision at this point to choose bewitch conclusively. In

conclusion then, for the application of Galatians 3:1 either bewitch or deception could be used.

Syntactical Analysis

The syntactical analysis will walk through each verse analyzing the diagrams and syntactical

information to surface important issues for the exegesis of the passage.

20

Zodhiates, 328.

23

Figure 1: Syntactical Analysis for Galatians 3:1.

1

O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose

eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed [by means of] having

been crucified.

This diagram was difficult to create. In verse 1, the difficulty comes mostly from the relative

pronoun, preposition . The relative pronoun is in the dative, masculine,

plural, and most likely has as its antecedent . The difficulty comes from how it is functioning in

the sentence. As a dative it seems to be modifying , but also seems to be modifying

, further qualifying eyes to be not just any eyes, but the Galatians' eyes. In addition, the

preposition further clarifies the verb by explaining that the portrayal was before their eyes. So, it

seems to be adverbial, but in the diagram it was not clear as to whether it should be shown to come

from the participle or directly from the verb.

24


2

This only I desire to learn from you, did you receive the

Spirit from the works of law, or from the hearing which

produces faith?

The syntactical construction in verse two was also a bit confusing. In the first clause, the

infinitive is complementary completing the verb, . The prepositional phrase, , seems

to be modifying the infinitive clarifying who Paul wants to learn something from. The force of the

phrase here is one of source. The lexicon references Gal. 3:2 for the entry of, , stating that it is

functioning adverbially, "limiting the action or state to the one designated by the verb."21

In other

words, it is limiting the verb to desire not just anything, but only this thing. in the first clause

is referring to the entire second clause, which is what Paul is desiring to know from the Galatians.

The second clause's construction seems fairly straight forward providing the content of what Paul

wants to know.

21

Arndt, 528.

25


3

Are you so foolish, after having begun in the Spirit, are

you now being completed by the flesh?

In verse 3, the syntactical construction was fairly easy to develop. The word, , is

functioning adverbially modifying the verb . The lexicon references Gal. 3:3 for the entry

saying that it denotes degree in this verse.22

Hence, Paul is not asking are you just a little bit

foolish, but are you so foolish. In the second clause for this verse, the participle is modifying the

verb adverbially and temporally. It is further qualifying when for that it was "after

having begun in the Spirit." The key word, after, is used in the translation, because the participle is

aorist and the verb here is in the present tense. The other interesting note here is that this verb is

being parsed with the middle voice instead of the passive. Based on form alone it could go either

way, but the middle voice, which stands halfway between the active and passive voice seems to

better capture the semantic given by the verse. In other words, the Galatians are participating to a

certain degree by trying to complete the work by the flesh.

22

Ibid., 598.

26


4

Did you suffer so many things in vain? If indeed it was

in vain.

This verse is translated with "Did you," to denote that this is a question being asked by Paul.

This is also the translation used by the RSV, NASB, and NRSV. The construction in the first clause

seems fairly straight forward. The object of the active verb is "so many things" ( ), which is

in the accusative case. The verb is being modified by the adverb, , qualifying how they suffered.

The second clause is a conditional clause modifying the verb. This is due to the conditional

conjunction, . This seems to be a first class conditional for the sake of argument. The more

confusing part of this clause is how the following words are functioning. This also complicates the

translation. The translation used here adds a finite verb ( ) to smooth over the translation. The

particle seems to be emphatic, heightening the condition of the clause. The here seems to be

used ascensively to strengthen the point of focus here. The adverb, , is again modifying the

verb.

27


5

Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit and works

miracles among you, does He do it because of your

works of law or because you believed by faith in what

you heard?

In verse five, the main verb is missing. The verb, , is added in its place to help connect

the sentence together and move the thought along. In addition, the pronoun, , in this translation

is added as a placeholder for the kind of things that God was just described as doing. With this said,

the translation becomes, "…does He do it…." The article, , is functioning as a pronoun for God.

The participles here are modifying adjectivally, describing the kind of God He is. In other words,

He is the God who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you. The force of the prepositions

here is causal modifying the verb. This is translated with because.

28


6

Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to

him for righteousness,

This verse begins with serving as a comparative conjunction comparing what was

previously said with what is about to be said about Abraham. The syntactical construction here

seems fairly straight forward. The only interesting and somewhat questionable syntactical decision

here is defining, , as the indirect object of the passive verb, . Thus, as the

indirect object receives the direct object (which is the subject since this is a passive verb).


7

=

know then that those who are of faith, these are sons of

Abraham.

29

Verse seven begins with the verb, , which in form can be either indicative or

imperative. The decision was made here for the imperative, which Gramcord also has. There was

some hesitation in this decision, because of the following , which is so typical with indicatives.

Yet after a search through the Greek New Testament, Gramcord has tagged at least 24 times the verb

in the imperative with a following . This makes the decision for the imperative a little

easier since it seems to fit so much nicer with the sense of the verse. The clause here is

functioning epexegetically to further clarify and complete what Paul wants the Galatians to know.

Now, the definite article, , in this verse is a bit mysterious. Wallace makes reference to Gal. 3:7 in

the topic discussing articles that nominalize a prepositional phrase.23

What makes this a bit difficult

is that it also agrees in case, number, and gender with . Yet, the lexicon also agrees with Wallace

showing the article as a substantiver in both the entry for , and for .24

For the entry for

the lexicon states, " those who have faith Gal 3:7, 9."25

Likewise in

the entry for , it has, " the men of faith Gal 3:7, 9."26

Notice also the

reference to verse 3:9, which has the same construction, " " The relationship with

seems to be appositional. The demonstrative pronoun itself also seem like it could be

23

Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996),

236.

24Arndt, 234 and 662 respectively.

25Ibid., 234.

26Ibid., 662.

30

modifying adjectively instead of functioning as the subject with as the predicate

nominative. In this construction, would be the predicate as shown below:

A rough translation of this would be something like, these sons are of Abraham. Practically speaking

this is equivalent to saying, these are sons of Abraham. The decision to not choose this construction

for the diagram is mainly due to the word . This proper name is indeclinable and so could be

in whatever case technically speaking that the context calls for. However, the context needs to

qualify what kind of sons is being spoken of, and therefore the word is being defined as

genitive. Genitives can function as nominatives and objects, but the context does not provide for this.

Even in this last construction, still has to be related to in order to define what kind of

sons is being spoken of in the verse. Besides all this, as was stated earlier, it does not change the

semantics.

31


8

And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel beforehand to

Abraham saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

Verse eight has three indicative verbs and two clauses. The main clause is that scripture

proclaimed the Gospel beforehand to Abraham. The two clauses simply further explain the

details of this. The participle ( ) in this verse is modifying the noun, , describing

that scripture was foreseeing. The clause coming from the participle, , is epexegetical

that further explains what was foreseen. The other clause modifies the verb, ,

and further explains what was proclaimed. The preposition, , is adverbial and has the

force of means explaining how the nations were justified. The other preposition, , is also

32

adverbial and has the force of association clarifying that the nations will be blessed in Abraham.

Normally, this is translated with the word, with, for associations, but the word, in, has become

expected of this type of relationship. This type of relationship will be explored in the commentary

section below.


9

So that those of faith are being blessed with faithful

Abraham.

In verse nine, the same construction with the definite article as was previously seen in verse

seven appears. Here the article is a substantiver for the prepositional phrase, . This is

translated as, "those of faith." The other preposition is modifying the verb providing the force of

association, which normally provides.

Commentary

Exegetical Idea

THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S INTERROGATION AND SUBSEQUENT EXPLANATION WAS TO FIRST

CAUSE THEM TO QUESTION THEIR FOOLISHNESS IN TURNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH AND THEN

SECONDLY TO EXPLAIN JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN ORDER TO BRING THEM BACK TO THE TRUTH.

I. THE REASON FOR PAUL'S INTERROGATION WAS TO CAUSE THEM TO QUESTION THEIR FOOLISHNESS

IN TURNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. .........................................................................3:1-5

A. THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S QUESTION WAS TO LEARN WHO BEWITCHED THEM IN

LIGHT OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST. ......................................................3:1

33

O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed by

means of having been crucified?

Paul begins Galatians chapter 3 with turning towards the Galatians to interrogate them. This

follows immediately after having just described his confrontation with Peter. The content of the

confrontation with the Galatians deals with the same subject matter as his confrontation with Peter,

which is the reason for the close proximity in the text. The subject matter is none other than

justification by faith. He begins his interrogation with strong words for the Galatians. Paul is calling

them foolish, because they have ignored some very important points, which Paul is about to bring to

light. The verb that is being used here has several usages, which were explained earlier.

The sense of the verse is that Paul is asking who deceived them in turning away to a different Gospel

(Gal. 1:6) in light of the fact that Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among them as crucified. The

verb here is in the third person singular. It is not clear whether Paul has someone particular in mind

given that the verb is in the singular. Furthermore, it is not conclusive that Paul is really talking

about black magic here. One of the usages of the verb is that of giving an evil eye. It is interesting

that Paul seems to play off of this concept of eyes by saying that Jesus Christ was portrayed before

their eyes. One commentator states, "There is a word-play which was evident to the Galatians. It

highlighted the contrast in Paul’s method of proclaiming the gospel with that of the Judaizers. The

Judaizers’ gospel had “bewitched” the Galatians by giving them the 'evil eye.' Paul’s preaching had

converted them by portraying Christ before their very eyes."27

This potential play on words might

also lean the pendulum in favor of the evil eye usage of the verb. However, as it was stated earlier in

27

Bob Deffinbaugh, The Cost of Changing Course: Galatians 3:1-9, Galatians: The Gospel and God's Grace;

available from http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1348; Internet; accessed 30 March 2007.

34

the word analysis section, both usages of black magic via the evil eye, or simple deception could be

used here since it is not very clear which one was really in view. Continuing on with the verse, it is

not immediately apparent in Galatians how this portrayal of Christ crucifixion was done or when it

was done. However, after digging deeper, in Acts 13:13-52, there is a description of Paul giving a

powerful evangelical messages to the Galatians during his first missionary trip. It is likely that this

portrayal that is mentioned here in Galatians 3 is a reference to those events. Paul also makes

reference to preaching the Gospel to them in Gal. 4:13 saying, "You know that because of physical

infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first." Hence, there seems to be good evidence to

suggest that it was Paul who gave the portrayal of Christ crucified when he visited Galatia in his first

missionary trip. The exact timing of this cannot be certain as was explained in the introduction and

historical material above. Coming back to the significance of this verse, it seems Paul is trying to

heighten their awareness to the drastic contrast between the crucifixion of Christ and the effort to be

justified by the works of the law.

In addition, verse 3:1 has in the Greek, "

" A somewhat polished translation

of this verse is, "O foolish Galatians, who has deceived you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was

portrayed as crucified?" This sentence shows no variants in UBS 4th

edition. However, in NKJV and

KJV, the translation includes several words that do not have any counterparts in the Greek Critical

Text. Here is the NKJV version with the extra words shown in italics, "O foolish Galatians! Who has

bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly

portrayed among you as crucified?" Unlike the UBS 4th

, the Nestle Aland 27th

edition does show a

variant in the text coming from a few manuscripts. The missing Greek

is,. This text was found in manuscripts: C, D2, , along with a few other

35

Uncials. The evaluation of these MSS and their significance is beyond the scope of this commentary.

However, most modern English translations do not include the extra text. The KJV, NKJV, and YLT

(Young's Literal Translation) are the only English translations out of the following that include the

extra words: DARBY, ASV, NA27, NASB, NCV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, and NET Bible. These extra

words do seem to provide a smoother reading of the verse, but do not strictly speaking add anything

significant to the meaning of the verse.

B. THE REASON FOR LEARNING WHO BEWITCHED THEM WAS BECAUSE PAUL

QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY BELIEVE THEY RECEIVED THE SPIRIT FROM THE

WORKS OF THE LAW OR FROM THE HEARING WHICH PRODUCES FAITH. .................3:2

This only I desire to learn from you, did you receive the Spirit from the works of law, or

from the hearing which produces faith?

Paul's second question is marked with importance by mentioning that "this only" is

something he desires to know from them. The question being asked is a comparison between the

works of the law and the hearing of faith. Noteworthy is the fact that Paul's question is predicated on

the event that they have already received the Spirit. In order for the Galatians to really provide

support for an answer to this question, they would need to be able to point to some cause. But to

point to a cause means they would have had to know when they received the Spirit. Could they have

known this? Granted that most salvation descriptions in the Book of Acts were experientially visible

with events such as speaking in tongues and so forth, but it is interesting when compared with today

as some Christians question whether they even have the Spirit. Another route they could take to

legitimately answer Paul's question would be to point to a promise of God in Scripture. This is not

only important, but something that all Christians should do, because the test for whether someone

has the Spirit should not be in some experience, or feeling, but on the promises of God. Now, the

36

question for this text is, was there a signifying event for the Galatians when they received the Spirit?

Interestingly, Paul states in the next chapter in verse 4:6, "And because you are sons, God has sent

forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' " The event in question might

simply be the change of heart that takes place at salvation. This would most likely be a reference

back to the time when Paul preached the Gospel to them at the beginning (Gal. 4:13; Acts 13:48).

Since the text is not explicit about this, it obviously cannot be dogmatically defended. The real crux

of the verse and flow of Paul's interrogation centers on the contrast in this question between the

"works of law" and the "hearing of faith." Paul is pitting the law against faith here to present them

almost as opposites. It is obvious on what the phrase, "works of law," means, but it is not so obvious

what "hearing of faith," means. This is the literal translation with "of" as the keyword for the

genitive. Some of the modern English translations have it translated this way. However, it is not

completely obvious what it means. The challenge is how to translate the genitive here namely,

. The phrase, " ," occurs once here and once in verse 3:5 out of all the New

Testament while taking account for all forms. So, how does one make the decision on the translation

of the genitive? It is going to have to come from context and sense. There are a couple of genitives

that could also potentially capture the sense of the verse namely, Descriptive Genitive (characterized

by, described by) and Genitive of Product (which produces). The "hearing of faith" here would have

to be related to something that causes one to receive the Spirit. Paul is going to clearly point out that

the works of the law is not the means by which one receives the Spirit during justification. Hence,

the phrase "hearing of faith" would have to be synonymous with a hearing that produces saving

faith. So, the best candidate at this point would be the Genitive of Product.

C. THE REASON FOR QUESTIONING WHAT THEY BELIEVE WAS TO LEARN FROM THEM

WHETHER THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE NOW BEING COMPLETED BY THE FLESH AFTER

HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT. ..............................................................................3:3

37

Are you so foolish, after having begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed by the

flesh?

In this verse Paul continues his interrogation capitalizing on his previous question about the

relationship of faith to works, but this time presents a contrast between the Spirit and the flesh. Also

similar to the last verse, Paul also predicates his question on the idea that they have the Spirit and are

saved by stating, "after having begun in the Spirit." Paul questions whether they are being completed

by the flesh. The term flesh here seems to be used synonymously with human effort, namely the

works of the law as the context suggests. Yet, what does "being completed" mean in this verse? If it

means perfection or sinlessness, then it would obviously be false doctrinally as no one is perfect and

anyone who thinks they have no sin is a liar (1 Jn. 1:8). Campbell writes, "Paul asked if they were so

foolish as to think they could begin the Christian life in one way (by faith) and move on to spiritual

maturity in another (by works)."28

Is this really talking about spiritual maturity? Simmons states,

"The verb, 'made perfect' also may be translated, applying the finishing touch. This translation not

only is true to the grammatical construction, but it preserves Paul's sarcastic tone in the passage. Paul

had no doubt about the Galatian Christians' beginnings in Christ, for he was with them when it

occurred. The Holy Spirit presided over their conversion and took up his abode in their lives. Now

Paul asked sarcastically: Are you applying the finishing touch (to your Christian experience) in the

flesh? Do you really think you can do a better job than the Spirit has been doing?"29

Simmons

response does not necessarily eliminate the idea that spiritual maturity is in view here. The finishing

touch as Simmons puts it could be spiritual maturity. If this verse is talking about spiritual maturity

28

Campbell, 597.

29Billy E. Simmons, Bible Book Study Commentary: 1 and 2 Thessalonians Galatians, Volume 2, Number 2,

(Nashville, Tennessee: Convention Press, July-Sept. 1980), 86.

38

as Campbell says, then how does this agree with Phil 2:12? How does one work out their salvation

without human strength? How does one grow and mature spiritually without any human effort? It

seems Paul is arguing here that whether it is spiritual maturity in view or whatever finishing touch it

is also accomplished by faith. It is through the Spirit that one can overcome human depravity. In Gal.

5, Paul contrasts the fruit of the Spirit with the works of the flesh as an example of what is possible

for those who are filled with the Spirit. Furthermore, without faith it is impossible to please God

(Heb. 11:6) and without God one cannot bear fruit that is honoring to God (Gal. 5:22-23; John 15:5).

Moreover, the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel in Zec. 4:6 (NKJV) was, "This is the word of the

Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts." Paul

also declares in 2 Cor. 10:4 (NKJV), "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in

God." Lastly, the agreement for Phil. 2:12 is in the next verse, Phil. 2:13, which says (NKJV), "For it

is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Therefore, the answer to the

observational question of whether one can grow spiritually without human effort is yes. It is through

faith. If one has faith, then the works that the Galatians so desire to prove themselves will also be

produced. It is through faith that one grows and matures spiritually, and it is through faith that one is

able to bear the precious fruit of the Spirit.

D. AFTER QUESTIONING WHAT THEY BELIEVE PAUL QUESTIONS WHETHER WHAT

THEY SUFFERED WAS IN VAIN. ...............................................................................3:4

Did you suffer so many things in vain? If indeed it was in vain.

Acts 13 and 14 describe several intense situations in Galatia and the surrounding region.

Campbell explains, "The third question looked back on the persecution the apostles and new

believers experienced in the region of Galatia. As Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps at the end

of the first missionary journey, they warned the Galatian converts that they would suffer as

39

Christians (Acts 14:21-22). Persecution evidently soon followed, and Paul reminded them that if

they turned from grace to Law they would brand their former position in error and would then have

suffered so much for nothing. But the apostle was unwilling to believe that this was so."30

E. THE PURPOSE FOR WONDERING IF THEY SUFFERED IN VAIN WAS BECAUSE PAUL

QUESTIONS WHETHER THE GALATIANS BELIEVE GOD GAVE THEM THE SPIRIT

AND WORKED MIRACLES AMONG THEM BECAUSE OF WORKS OF LAW OR

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THE GOSPEL. ................................................................3:5

Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, does He do it

because of your works of law or because you believed by faith in what you heard?

Here again Paul contrasts the "hearing of faith" and the "works of law." The phrase "hearing

of faith" is the same one in verse two. Although in this verse it has been translated slightly different

because the verse has a clearer causal relationship in view and God is the actor in this question.

Using "from" here like in verse two would not capture the causal relationship as well. Simmons puts

the question this way, "The question was: Has God's work been because of your faith or because of

your works?"31

In this question Paul again questions the giving of the Spirit. This time Paul adds

miracles to the question. Looking at Paul's time in this region in Acts 13 and 14 does show that there

were miracles done among them. Acts 14:3 (NKJV) states, "Therefore they stayed there a long time,

speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and

wonders to be done by their hands." Another miracle was also recorded in Acts 14:8-11 (NKJV),

"And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s

womb, who had never walked. 9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and

seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10 said with a loud voice, 'Stand up straight on your feet!' And

30

Campbell, 597.

31Simmons, 86.

40

he leaped and walked. 11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices,

saying in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!' "

Therefore, the miracles then that Paul is raising in his question is something the Galatians should be

familiar with. The question said a different way would be, is it because of your faith, or because of

your good works that God gave you the Spirit and worked miracles among you? Before unpacking

this further, something needs to be pointed out here. Paul is not trying to put forth an idea that God

can only act when someone exercises faith. God is not dependent on anyone. If God wants to act, He

does not need anyone's approval to do a miracle. What Paul wants to deal with is the Galatians and

law. Did God give them the Spirit because of their good works? The answer is no as was already

pointed out earlier. Did God work miracles among them because they did good works? The answer

is no, because the miracles as pointed out in the Acts 14:3 verse was done to bear witness "to the

word of His grace." Jesus reminded His disciples in John 15:5 that "without Me you can do nothing."

Moreover, Heb. 11:6 also brings to mind the importance of faith when it says, "But without faith it is

impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a

rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

II. THE PURPOSE IN EXPLAINING JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IS TO BRING THEM BACK TO

THE TRUTH. .................................................................................................................3:6-9

A. THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S QUESTION WAS TO EXPLAIN THAT ABRAHAM BELIEVED

GOD AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. ................................3:6

6 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness,

Paul is now done with his interrogation and begins to explain the things he has been trying to

get them to understand. He returns to Abraham the father of the Jews to remind the Galatians that

Abraham was a person of faith and that his righteousness was not because of his good works, but

because of his faith. The word used here is " ." For this verse, one lexicon's entry has,

41

"reckon, calculate…count, take into account."32

In other words, righteousness was reckoned to

Abraham because of his faith. This is a powerful statement by Paul after the previous interrogation.

Mentioning Abraham's faith, the father of the Jewish people, was bound to capture their attention.

Simmons says, "The word 'righteousness' is the same word that is translated justification in other

places in Galatians."33

Simmons says "places", but after reviewing many modern English

translations, only the NRSV translates it that way in Gal. 2:21. This is after reviewing the following

modern English translations: DARBY, ASV, KJV, NASB95, NCV, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV, YLT.

No other place in Galatians out of all of the translations listed above is that word translated as

justification. So, there is a weak connection to the word justification, but it is weak and does not

appear to be as strong as Simmons seems to imply.

B. THE PURPOSE FOR EXPLAINING THAT ABRAHAM BELIEVING GOD AND IT WAS

ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS TO EXPLAIN THAT THOSE WHO

ARE OF FAITH ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM. .................................................................3:7

7 know then that those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham.

In verse seven, Paul continues and says that know then that only those of faith are sons of

Abraham. This is a direct frontal attack on the Judaizers who claim to be sons of Abraham, but live

by the works of the law. Paul is saying that to be a son, you have to have faith like Abraham.

Moreover, it is by the kind of faith that Abraham had that one is reckoned to be righteous before

God. Paul later states in 3:14 (NKJV), "That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles

in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Hence, this

righteousness is not by the works of the law as the false sons of Abraham claim.

32

Arndt, 476.

33Simmons, 87.

42

C. THE REASON WHY THOSE WHO ARE OF FAITH ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM WAS

BECAUSE THE GOSPEL WAS PROCLAIMED BEFOREHAND TO ABRAHAM SAYING

THAT THE NATIONS WOULD BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. ..............................................3:8

8 And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel

beforehand to Abraham saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

In verse eight, Paul further refines the explanation by bringing in the Gentiles. The word

translated "nations" here is also the word for "Gentiles" and many of the modern English translations

do translate it using "Gentiles." This further refines Paul's explanation, because now Paul is

clarifying that he is not just talking about the Jews, but the Gentiles too. In other words, if you are a

Gentile of faith, then you also can be justified and declared to be righteous before God. The

Scripture reference here is Gen. 12:3 which says, "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse

him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” It is interesting that

Paul says the good news was proclaimed beforehand to Abraham. The word used here is,

" " Now, when the translation says, "All the nations will be blessed in you," it

uses the word, " ." Strong's entry has, "to confer benefits on, to bless." The

concept of "to confer" is similar to the action of reckoning. Paul has not moved away from the

justification and the reckoning of righteousness by referencing this verse in Gen. 12:3. He is

furthering his explanation and argument for justification by faith by showing that it was proclaimed

long ago in the very Scriptures that the Judaizers are trying to distort by trying to get them to live by

the works of the law instead of by faith. In addition, when the text says, "All the nations will be

blessed in you," the "in you," is not genetic, but one of relationship. In other words, those who are of

faith are those who are "in" Abraham. It could not be genetic, because not all sons of Abraham are

true sons of faith, nor are Gentiles genetically sons of Abraham. Paul states in Romans 9:6-7

43

(NKJV), "For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the

seed of Abraham." The relationship might be more captured using the word "with", but the

reluctance of using "with" is that "in" has become expected of this type of relationship.

D. THE RESULT OF THE GOSPEL BEING PROCLAIMED BEFOREHAND TO ABRAHAM IS

THAT THOSE OF FAITH ARE BEING BLESSED WITH FAITHFUL ABRAHAM. ...............3:9

9 So that those of faith are being blessed with faithful Abraham.

In verse nine, Paul ties the concept cleanly back to faith. Here Paul explains that the blessing

of justification is by faith, so that they are blessed with faithful Abraham. Simmons states, "The

phrase 'so then' alerts the reader that Paul was preparing to state a conclusion on the basis of the

preceding argument. 'Those of faith' are distinguished from those who are of works. Paul used these

two antithetical ideas throughout Galatians. Believers 'are blessed with faithful Abraham.' Persons

whose lives are marked by the kind of faith that characterized Abraham's life are the true heirs of the

blessings promised to Abraham."34

34

Ibid., 87-88.

44

APPLICATION

The passage of Galatians 3:1-9 was an interrogation and an explanation to the Galatians

based on the occasion that arose in those churches. Paul was trying to correct the false teaching that

was turning them away from the truth (Gal. 1:6). This false teaching was coming from the Judaizers

who were trying to get the Galatians to live and be justified by the law. Paul confronts the Galatians

directly on this issue questioning their assumptions. He then contrasts the works of the law with faith

to show them that works cannot justify them.

The significance of this passage is doctrinal. It is foolish for one to turn to the law to be

justified after having received the Spirit by faith through the Gospel. A person is not justified by the

law, but by faith. Furthermore, one does not become complete by human effort through the works of

the law either (Gal. 3:3). Growth, maturity and bearing fruit to God is through faith. The application

here is that doctrinally salvation is by faith. This does not just apply to justification (Gal. 3:2), but

also to sanctification (Gal. 3:3), which are both aspects of salvation. All of salvation is by faith. The

saving from the penalty of sin (justification), and the salvation from the power of sin (sanctification)

are both by faith.

45

TABLE OF APPENDICES

Appendix A: Translation of Galatians 3:1-9 from the UBS 4th

Greek Critical Text

Appendix B: Full Exegetical Outline of Galatians 3:1-9

Appendix C: Syntax Notes for Galatians 3:1-9

46

APPENDIX A: TRANSLATION OF GALATIANS 3:1-9 FROM THE UBS 4TH

GREEK

CRITICAL TEXT

Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was

portrayed by means of having been crucified? 2 This only I desire to learn from you, did you

receive the Spirit from the works of law, or from the hearing which produces faith? 3 Are you so

foolish, after having begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed by the flesh? 4 Did you

suffer so many things in vain? If indeed it was in vain. 5 Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit

and works miracles among you, does He do it because of your works of law or because you

believed by faith in what you heard? 6 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to

him for righteousness, 7 know then that those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham. 8 And

the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel

beforehand to Abraham saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you." 9 So that those of faith

are being blessed with faithful Abraham.

47

APPENDIX B: FULL EXEGETICAL OUTLINE OF GALATIANS 3:1-9

Exegetical Idea

THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S INTERROGATION AND SUBSEQUENT EXPLANATION WAS TO FIRST

CAUSE THEM TO QUESTION THEIR FOOLISHNESS IN TURNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH AND THEN

SECONDLY TO EXPLAIN JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN ORDER TO BRING THEM BACK TO THE TRUTH.

I. THE REASON FOR PAUL'S INTERROGATION WAS TO CAUSE THEM TO QUESTION THEIR

FOOLISHNESS IN TURNING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH. ...................................................3:1-5

A. THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S QUESTION WAS TO LEARN WHO BEWITCHED THEM IN

LIGHT OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST. ......................................................3:1

B. THE REASON FOR LEARNING WHO BEWITCHED THEM WAS BECAUSE PAUL

QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY BELIEVE THEY RECEIVED THE SPIRIT FROM THE

WORKS OF THE LAW OR FROM THE HEARING WHICH PRODUCES FAITH. .................3:2

C. THE REASON FOR QUESTIONING WHAT THEY BELIEVE WAS TO LEARN FROM THEM

WHETHER THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE NOW BEING COMPLETED BY THE FLESH AFTER

HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT. ..............................................................................3:3

D. AFTER QUESTIONING WHAT THEY BELIEVE PAUL QUESTIONS WHETHER WHAT

THEY SUFFERED WAS IN VAIN. ...............................................................................3:4

E. THE PURPOSE FOR WONDERING IF THEY SUFFERED IN VAIN WAS BECAUSE PAUL

QUESTIONS WHETHER THE GALATIANS BELIEVE GOD GAVE THEM THE SPIRIT

AND WORKED MIRACLES AMONG THEM BECAUSE OF WORKS OF LAW OR

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED THE GOSPEL. ................................................................3:5

II. THE PURPOSE IN EXPLAINING JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IS TO BRING THEM BACK TO

THE TRUTH. .................................................................................................................3:6-9

A. THE PURPOSE FOR PAUL'S QUESTION WAS TO EXPLAIN THAT ABRAHAM BELIEVED

GOD AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. ................................3:6

B. THE PURPOSE FOR EXPLAINING THAT ABRAHAM BELIEVING GOD AND IT WAS

ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS TO EXPLAIN THAT THOSE WHO

ARE OF FAITH ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM. .................................................................3:7

C. THE REASON WHY THOSE WHO ARE OF FAITH ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM WAS

BECAUSE THE GOSPEL WAS PROCLAIMED BEFOREHAND TO ABRAHAM SAYING

THAT THE NATIONS WOULD BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. ..............................................3:8

D. THE RESULT OF THE GOSPEL BEING PROCLAIMED BEFOREHAND TO ABRAHAM IS

THAT THOSE OF FAITH ARE BEING BLESSED WITH FAITHFUL ABRAHAM. ...............3:9

48

APPENDIX C: SYNTAX NOTES FOR GALATIANS 3:1-9

O foolish Galatians, who you he/she/it deceived, to whom before eyes Jesus Christ He was portrayed having been

crucified?

O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes, Jesus Christ was portrayed [by means of] having been

crucified.

O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was portrayed by means

of having been crucified?

This only I desire to learn from you from works of law the Spirit you received or from hearing which produces

faith?

This only I desire to learn from you, did you receive the Spirit from the works of law, or from the hearing which

produces faith?

This only I desire to learn from you, did you receive the Spirit from the works of law, or from the

hearing which produces faith?

So foolish you are, after having begun in Spirit now in flesh you are being completed?

Are you so foolish, after having begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed in the flesh?

Are you so foolish, after having begun in the Spirit, are you now being completed by the flesh?

So many things you suffered in vain? If indeed and vain



49

The therefore who gives to you the Spirit and works miracles in you, from works of law or from hearing which

produces faith?

Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit and who works miracles among you, did He do it because of your works of

law or because you believed what you heard?

Therefore, He who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, does He do it because of

your works of law or because you believed by faith in what you heard?

Just as Abraham he trusted in the God, and it/he/she was reasoned to him in righteousness

Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness,

(You) Know then that the from faith, these sons they are of Abraham.

Know then that those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

know then that those who are of faith, these are sons of Abraham.

Having seen before but the writing that from faith He declares righteous the Gentiles the God, He proclaimed the

Gospel in advanced to Abraham that they will be blessed in you all the Gentiles.

50

And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel beforehand to

Abraham saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, proclaimed the Gospel

beforehand to Abraham saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

So that the from faith they being blessed with the faith in Abraham.

So that those of faith are being blessed with faithful Abraham.

So that those of faith are being blessed with faithful Abraham.

51

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Commentaries

Deffinbaugh, Bob. The Cost of Changing Course: Galatians 3:1-9. Galatians: The Gospel and

God's Grace; available from http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=1348; Internet;

accessed 30 March 2007.

Hiebert, D. Edmond. An Introduction to the New Testament. Waynesboro: Gabriel Publishing,

2003.

Campbell, Donald K. "Galatians." In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the

Scriptures, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, 587- 612. Colorado Springs: Victor

Books, 2000.

Martyn, J. Louis. The Anchor Bible: Galatians: A New Translation with Introduction and

Commentary. Vol. 33A. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Simmons, Billy E. Bible Book Study Commentary: 1 and 2 Thessalonians Galatians. Volume 2,

Number 2. Nashville, Tennessee: Convention Press, July-Sept. 1980.

Vos, Howard F. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs: How the People of the

Bible Really Lived. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.

Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge

Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Colorado Springs: Victor Books, 2000.

Grammars and Syntax Books

Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek. 2nd

ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing

House, 1993, 2003.

Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing

House, 1996.

52

Lexicons

Arndt, William, F. Wilbur Gingrich, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English

Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature : A Translation and

Adaption of the Fourth Revised and Augmented Edition of Walter Bauer's Griechisch-

Deutsches Worterbuch Zu Den Schrift En Des Neuen Testaments Und Der Ubrigen

Urchristlichen Literatur. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996, c1979.

Brown, Colin, Editor. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Grand

Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1971.

Kittel, Gerhard, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey William Bromiley. Theological Dictionary of

the New Testament, Translation of: Theologisches Worterbuch Zum Neuen Testament.

Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, 1995, c1985.

Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: At The Clarendon

Press, 1968.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament :

Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York: United Bible

societies, 1996, c1989.

Moulton, James Hope, and George Milligan. The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Grand

Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1930.

Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Showing Every Word of the Test of the

Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurence of Each Word in

Regular Order. Electronic ed. Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996.

Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Greek (New

Testament). Electronic ed. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Trenchard, Warren C. Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament. Revised

edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998, c1992.

Zodhiates, Spiros, Editor. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga,

TN: AMG Publishers, 1993.

Synthesis Paper for Galatians 3:1-9: An Exegetical Commentary from the Greek

Documents