(Old Testament quotations/allusions are underlined. [Brackets] indicate a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)
Greeting from Paul
- 1 Paul, an apostle not sent from men nor through man but through Jesus the Anointed and God the Father – the One who raised Him from the dead –
- 2 and all the brothers with me, to the church assemblies of Galatia:
- 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Anointed Lord Jesus,
- 4 the One who gave Himself on account offn“on account of” this indicates “the impelling or moving cause” for an action according to Thayer’s lexicon, which also specifies that meaning in this verse (i.e. He died in order to solve man’s sin problem). The primary nuance of the word is “for the benefit of”, or “for the sake of” in most contexts. our sins, so that He might rescue us from the *present evil age, in accordance with the will of our God and Father,
- 5 to whom be the glory through all the ages of the ages.fn“through all the ages of the ages” is literal, often translated “forever and ever”. This Greek phrase is a recognized Hebraism that’s almost hyperbolic in its force, and it emphasizes the succession of ages into the future. Amen.
Don’t Desert the True Good News
(Parallel teachings: 2 Corinthians 11:1–15)
- 6 I marvel that you’re so quickly turning away from the One who called you by the grace of the Anointed for a different good news,
- 7 which isn’t really another good news, except there are some deeply shaking you and wanting to corrupt the good news of the Anointed.
- 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven proclaims a good news to you that’s contrary to the good news which we proclaimed to you, let him be anathema!fn“anathema” likely because of the Bible, this Greek word has entered the English vocabulary. In Greek it literally means to curse someone, and more specifically to offer a curse on them to devote them to God’s destruction. It can also have the connotation of being abominable and/or detestable.
- 9 As we have forewarned you, so now I say again: if anyone proclaims a good news to you that’s contrary to what you received, let him be anathema!fnsee note on previous verse
- 10 For am I now seeking favor from men, or from God? Or am I seeking to please men? Yet if I was still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a slave of the Anointed.
The Good News is from God, not men
(Parallel accounts: Acts 9:1–22, 9:26–30; Acts 22:1–21; Acts 26:1–23)
- 11 For brothers, I make known to you the good news which was proclaimed by me, that it’s not from man.
- 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus the Anointed.
- 13 For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, that I was persecuting the church assembly of God exceedingly beyond measure and was ravaging it.
- 14 And I was blazing a trailfn“blazing a trail” is one word in Greek with that exact meaning. The Greek word refers to a pioneer cutting through brushwood to create a path, exactly like the English idiom “blaze a trail” in Judaism beyond many men of the same agefn“men of the same age” is one word in Greek meaning “of the same age”, and here it’s a masculine word. in my nation, being abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
- 15 But when God (the One who set me apart from my mother’s womb and who called me through His gracefnquotation/allusion to Jeremiah 1:5 and Isaiah 49:1,5) was pleased
- 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might proclaim the good news about Him among the gentiles, I didn’t immediately consult with flesh and blood.
- 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the men who were apostles before me, but I departed into Arabia and returned again to Damascus.
- 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephasfn“Cephas” is Aramaic for “a rock”, and is another name for the disciple/apostle Peter. and remained with him fifteen days.
- 19 But I didn’t see the other apostles except James, the brother of the Lord.
- 20 (And what I write to you, behold: in the sight of God, I’m not lying.)
- 21 Afterwards I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
- 22 Now, my face was unknown to the church assemblies of Judea who are in the Anointed.
- 23 And they were only hearing that: “The man previously persecuting us now proclaims the good news of the faith which he was formerly ravaging.”
- 24 And they were glorifying God because of what happened in me.
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