Galatians 3

Galatians · Chapter 3

Galatians 3:21

1O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.5He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.15Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.17And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.18For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.19Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.Is the law, then, opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come from the law.Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could make alive, verily righteousness would have been of the law.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Galatians 3:15-22The promise came before the law

About Galatians 3"O foolish Galatians," Paul asks whether they received the Spirit "by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith," and points to Abraham, who "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness," so that "they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." The law brings a curse on all who fail to keep it, but "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us," and the promise made to Abraham and "to thy seed, which is Christ" cannot be set aside by the law that came 430 years later. The law "was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ," and now "ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus," all "one in Christ Jesus," and "heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:1Galatians 3:2Galatians 3:6Galatians 3:7Galatians 3:10Galatians 3:13Galatians 3:16Galatians 3:17Galatians 3:24Galatians 3:26Galatians 3:28Galatians 3:29

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
thereforeοὖνounG3767
therefore/then

οὖν (oun) οὖν, particle expressing consequence or simple sequence (never standing first in a sentence), wherefore, therefore, then: Mat.3:10, Luk.3:9, Jhn.8:38, Act.1:21, Rom.5:9, al.; in exhortations, Mat.3:8, Luk.11:35, Act.3:19, Rom.6:12, al.; in questions, Mat.13:28, Mrk.15:12, Jhn.8:[5], Rom.6:1, al.; continuing a narrative or resuming it after a digression, Mat.1:17, Luk.3:18, Jhn.1:22 2:18 (and very frequently in this Gospel), Act.26:22, al.; ἄρα οὖν (see: ἄρα); ἐπεὶ οὖν, Heb.2:14; οὖν with ptcp. (= ἐπεὶ οὖν), Act.2:30, Rom.5:1, al.; ἐὰν οὖν (where οὖν rather in sense belongs to the apodosis), …

LawνόμοςnomosG3551
law

νόμος (nomos) νόμος, -ου, ὁ (νέμω, to deal out, distribute), [in LXX chiefly for תּוֹרָה, also for חֻקָּה, etc. ;] that which is assigned, hence, usage, custom, then law; in NT (only in Mt, Jo, Ja, and the Lucan and Pauline bks.); 1. of law in general: Rom.3:27 5:13b; pl., of divine laws, Heb.8:10 10:16; ὁ ν. τ. Χριστοῦ, Gal.6:2; (τ.) ἐλευθερίας, Jas.1:25 2:12; βασιλικιός (Hort., in l.; Deiss., LAE, 267:3), Jas.2:8. 2. Of a force or influence impelling to action: Rom.7:21, 23a, 25 8:2. …

[is] contrary toκατὰkataG2596
according to

κατά (kata) κατά (bef. a vowel κατ᾽, καθ᾽; on the frequently neglect of elision, see Tdf., Pr., 95; WH, App., 146a), prep. with genitive, accusative, down, downwards. I. C. genitive (WM, §47, k; Bl., §42, 2). 1. C. genitive of thing(s), in local sense; (a) down, down from: Mat.8:32, Mrk.5:13, Luk.8:33, 1Co.11:4; (b) throughout (late usage; Bl, l.with): κ. ὅλης κ.τ.λ., Luk.4:14 23:5, Act.9:31 10:37; (with) in a peculiar adjectival phrase: ἡ κ. βάθους, deep or extreme poverty, 2Co.8:2. 2. C. genitive of person(s), usually in hostile sense; …

promisesἐπαγγελιῶνepangeliōnG1860
promise

ἐπαγγελία (epangelia) ἐπ-αγγελία, -ας, ἡ (ἐπαγγέλλω), [in LXX: Psa.56:8 (סֵפֶר), etc. ;] 1. a summons (as Attic law-term, Dem., al.). 2. a promise (Dem., Arist., al.): Act.23:21; esp. in NT of the divine promises, Act.7:17, Rom.4:14, 16 Rom.9:4, Gal.3:17-18, 21 4:23, Heb.8:6 11:9, 17, 2Pe.3:9; with inf., Heb.4:1; γίνεται, etc., with dative of person(s), Act.2:39, Rom.4:13, Gal.3:16; before πρός, Act.13:32 26:6; έπαγγέλεσθαι τὴν ἐ., 1Jn.2:25; ἔχειν ἐπαγγελίας, Heb.7:6, 2Co.7:1; εἷναι νἐ έπαγγελίᾳ, Eph.6:2; ἡ γῆ τῆς ἐ., Heb.11:9; τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐ., Rom.9:8, Gal.4:28; τ. πνεῦμα τῆς ἐ. τ. ἅγιον, Eph.1:13; αἱ διαθῆκαι τ …

of God?θεοῦ;theouG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

NeverμὴmēG3361
not

μή (mē) μή, subjective negative particle, used where the negation depends on a condition or hypothesis, expressed or understood, as distinct from οὐ, which denies absolutely. μή is used where one thinks a thing is not, as distinct from an absolute negation. As a general rule, οὐ negatives the indic, μή the other moods, incl, ptcp. [In LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,אַל ] I. As a neg. adv., not; 1. with ref. to thought or opinion: Jhn.3:18, Tit.1:11, 2Pe.1:9. 2. In delib. questions, with subjc. (M, Pr., 185): Mrk.12:14, Rom.3:8. …

would it be!γένοιτο.genoitoG1096
to be

γίνομαι (ginomai) γίνομαι, Ion. and κοινή for Att. γίγν- (M. Pr., 47; Bl., §6, 8 Mayser, 166 f.), [in LXX chiefly for היה ;] 1. of persons, things occurrences, to come into being, be born, arise, come on: Jhn.1:15 8:58, 1Co.15:37; a first appearance in public, Mrk.1:4, Jhn.1:6, al.; before ἐκ (of birth), Rom.1:3, Gal.4:4; διά, Jhn.1:3; βροντή, Jhn.12:29; σεισμός, Rev.6:12; γογγυσμός, Act.6:1; χαρά, Act.8:8, many other similar exx.; ἡμέρα, Luk.22:66, al.; ὀψέ, Mrk.11:19; πρωΐα, Mat.27:1; νύξ, Act.27:27. …

IfεἰeiG1487G
if

εἰ (ei) εἰ, conjunctive particle, used in conditions and in indirect questions. I. Conditional, if; 1. with indic, expressing a general assumption; (a) pres.: before indic, pres., Mat.11:14, Rom.8:25, al.; before imperat., Mrk.4:23 9:22, Jhn.15:18, 1Co.7:9, al.; before fut. indic., Luk.16:31, Rom.8:11, al.; before pf. or aor., with negation in apodosis, Mat.12:26, Rom.4:14, al.; similarly, before impf., Luk.17:6, Jhn.8:39; before quæst., Mat.6:23, Jhn.5:47 7:23 8:46, 1Pe.2:20; (b) fut.: Mat.26:33, 1Pe.2:20; (with) pf.: Jhn.11:12, Rom.6:5, al.; …

forγὰρgarG1063
for

γάρ (gar) γάρ, co-ordinating particle, contr. of γε ἄρα, verily then, hence, in truth, indeed, yea, then, why, and when giving a reason or explanation, for, the usage in NT being in general accord with that of cl.; 1. explicative and epexegetic: Mat.4:18 19:12, Mrk.1:16 5:42 16:4, Luk.11:3o, Rom.7:1, 1Co.16:5, al. 2. Conclusive, in questions, answers and exclamations: Mat.9:5 27:23, Luk.9:25 22:27, Jhn.9:30, Act.8:31 16:37 19:35, Rom.15:26, 1Co.9:10, Php.1:18 (Ellic., in l.), 1Th.2:20, al. …

was givenἐδόθηedothēG1325
to give

δίδωμι (didōmi) δίδωμι, [in LXX chiefly for נָתַן (53 words in all) ;] to give—in various senses, accusative to context—bestow, grant, supply, deliver, commit, yield: absol., Act.20:35; with accusative of thing(s) and dative of person(s), Mat.4:9 5:31, Jhn.1:12, al. mult.; with dative of person(s), before ἐκ, Mat.25:8; id. with genitive part.. Rev.2:17; with accusative of person(s), Jhn.3:16, Rev.20:13, al.; δεξιάς, Gal.2:9; φίλημα, Luk.7:45; γνῶσιν, Luk.1:77; κρίσιν, Jhn.5:22; of seed yielding fruit, Mrk.4:7, 8; ἐργασίαν (Deiss., LAE, 117f.), Luk.12:58; with inf. fin., Mat.27:34, Mrk.5:43, Luk.8:55, Jhn.6: …

a lawνόμοςnomosG3551
law

νόμος (nomos) νόμος, -ου, ὁ (νέμω, to deal out, distribute), [in LXX chiefly for תּוֹרָה, also for חֻקָּה, etc. ;] that which is assigned, hence, usage, custom, then law; in NT (only in Mt, Jo, Ja, and the Lucan and Pauline bks.); 1. of law in general: Rom.3:27 5:13b; pl., of divine laws, Heb.8:10 10:16; ὁ ν. τ. Χριστοῦ, Gal.6:2; (τ.) ἐλευθερίας, Jas.1:25 2:12; βασιλικιός (Hort., in l.; Deiss., LAE, 267:3), Jas.2:8. 2. Of a force or influence impelling to action: Rom.7:21, 23a, 25 8:2. …

is being ableδυνάμενοςdunamenosG1410
be able

δύναμαι (dunamai) δύναμαι, depon., [in LXX chiefly for יָכֹל ;] to be able, have power, whether by personal ability, permission, or opportunity: with inf. (M, Pr., 205; WM, §44, 3) pres., Mat.6:24, Mrk.2:7, Jhn.3:2, 1Co.10:21, al.; with inf. aor., Mat.3:9, Mrk.1:45, Jhn.3:3, 4 Rom.8:39, al.; with accusative, to be able to do something: Mrk.9:22, Luk.12:26; 2Co.13:8; absol., to be able, capable, powerful: 1Co.3:2 10:13. (AS)

to impart life,ζῳοποιῆσαι,zōopoiēsaiG2227
to make alive

ζωοποιέω (zōopoieō) ζωο-ποιέω, ῶ [in LXX for חָיָה pi., hi., Jdg.21:14, 4Ki.5:7, Neh.9:6, Job.36:6, Psa.70:20, Ecc.7:12 * ;] 1. in cl. (= ζωογονέω), to produce alive. 2. In LXX and NT, to make alive, cause to live, quicken (DCG, ii, 606a; Cremer, 275): Jhn.5:21 6:53, Rom.4:17 8:11, 1Co.15:45, 2Co.3:6, Gal.3:21. Pass., 1Co.15:22 15:36, 1Pe.3:18.† (AS)

indeedὄντωςontōsG3689
really

ὄντως (ontōs) ὄντως adv. (ὤν, ptcp. of εἰμί, sum) [in LXX: Num.22:37 (אׇמְנָם), Jer.3:23 (אָכֵן), Jer.10:19 (אַךְ), 3Ki.12:24, Wis.17:14 * ;] really, actually, truly: Mrk.11:32, Luk.23:47 24:34, Jhn.8:36, 1Co.14:25, Gal.3:21 4:1-31 ἡ ὄ. ζωή, 1Ti.6:19; ἡ ὄ. χήρα, 1Ti.5:3 5:5 5:16 † (AS)

fromἐκekG1537
out from

ἐκ (ek) ἐκ (ἐξ), prep. with genitive, from out of, from (see Addendum, p. 492). This entry is included here, but in the print version the entry is found on p. 492. ἐκ, before a vowel ἐξ, prep. with genitive, of motion outwards, separation from (opposite to εἰς; = Lat. e, ex), from out of, from among, from. I. Of Place, …

[the] lawνόμουnomouG3551
law

νόμος (nomos) νόμος, -ου, ὁ (νέμω, to deal out, distribute), [in LXX chiefly for תּוֹרָה, also for חֻקָּה, etc. ;] that which is assigned, hence, usage, custom, then law; in NT (only in Mt, Jo, Ja, and the Lucan and Pauline bks.); 1. of law in general: Rom.3:27 5:13b; pl., of divine laws, Heb.8:10 10:16; ὁ ν. τ. Χριστοῦ, Gal.6:2; (τ.) ἐλευθερίας, Jas.1:25 2:12; βασιλικιός (Hort., in l.; Deiss., LAE, 267:3), Jas.2:8. 2. Of a force or influence impelling to action: Rom.7:21, 23a, 25 8:2. …

then wouldἂνanG0302
if

ἄν (an) ἄν, conditional particle, which cannot usually be separately translated in English, its force depending on the constructions which contain it (see further, LS, see word; WM, §xlii; M, Pr., 165 ff.; MM, VGT, see word). 1. In apodosis, …

was emergingἦνēnG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

righteousness;δικαιοσύνη·dikaiosunēG1343
righteousness

δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosunē) δικαιοσύνη, -ης, ἡ (δίκαιος), [in LXX chiefly for צֶדֶק, and cognates, Gen.15:6, al., rarely for חֶסֶד, Gen.19:19 ;] the character of ὁ δίκαιος (which see) 1. in broad sense, righteousness, conformity to the Divine will in purpose, thought and action: Mat.5:6, Jhn.16:8, Act.13:10, Rom.4:3; λόγος δικαιοσύνης, teaching of r., Heb.5:13; βασιλεὺς δ. (cf. FlJ, BJ, vi, 10, β. δίκαιος), Heb.7:2; ὅπλα δ., Rom.6:13; ὁδὸς δ., Mat.21:32; θώραξ τῆς δ., Eph.6:14; διὰκονοι δ., 2Co.11:15; ὁσιότης καὶ δ., Luk.1:75, cf. Eph.4:24; ἀγαθωσύνῃ καὶ δ., Eph.5:9; δ. κ. εἰρήνη κ. χαρά, Rom.14:17; δ. κ. ἁγιασμός, 1Co …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.