Galatians 3

Galatians · Chapter 3

Galatians 3:4

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
4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.Have you suffered so much for nothing, if it really was for nothing?Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Galatians 3:1-5Spirit by faith, not 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
So many thingsτοσαῦταtosautaG5118
so great

τοσοῦτος (tosoutos) τοσοῦτος, -αύτη, -οῦτο (Heb.7:22) and (elsewhere, as usually in Attic) -οῦτον, correlat. of ὅσος, of quantity, size, number, so great, so much, pl., so many: Mat.8:10 Luk.7:9, Heb.12:1, Rev.18:7, 16; of time, so long, χρόνος, Jhn.14:9, Heb.4:7; pl., Luk.15:29 (ἔτη), Jhn.12:37 21:11, 1Co.14:10; before ὥστε, Mat.15:33; absol.: pl., Jhn.6:9, Gal.3:4; of price, τοσούτου, Act.5:8; dative, τοσούτῳ κρείττων, Heb.1:4; τ. μᾶλλον ὅσῳ, Heb.10:25; καθ᾽ ὅσον . . . κατὰ τ., Heb.7:22.† (AS)

did you sufferἐπάθετεepatheteG3958
to suffer

πάσχω (paschō) πάσχω [in LXX: Amo.6:6 (חָלָה ni.), Wis.12:27, Sir.38:16, al. ;] to suffer, be acted on, as opposite to acting, often limited by a word expressive of good or evil; (a) of misfortunes (most frequently without any limiting word) : absol., Luk.22:15 24:46, Act.1:3 3:18 17:3, 1Co.12:26, Heb.2:18 9:26 13:12, 1Pe.2:19-20 2:23 3:17 4:15 4:19; before ὑπό, with genitive, Mat.17:12; ὑπέρ, Act.9:16, Php.1:20, 2Th.1:5, 1Pe.2:21; with dative ref., 1Pe.4:1; περί, with genitive (before ὑπέρ), 1Pe.3:18; διά, with accusative, 1Pe.3:14; ὀλίγον (a little while), 1Pe.5:10; with accusative, Mat.27:19, Mrk.9:12, …

in vain?εἰκῇ;eikēaG1500
in vain

εἰκῇ (eikē) εἰκῇ (-ῆ, Rec., as in cl.), adv., [in LXX: Pro.28:25 (εἰκῇ)* ;] 1. without cause or reason: Mat.5:22 (E, mg.), Col.2:18 (ICC). 2. vainly, fruitlessly, to no purpose: Rom.13:4, 1Co.15:2, Gal.3:4 4:11, Col.2:18. † (AS)

ifεἴeiG1487G
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.; …

indeedγεgeG1065
indeed

γέ (ge) γε, enclitic postpositive particle, rarer in κοινή than in cl., giving special prominence to the word to which it is attached, distinguishing it as the least or the most important (Thayer, see word), indeed, at least, even (but not always translatable into English); 1. used alone: Luk.11:8 18:5 Rom.8:32. …

evenκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

in vain!εἰκῇ.¶eikēaG1500
in vain

εἰκῇ (eikē) εἰκῇ (-ῆ, Rec., as in cl.), adv., [in LXX: Pro.28:25 (εἰκῇ)* ;] 1. without cause or reason: Mat.5:22 (E, mg.), Col.2:18 (ICC). 2. vainly, fruitlessly, to no purpose: Rom.13:4, 1Co.15:2, Gal.3:4 4:11, Col.2:18. † (AS)

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