NOTES ON GALATIANS

Galatians Wayne Weeks states that the basis of Paul’s appeal in this letter is fourfold: to revelation, to 

the personal experience of Paul, to the Galatians’ own experience, and to Scripture.

 

Galatians 3:6 This OT scripture is quoted in three places in the NT. The stress is on a different word 

each time: "reckon" in Romans, "believe" in Galatians, and "righteousness" in James.

 

Galatians 3:20 has roughly 300 different interpretations according to by one scholar.

 

Galatians 3:28 is similar to Job 31:13-15.

 

Galatians 4:8-10 Cosmic forces are being alluded to since days, months, etc. all had astrological 

associations in the Hellenistic world. (Epp)

 

Galatians 4:9-10 God initiates salvation, not vice versa? Paganism and Judaism are lumped together in 

these verses.

 

Galatians 4:12 See I Corinthians 9:19-23 for a possible parallel.

 

Galatians 1-2 Paul had to show that his gospel was independent of but consistent with the apostles. 

I personally know how hard it is to do both at the same time. Once our VP of Research asked me just 

before an important meeting to guarantee him that the manufacturing process our lab had developed 

was already totally proven elsewhere while at the same time being a totally unique process. Somehow I 

managed to satisfy him on both counts, and we built the manufacturing plant, which is still operating 

today without a problem.

 

Galatians 1:15-17 "Arabia" does not refer to the desert, but indicates the Nabataean Kingdom, 

possibly including the city of Damascus. That was the city from which Paul had earlier escaped in a 

basket. 

Galatians 2:16-17 Paul always qualifies his use of the terms "faith" and "works"; they are not to be 

taken as absolute terms. Faith is faith in Christ, and works are Torah observances.

 

Gal. 3:23,25 "Before faith came...after faith came" means before and after Christ the object of our faith 

came.

 

Galatians 5:4 "You are fallen from grace" in its context means "You have departed from the gospel 

system of salvation in Christ," not an individual loss of salvation. (Kaiser)

 

Galatians 5:7 "Who cut in on you?" (NIV)

 

Galatians 5:22 The word "fruit" is singular; it is not a fruit basket (R. Anderson).

 

Galatians 6:2-5 There are different Greek words for load and burden. We can help Christian brothers 

and sisters out, but ultimately they have to bear the responsibility and consequences. God will give 

them extra grace to handle the situation that you are not given.