King James Version
Galatians 1
24 verses with commentary
Greeting
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)</strong> Paul begins with emphatic defense of his apostolic authority. The Greek <em>apostolos</em> (ἀπόστολος) means "one sent with authority." Paul contrasts his calling with human appointment—"not of men" (<em>ouk ap' anthrōpōn</em>) denies human origin, while "neither ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**I.**
(1-5) It is no self-constituted teacher by whom the Galatians are addressed, but an Apostle who, like the chosen Twelve, had received his commission, not from any human source or through any human agency, but directly from God and Christ. As such, he and his companions that are with him give Christian greeting to the Galatian churches, invoking upon them the highest of spiritual blessings f...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Therefore--**connected with the words in 2Co 5:16, "We know Christ no more after the flesh." As Christ has entered on His new heavenly life by His resurrection and ascension, so all who are "in Christ" (that is, united to Him by faith as the branch is In the vine) are new creatures (Ro 6:9-11). "New" in the Greek implies a new nature quite different from anything previously existing, not mer...
Read full commentary →And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
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<strong>And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:</strong> Unlike other letters naming specific co-senders, Paul refers generally to "all the brethren" (<em>hoi syn emoi pantes adelphoi</em>, οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἀδελφοί), strengthening his message with unanimous support. The plural "churches" (<em>ekklēsiais</em>) indicates multiple congregations facing the same crisis.<...
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(2) **All the brethren which are with me**—*i.e.,* all his travelling companions. We are unable to say exactly who these were, the more so as we do not know with any certainty the place from which St. Paul was writing. He may have had in his company most of those who are mentioned in Acts 20:4 as accompanying him back into Asia: Sopater, son of Pyrrhus (according to an amended reading); Aristarchu...
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**18. all--**Greek, "THE."
**things--**all our privileges in this new creation (2Co 5:14, 15).
**reconciled us--**that is, restored us ("the world," 2Co 5:19) to His favor by satisfying the claims of justice against us. Our position judicially considered in the eye of the law is altered, not as though the mediation of Christ had made a change in God's character, nor as if the love of God was p...
Read full commentary →Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
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<strong>Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,</strong> Standard Pauline greeting combining Greek <em>charis</em> (χάρις, "grace") and Hebrew <em>shalom</em> ("peace"), transformed with theological meaning. Grace refers to God's unmerited favor—Galatians' central theme—while peace (<em>eirēnē</em>, εἰρήνη) denotes reconciliation with God resulting from grace...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Grace . . . and peace.**—See Note on Romans 1:7.
**God the Father.**—We may see by this verse how the title “Father,” originally used in the present formula to distinguish between the Divine Persons, came gradually to contract a wider signification. God is, through Christ, the Father of all who by their relation to Christ are admitted into the position of “sons” (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. God was in Christ, reconciling--**that is, God was BY Christ (in virtue of Christ's intervention) reconciling," &c. Was reconciling" implies the time when the act of reconciliation was being carried into effect (2Co 5:21), namely, when "God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us." The compound of "was" and the participle "reconciling," instead of the imperfect (Greek), may also im...
Read full commentary →Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
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<strong>Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:</strong> This verse condenses Paul's gospel powerfully. "Gave himself" (<em>dóntos heauton</em>, δόντος ἑαυτόν) emphasizes Christ's voluntary self-sacrifice—not coerced but chosen. The reflexive pronoun intensifies personal nature: Christ didn't merely give som...
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(4) **Who gave himself.**—Surrendered Himself, of His own free act and will, to those who sought His death. The phrase has a parallel in Titus 2:14, and appears in its full and complete form in the Gospel saying (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45): “The Son of Man came to give His life a ransom for many “; and in 1Timothy 2:6 : “Who gave Himself a ransom” (the word is here a compound, which brings out mor...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. for Christ ... in Christ's stead--**The Greek of both is the same: translate in both cases "on Christ's behalf."
**beseech ... pray--**rather, "entreat [plead with you] ... beseech." Such "beseeching" is uncommon in the case of "ambassadors," who generally stand on their dignity (compare 2Co 10:2; 1Th 2:6, 7).
**be ye reconciled to God--**English Version here inserts "ye," which is not i...
Read full commentary →To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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<strong>To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.</strong> This doxology concludes the greeting with ascription of glory to God. The relative pronoun "whom" refers to "God and our Father" (v. 4), though the unity of Father and Son suggests glory belongs to both. Greek <em>hē doxa</em> (ἡ δόξα) uses the definite article, pointing to God's unique, supreme, unshared glory.<br><br>"For ever and ever" ...
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(5) **Glory.**—Perhaps, properly, *the glory*—*i.e.,* the divine glory: that pre-eminent glory with which no other can compare.
If this is the case, then it would be better to supply “is” than “be.” His own peculiar glory *does* belong to God, and therefore the Christian ascribes it to Him as that which is already His; he does not pray for it as something unfulfilled, as, *e.g.,* he prays for the ...
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**21. For--**omitted in the oldest manuscripts. The grand reason why they should be reconciled to God, namely, the great atonement in Christ provided by God, is stated without the "for" as being part of the message of reconciliation (2Co 5:19).
**he--**God.
**sin--**not a sin offering, which would destroy the antithesis to "righteousness," and would make "sin" be used in different senses in th...
Read full commentary →No Other Gospel
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
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<strong>I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:</strong> Paul's shock is palpable—<em>thaumazō</em> (θαυμάζω, "I am astonished") expresses bewilderment at their rapid defection. "So soon" (<em>houtōs tacheōs</em>) emphasizes shocking speed of apostasy. They are abandoning not mere doctrine but "him that called you"—deserting God H...
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(6-10) The Apostle is surprised at their rapid defection. The doctrine to which they had at first given in their adhesion was a doctrine of salvation by grace: they now imagined that they were only hearing a different version of the same truths. A different version? How was that possible? There could not be any second gospel, nor was there really anything of the kind. It was not a new gospel, but ...
Read full commentary →Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
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<strong>Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.</strong> Paul immediately clarifies his paradox from verse 6: he called it "another gospel" (<em>heteron</em>, different kind), but now says it's "not another" (<em>ouk estin allo</em>, not another of the same kind). The Judaizers' message isn't an alternate form of genuine gospel—it's no gosp...
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(7) **But there be some.**—The force of the Greek, conjunction is, rather, *except that,* as the word “only” is used idiomatically in English. So far from being a second gospel, it is really no gospel, “*only* there are some . . . ,” *i.e.,* the only sense in which there can be any mention of a second gospel is that there are some who pervert the old gospel. The existence of this party is the only...
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CHAPTER 6
2Co 6:1-18. His Apostolic Ministry Is Approved by Faithfulness in Exhortation, in Sufferings, in Exhibition of the Fruits of the Holy ghost: His Largeness of Heart to Them Calls for Enlargement of Their Heart to Him. Exhortations to Separation from Pollution.
**1. workers together--**with God (Ac 15:4; 1Co 3:9). Not only as "ambassadors."
**beseech--**entreat (2Co 5:20). He is desc...
Read full commentary →But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
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<strong>But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.</strong> Paul pronounces uncompromising judgment. Even if he himself (<em>hēmeis</em>, emphatic "we") or "an angel from heaven" preached a different gospel, that messenger should be "accursed" (<em>anathema</em>, ἀνάθεμα)—devoted to destruction, under God...
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(8) **Though.**—The Greek is, strictly, *even though,* marking an extreme and improbable supposition.
**We.**—It seems, perhaps, too much to say, in the face of 2Thessalonians 2:2 (“by letter as from us”), that St. Paul never used the plural in speaking of himself alone. Still there may, both there and here, be some thought of associating his more immediate companions (“the brethren which are with...
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**2. For--**God's own promise is the ground of our exhortation.
**he saith--**God the Father saith to God the Son, and so to all believers who are regarded as one with Him.
**heard thee--**In the eternal purposes of my love I have hearkened to thy prayer for the salvation of thy people (compare Joh 17:9, 15, 20, 24).
**accepted ... accepted--**The Greek of the latter is more emphatic, "well-...
Read full commentary →As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
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<strong>As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.</strong> Paul repeats the anathema verbatim, emphasizing absolute seriousness. "As we said before" (<em>proeirēkamen</em>, προειρήκαμεν, perfect tense) likely refers to his founding visit when he warned against false teaching. The perfect tense indicates past ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **As we said before.**—Probably, upon his last (*i.e.,* his second) visit, at the beginning of this, his third, great missionary journey (Acts 18:23). The germs of the apostasy in the Galatian Church would be already visible.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. Resuming the connection with 2Co 6:1, interrupted by the parenthetical 2Co 6:2. "Giving no offense" (compare 1Co 10:33), "approving ourselves," and all the other participles down to 2Co 6:10, are nominatives to "we also entreat you" (2Co 6:1), to show the pains he took to enforce his exhortation by example, as well as precept [Alford]. "Offense" would be given, if we were without "patience" and...
Read full commentary →For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
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<strong>For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.</strong> Paul answers an accusation: that he's a people-pleaser who softens the gospel for Gentile audiences. "Do I now persuade men, or God?" (the Greek syntax is difficult—likely "Am I now seeking human approval or God's?"). The obvious answer: God's approval al...
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(10) You may take this vehemence of language as my answer to another charge that has been brought against me. I am accused of seeking popularity with men. Well, here at least is plainness of speech. If I seek to win favour with any one it is not with men, but God. The two things are really incompatible. If I were a. favourite with men I should be no true servant of Christ.
St. Paul naturally laid ...
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4. Translate, to mark the true order of the Greek words, "in everything, as God's ministers recommending ourselves," that is, that our hearers may give our message a favorable hearing, through our consistency in every respect, not that they may glorify us. Alluding to 2Co 3:1, he implies, We commend ourselves, not like them by word, but by deed.
**patience--**(2Co 12:12). Put first. "Pure-minded...
Read full commentary →Paul Called by God
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.</strong> Paul begins autobiography defending his gospel's divine origin. "I certify" (<em>gnōrizō</em>, γνωρίζω) means "make known, inform, declare"—formal announcement. "Brethren" (<em>adelphoi</em>) softens confrontational tone; despite severe rebuke, they remain family. "The gospel which was preached...
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(11, et *seq.*) The Apostle now enters at length upon his personal defence against his opponents. He does this by means of an historical retrospect of his career, proving by an exhaustive process the thesis with which he starts that the doctrine taught by him comes from a divine source, and possesses the divine sanction. My doctrine is not human, but divine; it could not be otherwise. For (*a*) I ...
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**5. stripes--**(2Co 11:23, 24; Ac 16:23).
**imprisonments--**(2Co 11:23). He had been, doubtless, elsewhere imprisoned besides at Philippi when he wrote this Epistle.
**tumults--**(Ac 13:50; 14:5, 19; 16:22; and recently Ac 19:23-41).
**labours--**in the cause of Christ (2Co 11:23; Ro 16:12).
**watchings--**(2Co 11:27). Sleepless nights.
**fastings--**The context here refers to his tria...
Read full commentary →For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
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<strong>For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.</strong> Paul explains verse 11 with three clauses. "For I neither received it of man" (<em>oude gar egō para anthrōpou parelabon auto</em>) denies receiving (<em>paralambanō</em>, παραλαμβάνω—technical term for tradition reception) from human source. "Neither was I taught it" (<em>oute edidac...
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(12) **For I neither received it.**—The first “neither” in this verse does not answer to the second, but qualifies the pronoun “I.” The connection in the thought is perhaps something of this kind: “The gospel is not human as it comes to *you;* neither was it human as it first came to me.”
**Taught.**—There is an antithesis between this word and “revelation” in the next clause. “I did not receive m...
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**6. By ... by, &c.--**rather, as Greek, "In ... in," implying not the instrument, but the sphere or element in which his ministry moved.
**knowledge--**spiritual: in Gospel mysteries, unattainable by mere reason (1Co 2:6-16; 2Co 3:6, 17, 18).
**long-suffering ... kindness--**associated with "charity" or "love" (1Co 13:4), as here.
**by the Holy Ghost--**in virtue of His influences which...
Read full commentary →For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
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<strong>For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:</strong> Paul appeals to widely known facts. "Ye have heard" (<em>ēkousate</em>, ἠκούσατε) references his reputation—his pre-conversion life was public knowledge. "My conversation" (<em>anastrophēn</em>, ἀναστροφήν) means "conduct, manner of life"—...
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(13, 14) Proof that the doctrine of the Apostle is derived from God and not from man, in that it could not be accounted for by his antecedents and education, all of which told *against,* rather than *for,* a Christian belief of any kind.
(13) **Ye have heard.**—Rather, *ye heard.* It was indeed notorious; but the Apostle may be referring to the fact that he himself usually (see Acts 22:3-21; Acts ...
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**7. By the word of truth, by the power of God--**rather, "In ... in," &c. As to "the word of truth" (compare 2Co 4:2; Col 1:5), and "the (miraculous) power of God" (2Co 4:7); 1Co 2:4, "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
**by the armour--**Greek, "through" or "by means of the armor." "Righteousness," which is the breastplate alone in Ep 6:13-17, here is made the whole Christian pa...
Read full commentary →And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. equals: Gr. equals in years
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.</strong> Paul documents his credentials as Judaism's champion. "Profited" (<em>proekopton</em>, προέκοπτον) means "advanced, made progress"—Paul was climbing rabbinic ranks. "Above many my equals" (<em>hyper pollous synēlikiōtas</em>, ὑπὲρ πολλοὺς συνη...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Profited.**—Made progress. The kind of progress would correspond to the width of the term “Judaism,” with which it is connected, and would imply, not merely proficiency in theological knowledge, but also increase in zeal and strictness of ritualistic observance.
**My equals.**—Strictly, *my equals in age.* St. Paul is thinking of his contemporaries among the young men who came up, ardent li...
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8. Translate, "Through glory and dishonor (disgrace)," namely, from those in authority, and accruing to us present. "By," or "through evil report and good report," from the multitude, and affecting us absent [Bengel]. Regarded "as deceivers" by those who, not knowing (2Co 6:9), dishonor and give us an evil report; "as true," by those who "know" (2Co 6:9) us in the real "glory" of our ministry. In ...
Read full commentary →But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,</strong> Paul shifts from his activity to God's sovereignty. "But when it pleased God" (<em>hote de eudokēsen ho theos</em>, ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς) emphasizes divine initiative and good pleasure—God's timing and purpose, not Paul's decision. <em>Eudokeō</em> (εὐδοκέω) expresses sovereign delight ...
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(15) In pursuance of his main argument, the Apostle lays stress upon the fact that his very conversion and mission to the Gentiles had been first predestinated in the divine counsels, and afterwards carried out through divine interposition: it was throughout the work of God, and not of man.
**Pleased.**—The word specially used of the free will and pleasure of God, determined absolutely by itself, ...
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**9. unknown ... yet well known--**"unknown" in our true character to those who "evil report" of us, "well known" to those who hold us in "good report" (2Co 6:8). Conybeare explains, "Unknown by men, yet acknowledged by God" (1Co 13:12). Perhaps both God and men (believers) are intended as knowing him (2Co 5:11; 11:6).
**dying ... live--**(2Co 1:9; 4:10, 11; 11:23). Compare Gaussen's remark, see...
Read full commentary →To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:</strong> God's purpose in calling Paul was "to reveal his Son in me" (<em>apokalypsai ton hyion autou en emoi</em>, ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί). <em>Apokalyptō</em> (ἀποκαλύπτω) means "unveil, disclose." Christ was revealed "in" (<em>en</em>) Paul—internal revelation...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **To reveal his Son in me.**—That is, probably, *in my mind,* or *consciousness.* Before the Apostle could preach Christ to the Gentiles he needed to have first that intense inward conviction which was wrought in him during that sustained mental struggle which followed upon his conversion. It is possible that “in me” might be equivalent to “through me, as an organ or instrument”; but the sens...
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10. The "as" no longer is used to express the opinion of his adversaries, but the real state of him and his fellow laborers.
**making many rich--**Spiritually (1Co 1:5), after the example of our Lord, who "by His poverty made many rich" (2Co 8:9).
**having nothing--**Whatever of earthly goods we have, and these are few, we have as though we had not; as tenants removable at will, not owners (1C...
Read full commentary →Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.</strong> Paul continues proving his gospel's independence. "Neither went I up to Jerusalem" (<em>oude anēlthon eis Hierosolyma</em>, οὐδὲ ἀνῆλθον εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα) explicitly denies the expected journey. New converts typically sought instruction from established lea...
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(17) **Went I up.**—The usual phrase is to go up to “Jerusalem,” from the fact that Jerusalem stood upon high ground, and was approached from all sides by an ascent. Here, however, the reading is doubtful between “went up” and “went away,” each of which is supported by nearly equally good authority. In so close a balance of the authorities the less common phrase is, perhaps, more likely to have be...
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**11. mouth ... open unto you--**I use no concealment, such as some at Corinth have insinuated (2Co 4:2). I use all freedom and openness of speech to you as to beloved friends. Hence he introduces here, "O Corinthians" (compare Php 4:15). The enlargement of his heart towards them (2Co 7:3) produced his openness of mouth, that is, his unreserved expression of his inmost feelings. As an unloving man...
Read full commentary →Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. went up: or, returned
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.</strong> "Then after three years" (<em>epeita meta tria etē</em>, ἔπειτα μετὰ τρία ἔτη)—Paul carefully documents timeline proving minimal contact with Jerusalem. Three years passed between conversion (Acts 9) and first Jerusalem visit (Acts 9:26-30), demonstrating his gospel wasn't learned from apo...
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(18-24) Nor did that consultation with the elder Apostles, which had hitherto been impossible, take place when, at last, after the lapse of three years, the Apostle did go up to Jerusalem. He saw indeed Peter and James, but for so short a time that he could have learnt nothing essential from them. To the rest of the churches of Judæa he was known only by report; and they were too rejoiced at his c...
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12. Any constraint ye feel towards me, or narrowness of heart, is not from want of largeness of heart on my part towards you, but from want of it on your part towards me.
**bowels--**that is, affections (compare 2Co 12:15).
**not straitened in us--**that is, for want of room in our hearts to take you in.
But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.</strong> Paul specifies the limited scope of his Jerusalem contact. "But other of the apostles saw I none" (<em>heteron de tōn apostolōn ouk eidon</em>, ἕτερον δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐκ εἶδον)—he met only two leaders: Peter (verse 18) and James. "Save James the Lord's brother" (<em>ei mē Iakōbon ton adelphon tou kyriou</em>, ε...
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(19) **Other of the apostles.**—From the form of this phrase it would appear that James, the Lord’s brother, was considered to be an Apostle. In what sense he was an Apostle will depend very much upon who he was (see the next Note). If he was a cousin of our Lord, and identical with James the son of Alphæus, then he was one of the original Twelve. If he was not the son of Alphæus, but either the s...
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13. Translate, "As a recompense in the same kind ... be enlarged also yourselves" [Ellicott]. "In the same way" as my heart is enlarged towards you (2Co 6:11), and "as a recompense" for it (Ga 4:12).
**I speak as unto my children--**as children would naturally be expected to recompense their parents' love with similar love.
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.</strong> Paul interrupts narrative with solemn oath. "Now the things which I write unto you" (<em>ha de graphō hymin</em>, ἃ δὲ γράφω ὑμῖν) refers to preceding autobiography (verses 13-19). "Behold" (<em>idou</em>, ἰδού) arrests attention—"look, pay attention!" "Before God, I lie not" (<em>enōpion tou theou hoti ou pseud...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) A solemn asseveration of the truth of these statements as to the extent of the Apostle’s relation with the elder disciples.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. Be not--**Greek, "Become not."
**unequally yoked--**"yoked with one alien in spirit." The image is from the symbolical precept of the law (Le 19:19), "Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind"; or the precept (De 22:10), "Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together." Compare De 7:3, forbidding marriages with the heathen; also 1Co 7:39. The believer and unbeliever a...
Read full commentary →Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;</strong> Paul continues documenting his movements post-Jerusalem visit. "Afterwards" (<em>epeita</em>, ἔπειτα) marks chronological progression. "I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia" (<em>ēlthon eis ta klimata tēs Syrias kai tēs Kilikias</em>)—<em>klimata</em> (κλίματα) means "regions, districts." This journey corresponds to ...
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(21) **Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.**—We gather from the parallel narrative in Acts 9:30; Acts 11:25-26, that the course which the Apostle followed was this:—He was first conveyed secretly by the disciples to the sea-port Cæsarea Stratonis; there he took ship and sailed for Tarsus. Here he was found, somewhat later, by Barnabas, and taken to Antioch, where he remained a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. Belial--**Hebrew, "worthlessness, unprofitableness, wickedness." As Satan is opposed to God, and Antichrist to Christ; Belial being here opposed to Christ, must denounce all manner of Antichristian uncleanness [Bengel].
**he that believeth with an infidel--**Translate, "a believer with an unbeliever."
And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:</strong> Paul emphasizes his minimal contact with Judean Christianity. "And was unknown by face" (<em>ēmēn de agnoumenos tō prosōpō</em>, ἤμην δὲ ἀγνοούμενος τῷ προσώπῳ) uses imperfect tense indicating continuous state—he remained unknown throughout this period. <em>Agnoeō</em> (ἀγνοέω) means "not know, be ignorant o...
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(22) **Was unknown by face.**—The Greek is a shade stronger: *I continued unknown.* If in Jerusalem itself the Apostle had not had time to receive instruction from any one, still less was this the case with the other Christian communities of Judæa. To these he was not known even by sight. At the same time, so far were they from manifesting any opposition to his teaching, that their one thought was...
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**16. agreement--**accordance of sentiments (compare 1Ki 18:21; Ep 5:7, 11).
**the temple of God--**that is, you believers (1Co 3:16; 6:19).
**with idols--**Compare Dagon before the ark (1Sa 5:2-4).
**as--**"even as God said." Quotation from Le 26:12; Jr 31:33; 32:38; Eze 37:26, 27; compare Mt 28:20; Joh 14:23.
**walk in them--**rather, "among them." As "dwell" implies the divine presence,...
Read full commentary →But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.</strong> Though unknown by face, Paul was famous by reputation. "But they had heard only" (<em>monon de akouontes ēsan</em>, μόνον δὲ ἀκούοντες ἦσαν) uses imperfect periphrastic construction indicating continuous ongoing hearing—reports kept coming. <em>Monon</em> ("only") em...
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(23) **Had heard.**—Rather, *were hearing.*
**The faith.**—Not quite, as yet, “the body of Christian doctrine,” which was in process of forming rather than already formed, but the one cardinal doctrine of faith in Christ. (Comp. Romans 1:5, and Note there.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17. Quoted from Is 52:11, with the freedom of one inspired, who gives variations sanctioned by the Holy Spirit.
**be ye separate--**"be separated" (Ho 4:17).
**touch not the unclean thing--**rather, "anything unclean" (2Co 7:1; Mi 2:10). Touching is more polluting, as implying participation, than seeing.
**receive you--**The Greek implies, "to myself"; as persons heretofore out of doors, but...
Read full commentary →And they glorified God in me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they glorified God in me.</strong> The Judean churches' response validated Paul's ministry and gospel. "And they glorified God in me" (<em>kai edoxazon en emoi ton theon</em>, καὶ ἐδόξαζον ἐν ἐμοὶ τὸν θεόν) uses imperfect tense—continuous, repeated glorifying. <em>Doxazō</em> (δοξάζω) means "honor, praise, give glory to." "In me" (<em>en emoi</em>) indicates Paul's transformation and m...
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(24) **They glorified God in me.**—This verse represents the proper attitude of Christian hero-worship. An eminent Christian is like a “city set on a hill.” But the admiration which he attracts does not rest in him; it is made the occasion for giving praise to God.
**Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. Translate, "I will be to you in the relation of a Father, and ye shall be to me in the relation of sons and daughters." This is a still more endearing relation than (2Co 6:16), "I will be their God, and they ... My people." Compare the promise to Solomon (1Ch 28:6; Is 43:6; Re 21:3, 7; Jr 31:1, 9).
**Lord Almighty--**The Lord the Universal Ruler: nowhere else found but in Revelation. The gre...
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