Galatians 1:16-17

1:16 to reveal his Son in ¹  me so that I could preach him ²  among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from ³  any human being, ⁴  1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem ⁵  to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, ⁶  and then returned to Damascus.

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¹ tn Or “to me”; the Greek preposition ἐν (en) can mean either, depending on the context.

² tn This pronoun refers to “his Son,” mentioned earlier in the verse.

³ tn Or “I did not consult with.” For the translation “I did not go to ask advice from” see L&N 33.175.

⁴ tn Grk “from flesh and blood.”

⁵ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁶ sn As a geographical region Arabia included the territory west of Mesopotamia, east and south of Syria and Palestine, extending to the isthmus of Suez. During the Roman occupation, some independent kingdoms arose like that of the Nabateans south of Damascus, and these could be called simply Arabia. In light of the proximity to Damascus, this may well be the territory Paul says he visited here. See also C. W. Briggs, “The Apostle Paul in Arabia,” Biblical World 41 (1913): 255-59.