Galatians 2:2

2:2 I went there ¹  because of ²  a revelation and presented ³  to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so ⁴  only in a private meeting with the influential people, ⁵  to make sure that I was not running – or had not run ⁶  – in vain.

Galatians 2:7-9

2:7 On the contrary, when they saw ⁷  that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised ⁸  just as Peter was to the circumcised ⁹  2:8 (for he who empowered ¹⁰  Peter for his apostleship ¹¹  to the circumcised ¹²  also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) ¹³  2:9 and when James, Cephas, ¹⁴  and John, who had a reputation as ¹⁵  pillars, ¹⁶  recognized ¹⁷  the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me ¹⁸  the right hand of fellowship, agreeing ¹⁹  that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ²⁰ 

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¹ tn Grk “I went up”; one always spoke idiomatically of going “up” to Jerusalem.

² tn Or “in accordance with.” According to BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.5.a.δ, “Oft. the norm is at the same time the reason, so that in accordance with and because of are merged…Instead of ‘in accordance w.’ κ. can mean simply because of, as a result of, on the basis of…κ. ἀποκάλυψιν Gal 2:2.”

³ tn Or “set before them.”

⁴ tn Grk “Gentiles, but only privately…to make sure.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started with “But” and the words “I did so,” an implied repetition from the previous clause, were supplied to make a complete English sentence.

⁵ tn L&N 87.42 has “important persons, influential persons, prominent persons” for οἱ δοκοῦντες and translates this phrase in Gal 2:2 as “in a private meeting with the prominent persons.” The “prominent people” referred to here are the leaders of the Jerusalem church.

⁶ tn Here the first verb (τρέχω, trecw, “was not running”) is present subjunctive, while the second (ἔδραμον, edramon, “had not run”) is aorist indicative.

⁷ tn The participle ἰδόντες (idontes) has been taken temporally to retain the structure of the passage. Many modern translations, because of the length of the sentence here, translate this participle as a finite verb and break the Greek sentences into several English sentences (NIV, for example, begins new sentences at the beginning of both vv. 8 and 9).

⁸ tn Grk “to the uncircumcision,” that is, to the Gentiles.

⁹ tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.

¹⁰ tn Or “worked through”; the same word is also used in relation to Paul later in this verse.

¹¹ tn Or “his ministry as an apostle.”

¹² tn Grk “to the circumcision,” i.e., the Jewish people.

¹³ tn Grk “also empowered me to the Gentiles.”

¹⁴ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

¹⁵ tn Or “who were influential as,” or “who were reputed to be.” See also the note on the word “influential” in 2:6.

¹⁶ sn Pillars is figurative here for those like James, Peter, and John who were leaders in the Jerusalem church.

¹⁷ tn The participle γνόντες (gnontes) has been taken temporally. It is structurally parallel to the participle translated “when they saw” in v. 7.

¹⁸ tn Grk “me and Barnabas.”

¹⁹ tn Grk “so,” with the ἵνα (Jina) indicating the result of the “pillars” extending the “right hand of fellowship,” but the translation “they gave…the right hand of fellowship so that we would go” could be misunderstood as purpose here. The implication of the scene is that an agreement, outlined at the end of v. 10, was reached between Paul and Barnabas on the one hand and the “pillars” of the Jerusalem church on the other.

²⁰ tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.