Galatians 2:3-4

2:3 Yet¹ not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 2:4 Now this matter arose² because of the false brothers with false pretenses³ who slipped in unnoticed to spy on⁴ our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.⁵

¹tn Grk “But,” translated here as “Yet” for stylistic reasons (note the use of “but” in v. 2).

²tn No subject and verb are expressed in vv. 4-5, but the phrase “Now this matter arose,” implied from v. 3, was supplied to make a complete English sentence.

³tn The adjective παρεισάκτους (pareisaktou"), which relates to someone joining a group with false motives or false pretenses, applies to the “false brothers.” Although the expression “false brothers with false pretenses” is somewhat redundant, it captures the emphatic force of Paul’s expression, which labels both these “brothers” as false (ψευδαδέλφους, yeudadelfou") as well as their motives. See L&N 34.29 for more information.

⁴tn The verb translated here as “spy on” (κατασκοπέω, kataskopew) can have a neutral nuance, but here the connotation is certainly negative (so F. F. Bruce, Galatians [NIGTC], 112-13, and E. Burton, Galatians [ICC], 83).

⁵tn Grk “in order that they might enslave us.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause with the subjunctive verb καταδουλώσουσιν (katadoulwsousin) has been translated as an English infinitival clause.