Galatians 3:1

Justification by Law or by Faith?

3:1 You ¹  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ²  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ³  as crucified!

Galatians 3:24

3:24 Thus the law had become our guardian ⁴  until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous ⁵  by faith.

Galatians 3:29

3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, ⁶  heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 6:2

6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

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¹ tn Grk “O” (an interjection used both in address and emotion). In context the following section is highly charged emotionally.

² tn Or “deceived”; the verb βασκαίνω (baskainw) can be understood literally here in the sense of bewitching by black magic, but could also be understood figuratively to refer to an act of deception (see L&N 53.98 and 88.159).

³ tn Or “publicly placarded,” “set forth in a public proclamation” (BDAG 867 s.v. προγράφω 2).

⁴ tn Or “disciplinarian,” “custodian,” or “guide.” According to BDAG 748 s.v. παιδαγωγός, “the man, usu. a slave…whose duty it was to conduct a boy or youth…to and from school and to superintend his conduct gener.; he was not a ‘teacher’ (despite the present mng. of the derivative ‘pedagogue’…When the young man became of age, the π. was no longer needed.” L&N 36.5 gives “guardian, leader, guide” here.

⁵ tn Or “be justified.”

⁶ tn Grk “seed.” See the note on the first occurrence of the word “descendant” in 3:16.