Galatia 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)

Galatia 4:9

4:9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ²  basic forces? ³  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ⁴ 

Galatia 5:13

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ⁵  only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ⁶  but through love serve one another. ⁷ 

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[4:9]  ² tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

[4:9]  ³ tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.

[4:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[5:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[5:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “as an opportunity for the flesh”; BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”

[5:13]  ⁷ tn It is possible that the verb δουλεύετε (douleuete) should be translated “serve one another in a humble manner” here, referring to the way in which slaves serve their masters (see L&N 35.27).