Teks -- Galatians 1:2 (NET)

1:2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Robertson: Gal 1:2 - All the brethren which are with me

All the brethren which are with me ( hoi sun emoi pantes adelphoi ).

The same phrase in Phi 4:21 in distinction from the saints in Phi 4:22. Probably the small company of travelling companions.

Robertson: Gal 1:2 - Unto the churches of Galatia

Unto the churches of Galatia ( tais ekklēsiais tēs Galatias ).

A circular letter therefore to all the churches in the province (both South Galatia and North Galatia if he really laboured there).

Vincent: Gal 1:2 - Brethren - with me

Brethren - with me

The circle of Paul's colleagues or more intimate friends. Comp. Phi 4:21, Phi 4:22, where the brethren with me are distinguished from all the saints - the church members generally.

Vincent: Gal 1:2 - Unto the churches of Galatia

Unto the churches of Galatia

See Introduction. This is a circular letter to several congregations. Note the omission of the commendatory words added to the addresses in the two Thessalonian and first Corinthian letters.

Wesley: Gal 1:2 - And all the brethren

Who agree with me in what I now write.

JFB: Gal 1:2 - all the brethren

I am not alone in my doctrine; all my colleagues in the Gospel work, travelling with me (Act 19:29, Gaius and Aristarchus at Ephesus: Act 20:4, Sopater, Secundus, Timotheus, Tychicus, Trophimus, some, or all of these), join with me. Not that these were joint authors with Paul of the Epistle: but joined him in the sentiments and salutations. The phrase, "all the brethren," accords with a date when he had many travelling companions, he and they having to bear jointly the collection to Jerusalem [CONYBEARE and HOWSON].

JFB: Gal 1:2 - the churches

Pessinus and Ancyra were the principal cities; but doubtless there were many other churches in Galatia (Act 18:23; 1Co 16:1). He does not attach any honorable title to the churches here, as elsewhere, being displeased at their Judaizing. See First Corinthians; First Thessalonians, &c. The first Epistle of Peter is addressed to Jewish Christians sojourning in Galatia (1Pe 1:1), among other places mentioned. It is interesting thus to find the apostle of the circumcision, as well as the apostle of the uncircumcision, once at issue (Gal 2:7-15), co-operating to build up the same churches.

Clarke: Gal 1:2 - And all the brethren which are with me

And all the brethren which are with me - It is very likely that this refers to those who were his assistants in preaching the Gospel, and not to any private members of the Church

Clarke: Gal 1:2 - Churches of Galatia

Churches of Galatia - Galatia was a region or province of Asia Minor; there was neither city nor town of this name. See the preface. But as, in this province, St. Paul had planted several Churches, he directs the epistle to the whole of them; for it seems they were all pretty nearly in the same state, and needed the same instructions.

Calvin: Gal 1:2 - And all the brethren who are with me // To the churches of Galatia

2.And all the brethren who are with me. — He appears to have usually written in the name of many persons, judging that, if those to whom he wrote should attach less weight to a solitary individual, they might listen to a greater number, and would not despise a whole congregation. His general practice is, to insert the salutations from brethren at the conclusion, instead of introducing them at the commencement as joint authors of the epistle: at least, he never mentions more than two names, and those very well known. But here he includes all the brethren; and thus adopts, though not without good reason, an opposite method. The concurrence of so many godly persons must have had some degree of influence in softening the minds of the Galatians, and preparing them to receive instruction.

To the churches of Galatia. It was an extensive country, and therefore contained many churches scattered through it. But is it not wonderful that the term “Church”, which always implies unity of faith, should have been applied to the Galatians, who had almost entirely revolted from Christ? I reply, so long as they professed Christianity, worshipped one God, observed the sacraments, and enjoyed some kind of Gospel ministry, they retained the external marks of a church. We do not always find in churches such a measure of purity as might be desired. The purest have their blemishes; and some are marked, not by a few spots, but by general deformity. Though the doctrines and practices of any society may not, in all respects, meet our wishes, we must not instantly pronounce its defects to be a sufficient reason for withholding from it the appellation of a Church. Paul manifests here a gentleness of disposition utterly at variance with such a course. Yet our acknowledgment of societies to be churches of Christ must be accompanied by an explicit condemnation of everything in them that is improper or defective; for we must not imagine, that, wherever there is some kind of church, everything in it that ought to be desired in a church is perfect.

I make this observation, because the Papists, seizing on the single word Church, think that whatever they choose to force upon us is sanctioned; though the condition and aspect of the Church of Rome are widely different from what existed in Galatia. If Paul were alive at the present day, he would perceive the miserable and dreadfully shattered remains of a church; but he would perceive no building. In short, the word Church is often applied by a figure of speech in which a part is taken for the whole, to any portion of the church, even though it may not fully answer to the name.

Defender: Gal 1:2 - churches of Galatia

Galatia was not a city, but a Roman province located in what is now northcentral and northeastern Turkey. It had earlier been overrun by Gauls, for whom the area was named, and was later incorporated in the Roman empire. Several of the cities reached on Paul's first missionary journey (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe) were in the area just south of Galatia proper. They could be considered as Galatian churches, but there is no internal evidence to that effect. Possibly the churches Paul was writing to were certain unknown churches in Galatia proper, churches that Paul had reached on his second missionary journey."

TSK: Gal 1:2 - all // churches

all : Phi 2:22, Phi 4:21

churches : Act 9:31, Act 15:41, Act 16:5, Act 16:6, Act 18:23; 1Co 16:1

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Gal 1:2

He writeth not only in his own name, but in the name of all those other Christians that were with him in the place where he now was (whether Rome or Corinth, or some other place, is uncertain); with whose consent and privity probably he wrote, possibly at their instigation, and whose common consent in that doctrine of faith which he handleth, (as well as in other things about which he writeth), he here declareth. Some think that the apostle forbears the term saints, or sanctified in Christ Jesus, & c., commonly used in his other Epistles, because of that apostacy for which he designed to reprove them; but it is implied in the term churches. Galatia was a large country, and had in it many famous cities; it was neither wholly Christian, nor yet such as to the major part; but there were in it several particular congregations of Christians, which he calleth churches; every congregation of Christians using to meet together to worship God, being a church, a particular church, though all such congregations make up but one universal visible church. Nor, being guilty of no idolatry, though corrupted in some particular points of doctrine, and those of moment, doth the apostle deny them the name of churches, though he sharply rebuketh them for their errors.

Gill: Gal 1:2 - And all the brethren which are with me // unto the churches of Galatia

And all the brethren which are with me,.... Meaning either the brethren of the church where he was when he wrote this epistle, who were children of the same Father, regenerated by the same grace, belonged to the same family and household of God, and were heirs together of the grace of life; or else his fellow ministers, who were assisting to him in his work, and were companions with him in his travels, and whom he sometimes mentions by name and joins with him in his epistles, as Sosthenes, Silvanus, and Timothy; and the rather he takes notice of the brethren here, whoever are meant, to show that they agreed with him in the doctrines of grace he defends, and in the charges he brought against this church, and in the reproofs and advice he gave them; which he might suppose, and hope, would have the greater weight and influence upon them;

unto the churches of Galatia; Galatia was a country in the lesser Asia, inhabited by the Gauls, who coming thither out of Europe, mixed with the Grecians; whence it was first called Gallo Graecia, and afterwards Galatia; See Gill on Act 16:6. The metropolis of it, as Pliny ^b says, was formerly Gordium, and the chief towns or cities, according to him, were Ancyra, Tavium, and Pessinus; and in some, or all of these places, it is very probable, were the churches here mentioned; See Gill on Act 18:23. It seems there were more than one in this country; for the primitive churches were not national nor provincial, but congregational, consisting of persons called out of the world, and joined together in holy fellowship and who walked in the commandments and ordinances of the Lord: and though these churches had many among them that were disorderly, and were swerving from the faith of the Gospel, yet were not unchurched, but honoured still with the name of churches, there being no perfection to be expected in this state of things; as not in particular persons, so not in congregated bodies and societies; though it is observed by some, that they are barely called churches, without any additional epithets, as churches of God, beloved of God, called to be saints, faithful and sanctified in Christ, which are bestowed on other churches; whereby the apostle is thought to show his indignation and resentment at their principles and practices. For quickly after the Gospel was preached unto them, false teachers crept in among them, endeavouring to subvert it, by mixing it with the law, and joining Moses and Christ; and in which they very much succeeded; and is the reason of the apostle's writing this epistle.