Galatia 3:6

3:6 Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, ¹ 

Galatia 5:21

5:21 envying, ²  murder, ³  drunkenness, carousing, ⁴  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Galatia 4:24

4:24 These things may be treated as an allegory, ⁵  for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.

Galatia 2:9

2:9 and when James, Cephas, ⁶  and John, who had a reputation as ⁷  pillars, ⁸  recognized ⁹  the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me ¹⁰  the right hand of fellowship, agreeing ¹¹  that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹² 

Galatia 2:18

2:18 But if I build up again those things I once destroyed, ¹³  I demonstrate that I am one who breaks God’s law. ¹⁴ 

Galatia 4:14

4:14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. ¹⁵  Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, ¹⁶  as though I were Christ Jesus himself! ¹⁷ 

Galatia 2:8

2:8 (for he who empowered ¹⁸  Peter for his apostleship ¹⁹  to the circumcised ²⁰  also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles) ²¹ 

Galatia 1:5

1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.

Galatia 2:19

2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God.

Galatia 6:4

6:4 Let each one examine ²²  his own work. Then he can take pride ²³  in himself and not compare himself with ²⁴  someone else.

Galatia 6:14

6:14 But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which ²⁵  the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatia 6:11

Final Instructions and Benediction

6:11 See what big letters I make as I write to you with my own hand!

Galatia 1:20

1:20 I assure you ²⁶  that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you! ²⁷ 

Galatia 3:18

3:18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave ²⁸  it to Abraham through the promise.

Galatia 3:1

Justification by Law or by Faith?

3:1 You ²⁹  foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell ³⁰  on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed ³¹  as crucified!

Galatia 3:16

3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. ³²  Scripture ³³  does not say, “and to the descendants,” ³⁴  referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” ³⁵  referring to one, who is Christ.

Galatia 2:15

Jews and Gentiles are Justified by Faith

2:15 We are Jews by birth ³⁶  and not Gentile sinners, ³⁷ 

Galatia 4:16

4:16 So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? ³⁸ 

Galatia 1:13-14

1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life ³⁹  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 1:14 I ⁴⁰  was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, ⁴¹  and was ⁴²  extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. ⁴³ 

Galatia 5:13

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ⁴⁴  only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ⁴⁵  but through love serve one another. ⁴⁶ 

Galatia 2:14

2:14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ⁴⁷  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ⁴⁸  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Galatia 4:5

4:5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. ⁴⁹ 

Galatia 4:8

Heirs of Promise Are Not to Return to Law

4:8 Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all. ⁵⁰ 

Galatia 4:25

4:25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

Galatia 2:4

2:4 Now this matter arose ⁵¹  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ⁵²  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ⁵³  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁵⁴ 

Galatia 2:7

2:7 On the contrary, when they saw ⁵⁵  that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised ⁵⁶  just as Peter was to the circumcised ⁵⁷ 

Galatia 2:17

2:17 But if while seeking to be justified in Christ we ourselves have also been found to be sinners, is Christ then one who encourages ⁵⁸  sin? Absolutely not!

Galatia 3:5

3:5 Does God then give ⁵⁹  you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law ⁶⁰  or by your believing what you heard? ⁶¹ 

Galatia 3:14-15

3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, ⁶²  so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Inheritance Comes from Promises and not Law

3:15 Brothers and sisters, ⁶³  I offer an example from everyday life: ⁶⁴  When a covenant ⁶⁵  has been ratified, ⁶⁶  even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.

Galatia 3:24

3:24 Thus the law had become our guardian ⁶⁷  until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous ⁶⁸  by faith.

Galatia 4:4

4:4 But when the appropriate time ⁶⁹  had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

Galatia 4:6

4:6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls ⁷⁰  “Abba! ⁷¹  Father!”

Galatia 4:23

4:23 But one, the son by the slave woman, was born by natural descent, ⁷²  while the other, the son by the free woman, was born through the promise.

Galatia 4:29

4:29 But just as at that time the one born by natural descent ⁷³  persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, ⁷⁴  so it is now.

Galatia 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁷⁵  an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead)

Galatia 2:6

2:6 But from those who were influential ⁷⁶  (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people ⁷⁷ ) – those influential leaders ⁷⁸  added ⁷⁹  nothing to my message. ⁸⁰ 

Galatia 3:19

3:19 Why then was the law given? ⁸¹  It was added ⁸²  because of transgressions, ⁸³  until the arrival of the descendant ⁸⁴  to whom the promise had been made. It was administered ⁸⁵  through angels by an intermediary. ⁸⁶ 

Galatia 3:21

3:21 Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? ⁸⁷  Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. ⁸⁸ 

Galatia 2:16

2:16 yet we know ⁸⁹  that no one ⁹⁰  is justified by the works of the law ⁹¹  but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. ⁹²  And ⁹³  we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ ⁹⁴  and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one ⁹⁵  will be justified.

[3:6]  ¹ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[5:21]  ² tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  ³ tc ‡ φόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  ⁴ tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[4:24]  ⁵ tn Grk “which things are spoken about allegorically.” Paul is not saying the OT account is an allegory, but rather that he is constructing an allegory based on the OT account.

[2:9]  ⁶ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

[2:9]  ⁷ tn Or “who were influential as,” or “who were reputed to be.” See also the note on the word “influential” in 2:6.

[2:9]  ⁸ sn Pillars is figurative here for those like James, Peter, and John who were leaders in the Jerusalem church.

[2:9]  ⁹ tn The participle γνόντες (gnontes) has been taken temporally. It is structurally parallel to the participle translated “when they saw” in v. 7.

[2:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “me and Barnabas.”

[2:9]  ¹¹ 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.

[2:9]  ¹² tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.

[2:18]  ¹³ tn Or “once tore down.”

[2:18]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “that I am a transgressor.”

[4:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”

[4:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[4:14]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.

[2:8]  ¹⁸ tn Or “worked through”; the same word is also used in relation to Paul later in this verse.

[2:8]  ¹⁹ tn Or “his ministry as an apostle.”

[2:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “to the circumcision,” i.e., the Jewish people.

[2:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “also empowered me to the Gentiles.”

[6:4]  ²² tn Or “determine the genuineness of.”

[6:4]  ²³ tn Grk “he will have a reason for boasting.”

[6:4]  ²⁴ tn Or “and not in regard to.” The idea of comparison is implied in the context.

[6:14]  ²⁵ tn Or perhaps, “through whom,” referring to the Lord Jesus Christ rather than the cross.

[1:20]  ²⁶ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:20]  ²⁷ tn Grk “What things I am writing to you, behold, before God [that] I am not lying.”

[3:18]  ²⁸ tn On the translation “graciously gave” for χαρίζομαι (carizomai) see L&N 57.102.

[3:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “O” (an interjection used both in address and emotion). In context the following section is highly charged emotionally.

[3:1]  ³⁰ 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).

[3:1]  ³¹ tn Or “publicly placarded,” “set forth in a public proclamation” (BDAG 867 s.v. προγράφω 2).

[3:16]  ³² tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).

[3:16]  ³³ tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.

[3:16]  ³⁴ tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.

[3:16]  ³⁵ tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.

[3:16]  sn A quotation from Gen 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7.

[2:15]  ³⁶ tn Grk “by nature.”

[2:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

[4:16]  ³⁸ tn Or “have I become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” The participle ἀληθεύων (alhqeuwn) can be translated as a causal adverbial participle or as a participle of means (as in the translation).

[1:13]  ³⁹ tn Or “lifestyle,” “behavior.”

[1:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:14]  ⁴¹ tn Or “among my race.”

[1:14]  ⁴² tn Grk “was advancing beyond…nation, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) was translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:14]  ⁴³ sn The traditions of my ancestors refers to both Pharisaic and popular teachings of this time which eventually were codified in Jewish literature such as the Mishnah, Midrashim, and Targums.

[5:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[5:13]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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).

[2:14]  ⁴⁷ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

[2:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Here ἀναγκάζεις (anankazei") has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).

[4:5]  ⁴⁹ tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”

[4:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “those that by nature…” with the word “beings” implied. BDAG 1070 s.v. φύσις 2 sees this as referring to pagan worship: “Polytheists worship…beings that are by nature no gods at all Gal 4:8.”

[2:4]  ⁵¹ tn 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.

[2:4]  ⁵² tn 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.

[2:4]  ⁵³ tn 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).

[2:4]  ⁵⁴ tn 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.

[2:7]  ⁵⁵ 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).

[2:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “to the uncircumcision,” that is, to the Gentiles.

[2:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “to the circumcision,” a collective reference to the Jewish people.

[2:17]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “does Christ serve the interests of sin?”; or “is Christ an agent for sin?” See BDAG 230-31 s.v. διάκονος 2.

[3:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “provide.”

[3:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “by [the] works of [the] law” (the same phrase as in v. 2).

[3:5]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “by [the] hearing of faith” (the same phrase as in v. 2).

[3:14]  ⁶² tn Or “so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.”

[3:15]  ⁶³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[3:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “I speak according to man,” referring to the illustration that follows.

[3:15]  ⁶⁵ tn The same Greek word, διαθήκη (diaqhkh), can mean either “covenant” or “will,” but in this context the former is preferred here because Paul is discussing in vv. 16-18 the Abrahamic covenant.

[3:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “has been put into effect.”

[3:24]  ⁶⁷ 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.

[3:24]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “be justified.”

[4:4]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “the fullness of time” (an idiom for the totality of a period of time, with the implication of proper completion; see L&N 67.69).

[4:6]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “calling.” The participle is neuter indicating that the Spirit is the one who calls.

[4:6]  ⁷¹ tn The term “Abba” is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic אַבָּא (’abba’), literally meaning “my father” but taken over simply as “father,” used in prayer and in the family circle, and later taken over by the early Greek-speaking Christians (BDAG 1 s.v. ἀββα).

[4:23]  ⁷² tn Grk “born according to the flesh”; BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4 has “Of natural descent τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκός children by natural descent Ro 9:8 (opp. τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας). ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται Gal 4:23; cp. vs. 29.”

[4:29]  ⁷³ tn Grk “according to the flesh”; see the note on the phrase “by natural descent” in 4:23.

[4:29]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “the one born by the Spirit’s [power].”

[1:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:6]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “influential leaders.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a.β has “the influential men Gal 2:2, 6b. A fuller expr. w. the same mng., w. inf. added…vss. 6a, 9.” This refers to the leadership of the Jerusalem church.

[2:6]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “God does not receive the face of man,” an idiom for showing favoritism or partiality (BDAG 887-88 s.v. πρόσωπον 1.b.α; L&N 88.238).

[2:6]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “influential people”; here “leaders” was used rather than “people” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy with the word “people” in the previous parenthetical remark. See also the note on the word “influential” at the beginning of this verse.

[2:6]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “contributed.” This is the same word translated “go to ask advice from” in 1:16, but it has a different meaning here; see L&N 59.72.

[2:6]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “added nothing to my authority.” Grk “added nothing to me,” with what was added (“message,” etc.) implied.

[3:19]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “Why then the law?”

[3:19]  ⁸² tc For προσετέθη (proseteqh) several Western mss have ἐτέθη (eteqh, “it was established”; so D* F G it Ir^lat Ambst Spec). The net effect of this reading, in conjunction with the largely Western reading of πράξεων (praxewn) for παραβάσεων (parabasewn), seems to be a very positive assessment of the law. But there are compelling reasons for rejecting this reading: (1) externally, it is provincial and relatively late; (2) internally: (a) transcriptionally, there seems to be a much higher transcriptional probability that a scribe would try to smooth over Paul’s harsh saying here about the law than vice versa; (b) intrinsically: [1] Paul has already argued that the law came after the promise (vv. 15-18), indicating, more than likely, its temporary nature; [2] the verb “was added” in v. 19 (προσετέθη) is different from the verb in v. 15 (ἐπιδιατάσσεται, epidiatassetai); virtually all exegetes recognize this as an intentional linguistic shift on Paul’s part in order not to contradict his statement in v. 15; [3] the temper of 3:1–4:7 is decidedly against a positive statement about the Torah’s role in Heilsgeschichte.

[3:19]  ⁸³ tc παραδόσεων (paradosewn; “traditions, commandments”) is read by D*, while the vast majority of witnesses read παραβάσεων (parabasewn, “transgressions”). D’s reading makes little sense in this context. πράξεων (praxewn, “of deeds”) replaces παραβάσεων in Ì⁴⁶ F G it Ir^lat Ambst Spec. The wording is best taken as going with νόμος (nomo"; “Why then the law of deeds?”), as is evident by the consistent punctuation in the later witnesses. But such an expression is unpauline and superfluous; it was almost certainly added by some early scribe(s) to soften the blow of Paul’s statement.

[3:19]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “the seed.” See the note on the first occurrence of the word “descendant” in 3:16.

[3:19]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “was ordered.” L&N 31.22 has “was put into effect” here.

[3:19]  ⁸⁶ tn Many modern translations (NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this word (μεσίτης, mesith"; here and in v. 20) as “mediator,” but this conveys a wrong impression in contemporary English. If this is referring to Moses, he certainly did not “mediate” between God and Israel but was an intermediary on God’s behalf. Moses was not a mediator, for example, who worked for compromise between opposing parties. He instead was God’s representative to his people who enabled them to have a relationship, but entirely on God’s terms.

[3:21]  ⁸⁷ tc The reading τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) is well attested in א A C D (F G read θεοῦ without the article) Ψ 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co. However, Ì⁴⁶ B d Ambst lack the words. Ì⁴⁶ and B perhaps should not to be given as much weight as they normally are, since the combination of these two witnesses often produces a secondary shorter reading against all others. In addition, one might expect that if the shorter reading were original other variants would have crept into the textual tradition early on. But 104 (a.d. 1087) virtually stands alone with the variant τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Cristou, “of Christ”). Nevertheless, if τοῦ θεοῦ were not part of the original text, it is the kind of variant that would be expected to show up early and often, especially in light of Paul’s usage elsewhere (Rom 4:20; 2 Cor 1:20). A slight preference should be given to the τοῦ θεοῦ over the omission. NA²⁷ rightly places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[3:21]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “have been based on the law.”

[2:16]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “yet knowing”; the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[2:16]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “no man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[2:16]  ⁹¹ sn The law is a reference to the law of Moses.

[2:16]  ⁹² tn Or “faith in Jesus Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 20; Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[2:16]  sn On the phrase translated the faithfulness of Christ, ExSyn 116, which notes that the grammar is not decisive, nevertheless suggests that “the faith/faithfulness of Christ is not a denial of faith in Christ as a Pauline concept (for the idea is expressed in many of the same contexts, only with the verb πιστεύω rather than the noun), but implies that the object of faith is a worthy object, for he himself is faithful.” Though Paul elsewhere teaches justification by faith, this presupposes that the object of our faith is reliable and worthy of such faith.

[2:16]  ⁹³ tn In Greek this is a continuation of the preceding sentence, but the construction is too long and complex for contemporary English style, so a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:16]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “by faith in Christ.” See comment above on “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”

[2:16]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “no human being”; Grk “flesh.”