Galatians 5:13-18

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ¹  only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ²  but through love serve one another. ³  5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, ⁴  namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁵  5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, ⁶  beware that you are not consumed ⁷  by one another. 5:16 But I say, live ⁸  by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. ⁹  5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires ¹⁰  that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to ¹¹  each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

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

[5:13]  ² 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]  ³ 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).

[5:14]  ⁴ tn Or “can be fulfilled in one commandment.”

[5:14]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[5:15]  ⁷ tn That is, “if you are harming and exploiting one another.” Paul’s metaphors are retained in most modern translations, but it is possible to see the meanings of δάκνω and κατεσθίω (daknw and katesqiw, L&N 20.26 and 88.145) as figurative extensions of the literal meanings of these terms and to translate them accordingly. The present tenses here are translated as customary presents (“continually…”).

[5:15]  ⁸ tn Or “destroyed.”

[5:16]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “walk” (a common NT idiom for how one conducts one’s life or how one behaves).

[5:16]  ¹¹ tn On the term “flesh” (once in this verse and twice in v. 17) see the note on the same word in Gal 5:13.

[5:17]  ¹³ tn The words “has desires” do not occur in the Greek text a second time, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.

[5:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “are hostile toward” (L&N 39.1).