Galatia 3:1-3

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! 3:2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law ⁴  or by believing what you heard? ⁵  3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ⁶  with ⁷  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ⁸  by human effort? ⁹ 

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

[3:1]  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).

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

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “by [the] works of [the] law,” a reference to observing the Mosaic law.

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “by [the] hearing of faith.”

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “Having begun”; the participle ἐναρξάμενοι (enarxamenoi) has been translated concessively.

[3:3]  ⁷ tn Or “by the Spirit.”

[3:3]  ⁸ tn The verb ἐπιτελεῖσθε (epiteleisqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534). This is something the Galatians were attempting to do, but could not accomplish successfully.

[3:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “in/by [the] flesh.”