Galatians Commentary

Ver 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Ver 11. Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”

Ver 12. The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

Ver 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”

Ver 14. that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ver 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

Ver 11. Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”

Ver 12. The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

Ver 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”

Ver 14. that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ver 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

John Chrsostom writes, "Everywhere he puts the Gentiles upon a thorough equality.'And put no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith.' [ Acts 15:9 ] From faith alone, he says, they obtained the same gifts. This is also meant as a lesson to those (objectors); this is able to teach even them that faith only is needed, not works nor circumcision. For indeed they do not say all this only by way of apology for the Gentiles, but to teach (the Jewish believers) also to abandon the Law. However, at present this is not said.'Now therefore why do you tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples?' [ Acts 15:10 ] What means,'Tempt ye God?' As if He had not power to save by faith. Consequently, it proceeds from a want of faith, this bringing in the Law." (Homilies on Acts, 32).

Bernard writes, "In commanding, then, things which are impossible [to the unaided strength of men], He has made men, not offenders, but humble: that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be made subject to God. Because by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified before Him (Rom iii. 19, 20). We, then, receiving the commandment, and feeling ourselves to come short of it, shall raise our cry to Heaven, and our God shall have pity upon us, and we shall learn in that day that not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us (Titus iii. 5)." (Sermons On The Song Of Solomon, 50.2).

Thomas Schreiner comments, "Paul’s claim that the OT itself curses those who do not abide by the law in its entirety is an effective statement only if one cannot obey it perfectly. The idea that Paul assumed that no one could obey the law perfectly explains why he believed that only Christ could remove the curse from humanity (Gal 3:13). Indeed, in Gal 2:21 Paul remarks that if justification were attainable by law-obedience, then Christ died for nothing." (Is Perfect Obedience To the Law Possible? A Re-Examination of Galatians 3:10).

Ver 11. Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”

John Chrysostom writes, "And if any were to cast in prison a person who owed ten mites, and not the man himself only, but wife and children and servants for his sake; and another were to come and not to pay down the ten mites only, but to give also ten thousand talents of gold, and to lead the prisoner into the kings courts, and to the throne of the highest power, and were to make him partaker of the highest honour and every kind of magnificence, the creditor would not be able to remember the ten mites; so hath our case been. For Christ hath paid down far more than we owe, yea as much more as the illimitable ocean is than a little drop." (Epislte to the Romans, Homily X, Romans 5:17).

Ver 12. The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

Pseudo-Augustine comments, "This means the one who follows the law will live and not die for the present. But the righteousness which is from faith makes one righteous in God's sight, so that one may be rewarded eternally in the age to come." (Questions on the New Testament, Appendix 66, Anchient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians).

Ver 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”

Ambrosiaster, commenting on Romans 3:25, writes, "They are justified freely, because they have not done anything nor given anything in return, but by faith alone they have been made holy by the gift of God. Paul testifies that the grace of God is in Christ, because we have been redeemed by Christ according to the will of God, so that once set free we may be justified, as he says to the Galatians: Christ redeemed us by offering himself for us." (Commentaries on Romans and 1-2 Corinthians: Ancient Christian Texts, IVP, 2009).

Ver 14. that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

John Chrysostom comments, "It would not be right that the grace of the Spirit should come to one who was graceless or full of offense. We are blessed first by the taking away of the curse. Then, justified by faith, we receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. So the cross has dissolved the curse, faith has brought righteouness, and by God's own righteousness the grace of the Spirit has been given." (Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians).

10. Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσίν, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν· γέγραπται γάρ, Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά. (For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.")

This is a key passage in Paul's argument that salvation is by faith, not by works of the law. Paul is arguing that anyone who tries to be justified by works of the law is under a curse, because the law is impossible to keep perfectly. The passage quotes Deuteronomy 27:26, which says that anyone who does not obey all the commandments of the law is cursed. Paul is using this passage to show that no one can be justified by works of the law.

ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσὶν: This phrase means "For all who rely on works of the law are." The word "ὅσοι" means "all who," "those who," or "whoever." The word "γὰρ" means "for" or "because." The phrase "ἐξ ἔργων νόμου" means "from works of the law." The word "ἔργων" means "works," "deeds," or "actions." The word "νόμου" means "law."

ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν: This phrase means "are under a curse." The word "ὑπὸ" means "under." The word "κατάραν" means "curse."

γέγραπται γάρ: This phrase means "as it is written." The word "γέγραπται" means "is written." The word "γάρ" means "for" or "because."

Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου, τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά: This phrase means "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." The word "Ἐπικατάρατος" means "cursed." The word "πᾶς" means "everyone." The word "ὃς" means "who." The word "οὐκ" means "not." The word "ἐμμένει" means "abide by," "observe," or "keep." The phrase "ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου" means "in all things written in the Book of the Law." The word "πᾶσιν" means "all." The word "τοῖς" means "the." The word "γεγραμμένοις" means "written." The word "ἐν" means "in." The word "τῷ" means "the." The word "βίβλῳ" means "book." The word "τοῦ" means "the." The word "νόμου" means "law." The word "τοῦ" means "the." The word "ποιῆσαι" means "do." The word "αὐτά" means "them."

11. Ὅτι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, δῆλον· ὅτι Ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται· (But that no one is justified before God by the law is evident, for "the righteous will live by faith.")

Paul is arguing that the law cannot justify anyone, because no one can keep the law perfectly. Instead, salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. He quotes from Habakkuk 2:4 to support his argument. Habakkuk 2:4 says, "The righteous will live by his faith." Paul is using this passage to show that salvation is not based on human works, but on God's grace.

ὅτι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται παρὰ τῷ θεῷ: This phrase means "But that no one is justified before God by the law is evident." The word "ὅτι" means "but" or "for." The phrase "ἐν νόμῳ" means "by the law." The word "οὐδεὶς" means "no one." The word "δικαιοῦται" means "is justified." The phrase "παρὰ τῷ θεῷ" means "before God."

δῆλον: This word means "evident" or "clear."

ὅτι Ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται: This phrase means "for "the righteous will live by faith." The word "ὅτι" means "for." The word "ὁ" means "the." The word "δίκαιος" means "righteous." The word "ἐκ" means "from." The word "πίστεως" means "faith." The word "ζήσεται" means "will live."

12. ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ' Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. (ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ' Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς.)

Paul is arguing that the law is not based on faith, but on works. The law requires people to obey its commandments perfectly in order to be justified. Since no one can keep the law perfectly, the law cannot justify anyone.

Paul quotes from Leviticus 18:5 to support his argument. Leviticus 18:5 says, "The man who does these things shall live by them." Paul is using this passage to show that the law is based on works, not faith.

ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ πίστεως: This phrase means "But the law is not of faith." The word "ὁ" means "the." The word "νόμος" means "law." The word "οὐκ" means "not." The word "ἔστιν" means "is." The word "ἐκ" means "of." The word "πίστεως" means "faith."

ἀλλ': This word means "but."

Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς: This phrase means "the man who does these things will live by them." The word "Ὁ" means "the." The word "ποιήσας" means "doing." The word "αὐτὰ" means "them." The word "ἄνθρωπος" means "man." The word "ζήσεται" means "will live." The phrase "ἐν αὐτοῖς" means "by them."

13. Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου, γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα· γέγραπται γάρ, Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου·

Paul begins this verse by stating that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. He then explains what this means by saying that Christ became a curse for us. This is a reference to Christ's death on the cross, which was a fulfillment of the curse that was placed on humanity by God as a result of sin. He supports his statement with a quotation from Deuteronomy 21:23, which says that "cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree." This quotation shows that Christ's death on the cross was a substitutionary sacrifice. He took upon himself the curse that should have been ours.

Χριστός ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν: "Christ redeemed us."

Χριστός: "Christ" is the Greek word for "Messiah" or "anointed one." It is a title for Jesus, who Christians believe is the fulfillment of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. ἡμᾶς: "us" is the accusative plural pronoun, referring to the Galatian Christians to whom Paul is writing. ἐξηγόρασεν: "redeemed" is the perfect tense of the verb "to redeem," which means to buy back or to release from bondage. In this context, it refers to the act of Christ's death on the cross, which rescued humanity from the curse of the law.

ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου: "from the curse of the law."

τῆς κατάρας: "the curse" is the accusative singular of the noun "curse." In this context, it refers to the curse that was placed on humanity by God as a result of sin. This curse is described in Deuteronomy 27:26: "Cursed is everyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." τοῦ νόμου: "the law" is the genitive singular of the noun "law." In this context, it refers to the Mosaic Law, which was given to the Israelites by God.

γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα: "by becoming a curse for us."

γενόμενος: "becoming" is the present participle of the verb "to become." In this context, it describes the act of Christ's death on the cross. ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν: "for us" is the dative case of the pronoun "us," indicating the purpose of Christ's death. κατάρα: "curse" is the nominative singular of the noun "curse." In this context, it refers to the curse that Christ bore on our behalf.

γέγραπται γάρ: "for it is written."

γέγραπται: "it is written" is the present tense of the verb "to be written." It introduces a quotation from Deuteronomy 21:23. γάρ: "for" is a conjunction that introduces an explanation.

Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου: "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree."

Ἐπικατάρατος: "Cursed" is the nominative singular of the adjective "accursed." πᾶς: "everyone" is the nominative singular of the pronoun "all." ὁ κρεμάμενος: "who is hanged" is the nominative singular of the participle of the verb "to hang." ἐπὶ ξύλου: "on a tree" is the prepositional phrase "on a tree."

14. ἵνα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γένηται ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος λάβωμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως.

Paul begins this verse by stating that the goal of Christ's work is that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles. This blessing includes the promise of the Holy Spirit. He explains that this blessing is available to all who have faith in Christ. Faith is the means by which we receive the Holy Spirit.

ἵνα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γένηται: "That the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles."

ἵνα: "That" is a conjunction that introduces a purpose clause. εἰς τὰ ἔθνη: "to the Gentiles" is a prepositional phrase that indicates the intended recipients of the blessing. ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ: "the blessing of Abraham" is a genitive construction that refers to the blessings that were promised to Abraham by God. γένηται: "might come" is the subjunctive mood of the verb "to become." It indicates that the blessing is something that is hoped for, not something that is certain.

ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ: "through Christ Jesus" is a prepositional phrase that indicates the means by which the blessing is received.

ἵνα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος λάβωμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως: "that we might receive the promise of the Spirit by faith."

ἵνα: "that" is a conjunction that introduces a purpose clause. τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος: "the promise of the Spirit" is a genitive construction that refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit. λάβωμεν: "might receive" is the subjunctive mood of the verb "to receive." It indicates that the promise is something that is hoped for, not something that is certain. διὰ τῆς πίστεως: "by faith" is a prepositional phrase that indicates the means by which the promise is received.