Galatians / Chapter 5

Galatians 5

26 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Galatians 5 transitions from theological argument to ethical exhortation. Paul begins with a ringing declaration of Christian freedom and warns that accepting circumcision obligates one to the entire law, separating them from Christ and grace. He contrasts the law-based approach with faith working through love. After warning about the agitators' corrupting influence, Paul describes the life of freedom: not as license for the flesh, but as love-driven service to one another. He then presents his famous contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit — a catalog of vices followed by a ninefold list of virtues produced by the Spirit's transforming work.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-23) is one of the most memorized and beloved passages in Paul's letters. Notably, 'fruit' is singular (karpos), not plural — the nine qualities form a unified whole, not a menu of options. The declaration 'against such things there is no law' (v. 23) is both a legal observation and a profound theological statement: the Spirit produces what the law demanded but could never generate. Paul's ethics are pneumatological — moral transformation comes not from rule-keeping but from the Spirit's presence.

Translation Friction

The 'works of the flesh' catalog (vv. 19-21) reflects first-century moral categories. The Greek term pharmakeia (v. 20) is rendered 'sorcery' — its connection to modern 'pharmacy' is etymological, not semantic. The phrase 'will not inherit the kingdom of God' (v. 21) raises questions about the security of believers that Paul does not resolve here. The relationship between human effort ('walk by the Spirit,' v. 16) and divine agency ('the Spirit produces fruit,' v. 22) is held in tension.

Connections

The freedom declaration (v. 1) echoes the allegory conclusion of 4:31. The law fulfilled in love (v. 14) connects to Romans 13:8-10 and Jesus's teaching in Matthew 22:39. The flesh/Spirit contrast parallels Romans 8:5-13. The fruit of the Spirit echoes the qualities of love in 1 Corinthians 13. The 'crucified the flesh' language (v. 24) connects to 2:20 and 6:14.

Galatians 5:1

Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

KJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The dative tē eleutheria ('for freedom') is emphatic by position — freedom is both the means and the goal of Christ's liberation. The verb ēleutherōsen ('set free') is aorist, pointing to a definitive past act (the cross). The imperative stēkete ('stand firm') demands active resistance: freedom must be maintained, not passively enjoyed. The 'yoke of slavery' (zygō douleias) pictures the law as an animal yoke — the very metaphor used for Torah in Acts 15:10 and by the rabbis themselves, though they viewed it positively ('the yoke of the kingdom of heaven').

Galatians 5:2

Ἴδε ἐγὼ Παῦλος λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, Χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει.

Look — I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all.

KJV Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul speaks with full apostolic weight: 'I, Paul' (egō Paulos) puts his personal authority behind the warning. The conditional ean peritemnēsthe ('if you are circumcised') uses the present subjunctive, indicating a real and imminent possibility. The verb ōphelēsei ('will benefit, will profit') with ouden ('nothing') makes the stakes absolute: accepting circumcision as a requirement for covenant membership empties Christ of all saving value. Paul is not opposing circumcision as a cultural practice but as a soteriological requirement.

Galatians 5:3

μαρτύρομαι δὲ πάλιν παντὶ ἀνθρώπῳ περιτεμνομένῳ ὅτι ὀφειλέτης ἐστὶν ὅλον τὸν νόμον ποιῆσαι.

I testify again to every person who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to keep the entire law.

KJV For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verb martyromai ('I solemnly testify, I declare under oath') is a legal term. Paul's logic: circumcision is not a standalone act but an entry point into the entire Torah system. You cannot adopt one requirement in isolation — accepting circumcision means accepting the whole package (holon ton nomon, 'the whole law'). The word opheiletēs ('debtor, one under obligation') frames law-keeping as a debt that can never be fully paid.

Galatians 5:4

κατηργήθητε ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ, οἵτινες ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

KJV Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verb katērgēthēte ('you have been severed, you have been cut off, you have been rendered ineffective') is devastatingly ironic — those who seek circumcision (cutting) end up being cut off from Christ. The verb exepesate ('you have fallen out of') gives us the theological concept of 'falling from grace' — not losing salvation through moral failure, but abandoning the grace principle in favor of the law principle. The two systems are mutually exclusive: grace or law, not both.

Galatians 5:5

ἡμεῖς γὰρ πνεύματι ἐκ πίστεως ἐλπίδα δικαιοσύνης ἀπεκδεχόμεθα.

For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.

KJV For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul contrasts the law-based approach (v. 4) with the Spirit-faith approach. The verb apekdechometha ('we eagerly await, we look forward to') indicates patient, expectant hope. The 'hope of righteousness' (elpida dikaiosynēs) looks forward to final vindication — the full realization of right standing with God. Paul's ethics are eschatological: believers live between the 'already' of justification and the 'not yet' of final righteousness.

Galatians 5:6

ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία ἀλλὰ πίστις δι' ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

KJV For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This verse is the hinge of Galatians' theology. The phrase pistis di' agapēs energoumenē ('faith working through love') prevents faith from becoming mere intellectual assent. Faith is not passive but active — and its activity is love. The verb energoumenē can be middle ('expressing itself, working') or passive ('being energized, being activated'). If middle: faith naturally expresses itself through love. If passive: faith is activated by love, or by the Spirit's power. Either way, faith and love are inseparable. This verse has been central to Protestant-Catholic dialogue on faith and works.

Galatians 5:7

Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς· τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι;

You were running well. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?

KJV Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The athletic metaphor returns (cf. 2:2). The verb enekopsen ('cut in on, hindered, impeded') was used for cutting into a road to block an army's advance or for breaking into a runner's lane. The question is rhetorical — Paul knows who the agitators are — but the athletic imagery emphasizes that the Galatians were making progress until someone illegally interfered.

Galatians 5:8

ἡ πεισμονὴ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς.

This persuasion is not from the one who calls you.

KJV This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word peismonē ('persuasion') occurs only here in the New Testament. The 'one who calls' (tou kalountos) is God (cf. 1:6, 15). Whatever arguments the agitators are using, they do not originate from God. The verse is terse and devastating — a one-sentence verdict on the agitators' theology.

Galatians 5:9

μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ.

A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.

KJV A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

A proverbial saying Paul also uses in 1 Corinthians 5:6. Yeast (zymē) works invisibly but transforms everything it touches. The agitators' teaching — even a 'small' requirement like circumcision — will eventually corrupt the entire gospel. The metaphor warns against compromising on what seems minor: in theology, small concessions produce total transformation.

Galatians 5:10

ἐγὼ πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε· ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὑμᾶς βαστάσει τὸ κρίμα, ὅστις ἐὰν ᾖ.

I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. But the one who is disturbing you will bear the judgment, whoever he is.

KJV I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul expresses confidence (pepoitha, 'I have come to trust') qualified by 'in the Lord' — his confidence is in God's work in them, not in their character. The singular ho tarassōn ('the one disturbing') may point to a specific ringleader among the agitators. The phrase hostis ean ē ('whoever he may be') suggests the person has some status or authority — Paul dismisses it as irrelevant before divine judgment (krima).

Galatians 5:11

ἐγὼ δέ, ἀδελφοί, εἰ περιτομὴν ἔτι κηρύσσω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι; ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ.

But brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

KJV And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul apparently faced the accusation that he still preached circumcision (perhaps based on his circumcision of Timothy, Acts 16:3). His response: if he were preaching circumcision, no one would persecute him — the persecution itself proves he is not. The word skandalon ('stumbling block, offense, trap') applied to the cross: a crucified Messiah is inherently offensive because it eliminates human achievement as the basis for standing with God. Adding circumcision would remove this offense — and gut the gospel.

Galatians 5:12

ὄφελον καὶ ἀποκόψονται οἱ ἀναστατοῦντες ὑμᾶς.

I wish those who are unsettling you would go all the way and castrate themselves!

KJV I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verb apokopsontai ('cut off, mutilate') is a shocking escalation of the circumcision vocabulary. Paul's caustic wit: if cutting a little flesh is so beneficial, why not cut off the whole thing? The reference to castration also connects to pagan practices — the priests of Cybele, a goddess worshipped in Galatia, practiced ritual castration. Paul suggests the agitators' obsession with genital cutting has more in common with paganism than with the gospel. The verb anastatountes ('unsettling, stirring up, disturbing') is stronger than tarassontes (1:7) — these people are turning the community upside down.

Galatians 5:13

Ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἐπ' ἐλευθερίᾳ ἐκλήθητε, ἀδελφοί· μόνον μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῇ σαρκί, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love.

KJV For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul pivots from defending freedom to defining it. Freedom is not autonomy (doing whatever the flesh desires) but is redirected into voluntary service (douleuete, 'serve as slaves' — deliberately using the slavery vocabulary). The paradox of Christian freedom: truly free people choose to serve. The word aphormē ('base of operations, launching point, opportunity') is a military term — the flesh looks for any foothold to exploit. Freedom from the law does not mean freedom from love's obligations.

Galatians 5:14

ὁ γὰρ πᾶς νόμος ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ πεπλήρωται, ἐν τῷ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.

For the entire law is fulfilled in a single statement: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

KJV For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18. The verb peplērōtai ('has been fulfilled, has been brought to completion') is perfect passive — the law finds its full expression in love, not through rule-by-rule obedience but through the love that animates every genuine command. This does not abolish the law but reveals its true purpose. The same argument appears in Romans 13:8-10. Paul the opponent of law-righteousness affirms that love accomplishes what the law intended.
[TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Leviticus 19:18. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Galatians 5:15

εἰ δὲ ἀλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε, βλέπετε μὴ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ἀναλωθῆτε.

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

KJV But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verbs escalate: daknete ('bite'), katesthiete ('devour, eat up'), analōthēte ('be consumed, be destroyed'). The imagery is of animals tearing each other apart. This suggests the circumcision controversy has already caused serious community conflict in Galatia. Paul's warning: the agitators' teaching is not only theologically wrong but practically destructive — it is tearing the community apart.

Galatians 5:16

Λέγω δέ, πνεύματι περιπατεῖτε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς οὐ μὴ τελέσητε.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desire of the flesh.

KJV This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The imperative peripateite ('walk') is Paul's standard term for daily conduct — the ongoing pattern of life, not a single decision. Walking 'by the Spirit' (pneumati, dative of means or sphere) means allowing the Spirit to direct one's steps. The double negative ou mē with the aorist subjunctive telesēte is the strongest negation in Greek: 'you will certainly not, you will by no means.' The promise is emphatic: Spirit-directed living is genuinely effective against the flesh's desires.

Galatians 5:17

ἡ γὰρ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός· ταῦτα γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἀντίκειται, ἵνα μὴ ἃ ἐὰν θέλητε ταῦτα ποιῆτε.

For the flesh desires what is opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is opposed to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do whatever you want.

KJV For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verb epithumei ('desires, longs for') is used for both flesh and Spirit — both exert active desire. The preposition kata ('against') indicates direct opposition. The verb antikeitai ('stands opposed, is set against') describes a permanent state of war. The purpose clause hina mē... poiēte ('so that you may not do') can be read two ways: (1) the flesh prevents you from doing what the Spirit wants, or (2) the Spirit prevents you from doing what the flesh wants. Paul may intend both — the believer lives in the tension of conflicting desires.

Galatians 5:18

εἰ δὲ πνεύματι ἄγεσθε, οὐκ ἐστὲ ὑπὸ νόμον.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

KJV But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The passive agesthe ('you are being led') indicates the Spirit's active guidance — believers follow, the Spirit leads. Being Spirit-led and being under law are mutually exclusive conditions. This verse answers the practical question: if not the law, then what guides behavior? Answer: the Spirit. The law was the guardian for minors (3:24-25); the Spirit is the guide for mature heirs.

Galatians 5:19

φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστιν πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια,

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

KJV Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The adjective phanera ('visible, obvious, evident') contrasts with the hidden work of the Spirit (v. 22, 'fruit'). The flesh produces visible, identifiable behaviors. The first cluster is sexual: porneia ('sexual immorality' — a broad term covering all sexual conduct outside marriage), akatharsia ('impurity' — ritual and moral uncleanness), aselgeia ('sensuality, debauchery, lack of self-restraint'). Note: the SBLGNT does not include 'adultery' (moicheia), which appears in some later manuscripts.

Galatians 5:20

εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλος, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις,

Idol worship, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalry, division, false teaching,.

KJV Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The second cluster covers religious deviance: eidōlolatria ('idolatry') and pharmakeia ('sorcery, the use of drugs/potions in magical arts'). The third and largest cluster addresses social-communal sins: echthra ('hostilities, enmity'), eris ('strife, contention'), zēlos ('jealousy, envious rivalry'), thymoi ('outbursts of rage'), eritheiai ('selfish ambition, political manipulation' — originally meant 'working for hire'), dichostasiai ('dissensions, divisions'), haireseis ('factions, sects' — later 'heresies'). Many of these social sins were likely manifesting in the Galatian congregations as a direct result of the circumcision controversy.

Galatians 5:21

φθόνοι, μέθαι, κῶμοι καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις, ἃ προλέγω ὑμῖν, καθὼς προεῖπον, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες βασιλείαν θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν.

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like — of the which I tell you prior to, as I have also informed you in time past, that they which do such things will not inherit God's kingdom.

KJV Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The final cluster: phthonoi ('envy'), methai ('episodes of drunkenness'), kōmoi ('carousing, drinking parties'). The phrase kai ta homoia toutois ('and things similar to these') makes the list representative, not exhaustive. The verb prasssontes ('practicing, habitually doing') is present participle indicating a lifestyle pattern, not isolated incidents. The verb prolegō ('I warn in advance') with the aorist proeipon ('I already warned') indicates Paul gave this warning during his original visit — this is not new teaching. The warning about not inheriting the kingdom (basileian theou ou klēronomēsousin) is the most severe: the inheritance language connects to the heir/adoption theme of chapters 3-4.

Galatians 5:22

ὁ δὲ καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη χαρὰ εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία χρηστότης ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

KJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The singular karpos ('fruit') — not 'fruits' — indicates these nine qualities form an organic unity, not a list of separate items. Unlike the 'works' (erga) of the flesh, which are produced by human effort, 'fruit' grows naturally from the Spirit's life within the believer. The first triad (love, joy, peace) describes the believer's relationship with God. The second triad (patience, kindness, goodness) describes the believer's posture toward others. The third triad (faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) describes the believer's inner character. Makrothymia ('patience, long-suffering') is literally 'long-fused' — slow to anger. Chrēstotēs ('kindness') is grace expressed in action. Agathōsynē ('goodness') is moral excellence that benefits others.

Galatians 5:23

πραΰτης ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος.

Meekness, temperance — opposed to such there is no law.

KJV Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Prautēs ('gentleness, meekness') is not weakness but strength under control — the quality Aristotle described as the mean between excessive anger and the inability to be angry at all. Enkrateia ('self-control, mastery over one's desires') was a central Greek philosophical virtue. The concluding statement kata tōn toioutōn ouk estin nomos ('against such things there is no law') operates on multiple levels: (1) obviously, no law prohibits love, joy, or peace; (2) more profoundly, where the Spirit produces these qualities, the law's regulatory function becomes unnecessary; (3) most pointedly for the Galatian context, the Spirit achieves what the law aimed for but could not produce.

Galatians 5:24

οἱ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις.

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

KJV And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The verb estaurōsan ('crucified') is aorist active — believers are the agents who crucified the flesh, yet this act is possible only because they participate in Christ's crucifixion (2:20). The flesh is not merely restrained but executed — crucifixion is lethal, not temporary. The 'passions' (pathēmasin) and 'desires' (epithymiais) are the flesh's driving forces. Paul's ethic requires the decisive death of the flesh's power, not its gradual improvement.

Galatians 5:25

εἰ ζῶμεν πνεύματι, πνεύματι καὶ στοιχῶμεν.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

KJV If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Paul uses a different word for 'walk' here: stoichōmen ('let us keep in step, let us walk in line, let us march in formation') rather than the general peripateō of verse 16. Stoicheō means to walk in a line, to keep rank — the military metaphor suggests disciplined, orderly following of the Spirit's lead. The conditional ei zōmen ('if we live') is a first-class condition assumed to be true: since we do live by the Spirit, we should therefore walk in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:26

μὴ γινώμεθα κενόδοξοι, ἀλλήλους προκαλούμενοι, ἀλλήλοις φθονοῦντες.

Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

KJV Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The adjective kenodoxoi ('vainglorious, conceited, empty of glory') literally means 'having empty glory.' The two participles describe the twin expressions of conceit: prokalomenoi ('provoking, challenging' — used for challenging someone to a contest) directed at those perceived as lower, and phthonountes ('envying') directed at those perceived as higher. Both attitudes destroy community. This verse likely reflects actual dynamics in the Galatian churches, where the circumcision debate had produced competitive factions.

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