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OET (OET-LV) Paulos, an_ambassador (not from humans, nor through human_origin, but through Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) chosen_one/messiah, and god the_father which having_raised him from the_dead),
OET (OET-RV) This letter is from Paul, one of Yeshua’s ambassadors, not chosen by people or any human desire, but chosen directly by Yeshua the messiah and God the father who raised Yeshua from the dead.
This section is the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In this introduction, Paul followed the customs of that time for writing a letter. The custom was to put the writer’s name first and then write the names of the people to whom the letter was sent. After that the writer greeted them with a wish for their well-being. So, Paul began this letter with his own name in 1:1. Then in 1:2 he mentioned the people to whom he was sending the letter. In 1:3 he greeted these people with a wish for their well-being. Among Christians, this wish was often a prayer for God’s blessing.
In this section, Paul briefly introduced two main themes of his letter.
It was God and Jesus who had made Paul an apostle. It was not other people who had called him to become an apostle. That gave him very high authority. This authority is one of the themes of his letter, and he discussed it more fully in chapter 2.
In 1:4, Paul reminded the Galatians that we Christians are saved because Jesus died for our sins. The main theme of the whole letter to the Galatians is that we are saved by the grace of God and by believing in Jesus.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
Greeting
Greetings from Paul
Paul, an apostle—
¶ From Paul, an apostle. (NCV)
¶ This letter is from me, Paul, an apostle.
¶ I, Paul am writing/sending this letter to you(plur). I am an apostle.
Paul: Paul began this letter with his name. He did not use a verb. But you may need to add a verb to help your readers understand that Paul was the person who wrote the letter. For example:
This letter is from Paul (NLT)
I, Paul, am writing this letter to you.
an apostle: The word apostle refers to a person whom someone sends with his authority. He sends him to give a message or to accomplish a particular task. Here, the word apostle refers to a man whom Jesus chose and gave authority. After Jesus returned to heaven, his apostles were the leaders of the people who believed in him.
If you have already translated the Gospels, you can probably use the same term for apostle as you used there.
Some ways to translate apostle are:
a special messenger
a representative
a person with authority from Jesus
a chief leader of Jesus’s work
See also apostle in the Glossary for more information.
sent not from men nor by man,
My call to be an apostle did not come from men. It did not come/pass through a man/mediator.
Men did not commission me to be an apostle. An intermediary did not send/choose me.
It was not human beings who chose me to be an apostle. It was not through a middle man that Jesus chose me.
sent: In Greek, there is no verb in 1:1b. Many languages may need to supply a verb here as the BSB does. Here are some other examples of English versions that supply a verb here:
not sent from men (NASB)
I was not chosen to be an apostle by human beings (NCV)
I was not appointed by any group (NLT)
whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings (GNT)
not from men nor by man: There are at least two ways to interpret these two phrases:
The focus is on the difference in meaning indicated by the two prepositions from and by. According to this interpretation, the phrase not from men means that no human being chose/commissioned Paul to be an apostle. The phrase nor by man means that there was no intermediary between God/Jesus and Paul when he chose/commissioned Paul to be an apostle. On the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke directly to Paul without going through any human being. For example:
It was not men who made me an apostle. It was not an intermediary who made me an apostle.Adapted from the French version Parole de Vie: “Ce ne sont pas des hommes qui m’ont fait apôtre. Je ne le suis pas par l’intermédiaire d’un homme….”
The focus is on the plural and singular nouns men and man. According to this interpretation, the first phrase means that no group of men (such as the church in Antioch or Jerusalem) chose/commissioned Paul to be an apostle. The second phrase means that no individual man (such as Ananias, Peter, Barnabas, or James) chose/commissioned him to be an apostle. For example:
chosen not by any group or individual (GW)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is the interpretation that most English commentaries follow.For example, Moo says that the two phrases have “sparked discussion because of the way Paul shifts the wording. He moves from the preposition apo to dia and from the plural anthropon to the singular anthropou. The latter change may signal a move from general to particular: Paul does not owe his apostolic status to ‘human beings’ in general; nor does he owe it to any particular human being—perhaps someone such as James or Peter (e.g., Martyn 1007:84). Such a distinction is possible, but it is perhaps more likely that the shift from plural to singular is simply stylistic. The change from apo to dia might also be stylistic, since the two prepositions have a semantic overlap in the idea of ‘ultimate origin’…. However, dia more often refers to an intermediate agent: ‘through’ rather than ‘from’ or ‘by’….Paul therefore is probably making two slightly different points in these phrases: the ultimate source of his apostleship was not human; nor did he receive it from, or through, any human being (‘source’ vs. ‘agency’)…. This interpretation fits Paul’s general use of the two prepositions…and satisfactorily explains why he uses both phrases” (pages 67–68).
Some other ways to translate these phrases are:
My call to be an apostle did not come from men. It did not come through an intermediary
Men did not commission me to be an apostle. Jesus did not use an intermediary to chose/appoint me.
but by Jesus Christ and God the Father,
Rather, it came directly from Jesus Christ and God the Father.
Instead Jesus Christ and God the Father commissioned/chose me.
It was Jesus the Christ and God the Father who chose me.
but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between those (in 1:1b) who did not send Paul and God, who did send him. Languages have different ways to indicate this negative-positive type of contrast.One of the functions of the Greek conjunction ἀλλά is to signal this negative-positive type of contrast. Some of the ways are:
With the conjunction “but.”
With a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of contrast. For example:
rather
on the contrary
instead
With no conjunction. For example:
bI was not chosen to be an apostle by human beings, nor was I sent from human beings. cI was made an apostle through Jesus Christ… (NCV)
by Jesus Christ and God the Father: This phrase means that Paul was chosen and sent through/by Jesus Christ and God the Father. His authority as an apostle came directly from God.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father (NLT)
I was chosen to be an apostle by Jesus Christ and by God the Father (CEV)
Jesus Christ and God the Father chose me to be an apostle
Jesus Christ: In the phrase Jesus Christ, Jesus is a personal name, and Christ is his title. Christ is not the surname of Jesus.
One way to show this is:
Jesus the Christ/Messiah
In some languages, people say the title before the name. For example:
Christ Jesus
Christ: The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior.
Some ways to translate Christ are:
Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:
the Messiah
the Promised Deliverer
the Rescuer/Ruler whom God appointed
Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:
Christ, the appointed one
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send
Christ, he comes from God
Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:
the Christ
Kirisita
If you do not indicate the meaning of Christ in the text, you may want to include a footnote to explain it. Or you may want to explain the meaning in a glossary. For example:
The word/title “Christ” refers to the one whom God had promised to send. He would be both king/ruler and savior.
God the Father: In some languages, it may be more natural to translate God the Father as:
Father God
God our Father
who raised Him from the dead—
It is he who raised him from death.
He made Jesus to live again.
who raised Him from the dead: This is a relative clause. In some languages, a literal translation of this relative clause may imply a wrong meaning. It may imply that there is one God who raised Jesus from the dead, and another God who did not raise Jesus. If this is true in your language, you should translate this clause as a separate sentence. For example
He raised Him from the dead
He made Jesus to live again
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 1:1b–d. For example:
1cI was chosen to be an apostle by Jesus Christ and by God the Father, 1dwho raised him from death. 1bNo mere human chose or appointed me to this work. (CEV)
Παῦλος
Paul
Here, Paul is introducing himself as the author of this letter. Your language may have a particular way of introducing the author of a letter. Use that here. Alternate translation: [This letter is from me, Paul]
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
Παῦλος
Paul
Paul is speaking of himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person. Alternate translation: [This letter is from me, Paul] or [I, Paul]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives
οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δι’ ἀνθρώπου
not from humans (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδέ διʼ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλά διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Πατρός τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτόν ἐκ νεκρῶν)
If your readers would misunderstand this double negative, you could translate this phrase using only one negative word. Alternate translation: [not from men or through man]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων
not from humans
Here, the word from indicates source. The phrase not from men means that humans are not the source of Paul’s apostleship and that he was not commissioned or appointed to be an apostle by human beings. If it would help your readers, you could express that explicitly. Alternate translation: [not sent out by people] or [not because I was appointed and sent by a group of people]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
ἀνθρώπων & ἀνθρώπου
humans & human_origin
Although the terms men and man are masculine, Paul uses them here in a generic sense to refer to humans in general. Alternate translation: [humans … humans] or [people … a person]
δι’ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς
through human_origin (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδέ διʼ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλά διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Πατρός τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτόν ἐκ νεκρῶν)
Both times that the word through is used in this verse it indicates agency or means and refers to the agency or means by which Paul’s was commissioned as an apostle. Choose the best word in your language to indicate the meaning of the word through here. Alternate translation: [through the agency of man, but through the agency of Jesus Christ and God the Father]
Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast
ἀλλὰ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδέ διʼ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλά διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Πατρός τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτόν ἐκ νεκρῶν)
The word but introduces a contrast. Here, the word but introduces a contrast between different potential agents or means of Paul’s commission. The contrast is between Paul’s apostleship being not through man but rather through Jesus Christ and God the Father. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a contrast. Alternate translation: [but rather]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish
Θεοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν
God (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδέ διʼ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλά διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Πατρός τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτόν ἐκ νεκρῶν)
The phrase the one having raised him from the dead gives further information about God the Father. It is not making a distinction between God the Father and the one having raised him from the dead as if they are two separate entities. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make the relationship between these phrases more clear. Alternate translation: [God the Father, who is the same one who made Jesus Christ live again after he died] or [God the Father, who caused Jesus Christ to live again after he had died]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / extrainfo
Θεοῦ Πατρὸς
God (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Παῦλος ἀπόστολος οὐκ ἀπʼ ἀνθρώπων οὐδέ διʼ ἀνθρώπου ἀλλά διά Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καί Θεοῦ Πατρός τοῦ ἐγείραντος αὐτόν ἐκ νεκρῶν)
Here, the phrase the Father could be (1) a general title for God which identifies him as the first person in the Christian Trinity. If you choose this option, then you should not define whose Father God is in your translation but, rather, you should use a general expression like the ULT does. (2) referring to God’s relationship to those who believe in Christ. Alternate translation: [God our Father]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
ἐκ νεκρῶν
from ˓the˒_dead
Paul is using the adjective dead as a noun in order to indicate a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [from among the people who have died]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ἐκ νεκρῶν
from ˓the˒_dead
Here, the phrase the dead could be a figurative way of referring to a place, in which case it would be referring to “the place of the dead” or “the realm of the dead.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [from the place of the dead] or [from the realm of the dead]
1:1–2:21 Paul’s opponents had questioned his integrity and authority as an apostle, so he opens his letter by defending his apostleship.
1:1-5 As in all his letters, Paul identifies himself and greets the recipients. This greeting is notable for (1) Paul’s strong assertion of his apostolic authority (1:1); and (2) the lack of thanks, prayer, or praise, which are replaced by rebuke (1:6-10).
OET (OET-LV) Paulos, an_ambassador (not from humans, nor through human_origin, but through Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa) chosen_one/messiah, and god the_father which having_raised him from the_dead),
OET (OET-RV) This letter is from Paul, one of Yeshua’s ambassadors, not chosen by people or any human desire, but chosen directly by Yeshua the messiah and God the father who raised Yeshua from the dead.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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