GAL 2:17 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:11–21: Paul corrected Peter in Antioch

In this section, Paul told his readers what the true gospel is. It is salvation by faith in Christ alone. Obeying the law is not part of the true gospel. Doing what the law demands does not justify anyone.

Paul told how Peter had deserted the true gospel. He wanted the Galatians to understand how they too were deserting the true gospel. They had started to think that it was necessary to obey the law to be justified. Paul wanted them to read about his rebuke to Peter so that they could recognize how their own situation was similar. They must completely reject justification through the law. He emphasized that justification is by faith in Christ alone.

This section also shows that Paul’s authority as an apostle was at least as great as Peter’s was. This section is also an indirect rebuke of the false teachers who had come to the Galatian churches and required the non-Jews to adopt Jewish traditions to be accepted as true Christians.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Paul rebukes Peter

Paul defended the truth of the gospel

Paul shows how Peter was wrong

Paragraph 2:14–21

In this paragraph, Paul asked Peter and the other Jewish believers to live according to the true gospel. This meant that they had to reject the idea that they were justified by obeying the law. Paul emphasized that justification is by faith in Christ alone. Peter’s actions had implied that it was also necessary to keep the law. That would make Christ’s death meaningless and nullify the grace of God.

In 2:14c, Paul began to speak directly to Peter. There are at least three ways to interpret where Paul’s direct speech to Peter ends:

It ends after verse 21. (NIV, NASB, CEV)
It ends after verse 14. In verses 15–21, what Paul said to Peter is indirect speech. (BSB, ESV, NET, RSV, JBP, GNT, NJB, GW, NCV)
It ends after verse 16. (NLT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). In 2:15, it is possible that Paul began to also talk to the other people who were there. But he was still also talking to Peter. So Paul’s speech does not end until verse 21.Schreiner on page 150 says, “The first question to be asked is where Paul’s words to Peter, which began in 2:11, end. Since quotation marks are lacking in the original manuscripts, certainty eludes us. Possibly the words directed to Peter conclude after 2:14, 2:15, 2:16, 2:18, or 2:21. I personally argue that it makes most sense to see all of 2:14–21 as addressed to Peter. At least four pieces of evidence support this conclusion. (1) Verse 15 is not clearly set off from 2:11–14. (2) The first person plural pronouns in 2:15–17 most naturally refer to Jewish Christians and would speak to such people in Antioch. (3) Verse 17 may reflect the charges against Peter. (4) A new subject commences on 3:1, where the Galatians are addressed directly.”

If you choose option (2), your translation should still show that Paul is indirectly speaking to Peter in 2:15–21. For example, at the beginning of 2:15, the JBP says:

And then I went on to explain that (JBP)

2:17a–c

But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!: In Greek, 2:17 is a complex sentence. Before you translate this complex sentence, it is important to understand its grammatical structure.

The main part of this verse is the rhetorical question at the end of the verse: does that make Christ a minister of sin? This rhetorical question begins with an if clause. In the middle of this if clause, there is an embedded clause: while we seek to be justified in Christ.

Your translation may be easier to understand if you put this embedded clause first. For example:

We are endeavoring/seeking to be justified in Christ. But if, while doing that, we too are found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!

The parts of this verse are explained below.

2:17a

But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ,

But if, while we are seeking to be made right with God by believing in Christ,
While we are looking/trying to have God make us right/straight with him because of our faith in Christ,
We want God to make us right with him by our faith in Christ.

But: There is a contrast between the clause “not Gentile ‘sinners’” (in 2:15) and “if…we ourselves are found to be sinners” (here in 2:17). The BSB indicates this contrast with the conjunction But.

This contrast is between two clauses that are separated by several verses. So some English versions do not indicate this contrast with a conjunction. In some languages, no conjunction will be necessary here either.

while we seek to be justified in Christ: The Greek word that the BSB translates as while we seek means “we are seeking/looking.” It implies success.

The clause to be justified in Christ has the same meaning as “we may be justified by faith in Christ” (2:16d). It means that God makes us right with him because we believe in Christ.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ (NLT)

we try to be put right with God by our union with Christ (GNT)

we want God to consider us righteous because of our faith in Christ

2:17b

we ourselves are found to be sinners,

we also are found/discovered to be sinners,
they regard/count us also to be sinners,
While doing that, we have become sinners like the Gentiles in the eyes of some Jews.

we ourselves are found to be sinners: The pronoun we refers to Paul, Peter, Barnabas, and other Jews who became Christians.

There are several ways to interpret this clause. Two of the main interpretations are centered on the Greek word that the BSB translates as are found:

It has a passive meaning. Peter, Paul, and other Jewish Christians were found to be sinners by other Jews who still followed the law. One example of this was when the men from James arrived in Antioch and found Peter and other Jews eating with Gentiles. They found that they were not obeying the law. The men from James found/considered Peter and other Jewish Christians to be sinners just as the Gentiles were sinners.This interpretation is sometimes called the post-conversion view. According to Moo, “Neither interpretation is without its problems” (p. 164), but the post-conversion view has fewer problems. Of this interpretation, Schreiner says, “In the first view, the charge leveled against Paul and other Jewish Christians is unfounded. They were accused of being sinners since they had abandoned the Torah, but Paul was not a sinner, since he had died and been raised with Christ” (p. 167).
It has a reflexive meaning. Peter, Paul, and other Jewish Christians found themselves to be sinners. This happen when they were searching to be right before God and they realized that the law would not save them. They realized that they themselves were sinners just like the Gentiles.This interpretation is sometimes called the pre-conversion view. Of this interpretation, Schreiner says, “The second view…argues that the charges are in fact true. Paul accepts in the ‘if’ clause the reality of the charge. In other words, Peter and Paul had been found to be sinners in seeking to be justified in Christ, and they recognized that they were no better than Gentiles” (pp. 167–168). For example:
we discovered that we are sinners too (CEV)

Most English versions are ambiguous, and it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation suits the context of 2:16 and also the previous paragraph about the men from James.

According to interpretation (1), some Jews accused Peter and Paul of being sinners because they had abandoned the law of Moses. But their accusation was not true. Peter and Paul were not sinners in God’s eyes. Paul did not agree with their accusation, but he included it to show that its conclusion was not logical.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

Use a passive clause. For example:
we ourselves have also been found to be sinners (NET)
Use an active clause. For example:
hey found/regarded us also to be sinners
some Jews considered us also to be sinners

found: Here, the word found means “considered” or “regarded.” Jews who followed the law “regarded” Jewish Christians as sinners. This word does not mean “found” in the sense of lost and then found.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

considered/regarded

counted

looked upon

sinners: Here the word sinners refers to someone who does not follow all the Jewish laws. One example is Peter. The men from James found Peter to be a sinner because he ate with Gentiles. He also probably ate their food. These things were against Jewish laws. The Jews considered Peter and the other Jewish believers to be sinners, but they were not sinners in God’s eyes.

To make this meaning clear, it may be necessary to add some information. For example:

sinners in the eyes of some Jews

found by some Jews to be sinners

2:17c

does that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!

then does Christ encourage us to sin? Never!
then does Christ lead us to sin? No, never!
If that were true, that would mean that Christ made us sinners. But it is not true!

does that make Christ a minister of sin?: The phrase a minister of sin refers to someone who “serves sin” or “works for sin.” A person who works for sin is someone who encourages other people to sin.

This clause is a rhetorical question. Paul used this rhetorical question to emphasize that Christ does not serve sin. He does not encourage people to sin.

Some ways to translate this rhetorical question are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
does that mean that Christ encourages us to sin? (GW)
Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? (NLT)
Does this mean that Christ is the one who makes us sinners? (CEV)
As a statement. For example:
This does not in any way mean that Christ encourages us to sin.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize that Christ does not serve sin.

Certainly not!: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as Certainly not is a strong response, “No!” to the rhetorical question.

Some ways to translate this are:

Never!

Absolutely not!

No, no, no!

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καί αὐτοί ἁμαρτωλοί ἆρα Χριστός ἁμαρτίας διάκονος Μή γένοιτο)

Here Paul uses the word But to introduce new information into his ongoing explanation of why justification is through faith in Christ and not through obeying the law of Moses. Here, Paul is anticipating and answering a possible objection to justification by faith. The word But introduces this. Use a natural form in your language for doing this.

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἰ

Paul is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might misunderstand and think that what Paul is saying is not certain, then you can translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [since]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ

seeking ˓to_be˒_justified in Christ

The phrase justified in Christ means “made righteous in God’s sight because of being united with Christ by believing in what he has done.” This phrase means the same thing as the phrase justified by faith in Christ in [2:16](../02/16.md). See how you translated the phrase “justified by faith in Christ” there and, if it would help your readers, consider stating more fully here what the phrase to be justified in Christ means.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ

˓to_be˒_justified in Christ

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you must state who did the action, Paul implies that God will do it. Alternate translation: [for God to justify us through our faith in Christ] or [for God to justify us because of our faith in Christ]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

εὑρέθημεν

˱we˲_˓were˒_found

Here, we could be: (1) inclusive if Paul is still addressing Peter. If you decide that this verse is a continuation of the quotation that began in [2:14](../02/14.md) then we is inclusive because Paul is still addressing Peter and would be including Peter and the Jewish Christians in Antioch. Your language may require you to mark these forms. (2) exclusive if you decide that Paul’s quotation of his words to Peter ended at the end [2:14](../02/14.md).

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / rpronouns

αὐτοὶ

Paul uses the word ourselves for emphasis. Use a way that is natural in your language to indicate this emphasis.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί

˱we˲_˓were˒_found (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καί αὐτοί ἁμαρτωλοί ἆρα Χριστός ἁμαρτίας διάκονος Μή γένοιτο)

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language.

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἁμαρτωλοί & ἁμαρτίας

sinners & ˱of˲_sin

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of sin or being a sinner, you could express the meaning in some other way that is natural in your language.

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος

consequently_‹is› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καί αὐτοί ἁμαρτωλοί ἆρα Χριστός ἁμαρτίας διάκονος Μή γένοιτο)

The phrase is Christ then a minister of sin is a rhetorical question. Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form to emphasize the truth of what he is saying. If you would not use a rhetorical question for this purpose in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way.

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations

μὴ γένοιτο

The expression May it never be gives the strongest possible negative answer to the preceding rhetorical question is Christ a minister of sin? Use a natural way in your language for strongly and emphatically negating an idea. Alternate translation: [Of course, that is not true] or [No, never] or [No way]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

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.

OET interlinear GAL 2:17