GAL 2:4 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. διά
2. dia
3. because of
4. -
5. 12230
6. P·······
7. because_of
8. because_of
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126002
1. Δέ
2. de
3. But
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y52
11. 126003
1. τούς
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126004
1. παρεισάκτους
2. pareisaktos
3. sneaked in
4. sneaked
5. 39200
6. A····AMP
7. sneaked_in
8. sneaked_in
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126005
1. ψευδαδέλφους
2. pseudadelfos
3. false brothers
4. false brothers
5. 55690
6. N····AMP
7. false_brothers
8. false_brothers
9. -
10. Y52; F126007; F126009; F126021; F126023; F127111; F127113; F127500
11. 126006
1. οἵτινες
2. hostis
3. who
4. -
5. 37480
6. R····NMP
7. who
8. who
9. -
10. Y52; R126006
11. 126007
1. παρεισῆλθον
2. pareiserχomai
3. slipped in
4. -
5. 39220
6. VIAA3··P
7. slipped_in
8. slipped_in
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126008
1. κατασκοπῆσαι
2. kataskopeō
3. to spy out
4. -
5. 26840
6. VNAA····
7. ˓to˒ spy_out
8. ˓to˒ spy_out
9. -
10. Y52; R126006
11. 126009
1. τήν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126010
1. ἐλευθερίαν
2. eleutheria
3. freedom
4. freedoms
5. 16570
6. N····AFS
7. freedom
8. freedom
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126011
1. ἡμῶν
2. egō
3. of us
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1G·P
7. ˱of˲ us
8. ˱of˲ us
9. -
10. Y52; R125554; Person=Paul; R125961; Person=Barnabas; R125994; Person=Titus; R125580; R125731
11. 126012
1. ἥν
2. hos
3. which
4. that
5. 37390
6. R····AFS
7. which
8. which
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126013
1. ἔχομεν
2. eχō
3. we are having
4. we
5. 21920
6. VIPA1··P
7. ˱we˲ ˓are˒ having
8. ˱we˲ ˓are˒ having
9. -
10. Y52; R125554; Person=Paul; R125961; Person=Barnabas; R125994; Person=Titus; R125580; R125731
11. 126014
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126015
1. τῷ
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. -
11. 126016
1. Χριστῷ
2. χristos
3. chosen one messiah
4. messiah
5. 55470
6. N····DMS
7. chosen_one/messiah
8. Christ
9. WN
10. Y52; Person=Jesus
11. 126017
1. Ἰησοῦ
2. iēsous
3. Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa)
4. -
5. 24240
6. N····DMS
7. Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa)
8. Jesus
9. UN
10. Person=Jesus; Y52
11. 126018
1. ἵνα
2. hina
3. in order that
4. -
5. 24430
6. C·······
7. in_order_that
8. in_order_that
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126019
1. ἡμάς
2. egō
3. us
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1A·P
7. us
8. us
9. -
10. Y52
11. 126020
1. καταδουλώσουσιν
2. katadouloō
3. they will be enslaving
4. they enslaved
5. 26150
6. VIFA3··P
7. ˱they˲ ˓will_be˒ enslaving
8. ˱they˲ ˓will_be˒ enslaving
9. -
10. Y52; R126006
11. 126021
1. καταδουλώσωνται
2. katadouloō
3. -
4. -
5. 26150
6. VSAM3··P
7. ˱they˲ ˓may˒ enslave
8. ˱they˲ ˓may˒ enslave
9. -
10. -
11. 126022

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–10: The church leaders accepted Paul’s apostleship and his message

In this section, Paul explained to the Galatians one reason why they should hold firm to the gospel that he had taught them. He did this by telling them about the meeting that he had in Jerusalem with the apostles there. At this meeting, the apostles recognized Paul’s authority as an apostle. They also agreed that he preached the true gospel.

This meeting became necessary because of the message of some false teachers. These false teachers insisted that a person was not truly saved unless he also became circumcised and kept the laws of Moses. (See Acts 15:1–2 and Galatians 2:4.) At the meeting, the apostles agreed with Paul. They agreed that no one should force non-Jewish believers to be circumcised and obey the Law that God gave to Moses. This showed the Galatians that these teachers were wrong.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Paul Was Accepted as an Apostle by the Leaders in Jerusalem (GW)

The apostles accept Paul

Paul’s apostleship and message

The Jerusalem leaders recognized Paul’s apostleship and message

Paragraph 2:1–5

In this paragraph, Paul told about the meeting that he and Barnabas had with church leaders in Jerusalem. In this meeting, Paul wanted to see whether the leaders would accept the message that he was teaching to Gentiles. The fact that the leaders did not require Titus, a Greek, to be circumcised showed that they accepted Paul’s message. They accepted his message in spite of some opposition from false brothers.

2:4a

This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses

This issue/matter arose because some false brothers had secretly come
We talked about circumcision because some men who said that they were believers (but they were not) secretly came into the group.
But some people wanted Titus circumcised. They were some men who pretended to be believers. They sneaked/came into our meeting.

This issue arose: This phrase is not in the Greek. Most commentators agree that in 2:4–5, Paul was responding to the pressure to have Titus circumcised. In 2:4, Paul began a sentence that he never finished. To make it a complete sentence, the BSB has added some words at the beginning of this verse. Some other English versions do the same. For example:

This matter arose (NIV)

We talked about this problem (NCV)

Even that question came up only (NLT)

although some wanted it done (GNT)

issue The word issue in the BSB refers to the issue of circumcision. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

We talked about the issue of circumcision

But some people wanted him to get circumcised.

because some false brothers: The term false brothers refers to Jews who pretended to be Christian brothers. In fact, they were not Christian brothers. Their message was also a false message.

Some other ways to translate this term are:

false/fake Christian brothers

those who pretended to be followers (CEV)

some men who pretended to be our brothers in Christ

had come in under false pretenses: In the Greek, the words that the BSB translates as had come in under false pretenses is actually two separate phrases. The Greek literally says “the false brothers brought in secretly, came in by stealth.” There are two ways to interpret the Greek word literally translated as “brought in secretly”:

It has an active sense and describes what the false brothers themselves did. They brought themselves secretly into the meeting. According to this interpretation, this word and the Greek word that is literally “came in by stealth” refer to the same action. Most English versions that follow this interpretation translate both Greek words as one English verb. For example:
had sneaked in among us (CEV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NET, NJB, REB, NLT96, CEV, JBP)
It has a passive sense and describes what other people did for the false brothers. Other people brought the false brothers into the meeting secretly. According to this interpretation, this word refers to a different action than the Greek word literally translated as “came in by stealth.” Most English versions that follow this interpretation translate the two Greek words with two different English expressions. For example:
False Christians were brought in. They slipped in (GW) (ESV, RSV, KJV, NASB, GW, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The phrase had come in under false pretenses suggests that the false brothers came into the meeting of their own initiative.

You should use a verb that describes the actions of spies/traitors who “sneak” into groups and their meetings.

Some other ways to translate this entire expression are:

these men slipped into our group (GNT)

some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks (NIV)

some false brothers had secretly joined/attended our meeting

some false believers had come into our group secretly. They came in (NCV)

2:4b

to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus,

to spy on us^(excl) and take away the freedom that we^(incl) have because we believe in Christ Jesus.
They came to spy on us in order to destroy the freedom which Christ Jesus has given to us^(incl) because we believe
We^(incl) are free from obeying the law because we believe in Christ Jesus, but they wanted observe/watch us^(excl) in order to take that away from us.

to spy on: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as to spy on means “to watch or observe.” The context determines whether it was for good or for evil. In this context, the false brothers certainly came to watch with evil intentions. They wanted to destroy the freedom of the new Christians. In some languages, it may be good to make this more explicit. For example:

to spy on us and take away (NLT)

as spies. They had come to take away (CEV)

to observe us and destroy/remove

our freedom in Christ Jesus: This clause refers to the freedom that believers have, because they believe in Christ Jesus, from obeying the law of Moses. As believers in Christ, the Galatians were not obligated to be circumcised as the Jews who were under the law were. They were free from those types of religious laws.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the freedom that Christ Jesus had given us (CEV)

We are free from the law because we believe in Christ Jesus

Christ Jesus: In 1:1c, 1:3, and 1:12c, the order of this phrase is “Jesus Christ.” This is the first time the order is Christ Jesus. In most English translations and other national language translations, “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated in the same order as they occur in the Greek.

Remember that Christ is a title, and Jesus is a name. Some languages will always put a title before a name. So, in some languages, it may be natural always to use the same order.

2:4c

in order to enslave us.

They did this to make us^(incl) slaves.
in order to make us slaves to the law of Moses.
They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. (NLT)

in order to: The words in order to introduce the purpose for the false brothers’ action in 2:4b. Paul is saying:

^4bThe false brothers wanted to take our liberty away from us ^4cin order that they could make us slaves.

In some languages, it will be natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

They wanted to make us like slaves.

enslave us: This clause means that the false brothers wanted to make the Galatian believers slaves to the law of Moses. The false brothers wanted Gentile Christians to follow all the rules of the Jewish law. They especially wanted them to be circumcised. If Gentile Christians did what the false brothers wanted, they would become like slaves who are required to obey a master.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

to make us slaves to the law

They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. (NLT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

διὰ δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: διά Δέ τούς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τήν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἥν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἵνα ἡμάς καταδουλώσουσιν)

The word But could: (1) be connected to [2:3](../02/03.md) and be giving the reason why some people were demanding that Titus be circumcised. Alternate translation: [But this issue occurred because of] (2) be connected to [2:1-2](../02/01.md) and be giving the reason why Paul “went up again to Jerusalem” and privately “set before” (communicated to) the church leaders in Jerusalem the gospel that he proclaimed among the Gentiles. Alternate translation: [But I talked to them privately because of] or [But we went to Jerusalem because of]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους, οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι

sneaked_in false_brothers who slipped_in ˓to˒_spy_out

Using the phrase false brothers, Paul speaks of these people as if they were spies with bad motives. He means that they pretended to be fellow believers, but their intent was to observe what Paul and the other believers were doing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent metaphor from your culture. Alternatively, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [people who pretended to be Christians, who came into our midst in order to watch us closely] or [people who said they were Christians but were not, who came into our group to view closely]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

παρεισάκτους

sneaked_in

In the original language in which Paul wrote this letter, the word which the ULT translates as brought in, could mean: (1) that these false brothers were invited in by someone. Alternate translation: [secretly invited] or (2) that they came into the midst of the believers by their own initiative. Alternate translation: [deceptive coming of]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ψευδαδέλφους

false_brothers

Here, the word brothers does not refer to biological brothers but to believers in Jesus. The phrase false brothers refers to those who only pretended to be fellow believers in Jesus. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κατασκοπῆσαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν, ἣν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

˓to˒_spy_out (Some words not found in SR-GNT: διά Δέ τούς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τήν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἥν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἵνα ἡμάς καταδουλώσουσιν)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of freedom, you could express the same idea with with a verb such as freed or an adjective such as “free.”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἔχομεν

˱we˲_˓are˒_having

When Paul says we, he is speaking of himself, his traveling companions, and the Galatian believers, so we would be inclusive. Your language may require you to mark these forms.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδουλώσουσιν

in_order_that (Some words not found in SR-GNT: διά Δέ τούς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τήν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἥν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἵνα ἡμάς καταδουλώσουσιν)

Paul is speaking about how these people wanted to force the Galatian believers to follow the Jewish rituals that the law commanded. He is speaking about following the law as if it were slavery. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent metaphor from your culture. Alternatively, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to force us to obey the law] or [in order to make us slaves to the law]

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.