GAL 3:2 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. τοῦτο
2. houtos
3. this
4. -
5. 37780
6. R····ANS
7. this
8. this
9. -
10. Y58; R126397
11. 126385
1. μόνον
2. monon
3. only
4. -
5. 34400
6. D·······
7. only
8. only
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126386
1. Θέλω
2. thelō
3. I am wanting
4. -
5. 23090
6. VIPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ ˓am˒ wanting
8. ˱I˲ ˓am˒ wanting
9. S
10. Y58
11. 126387
1. μαθεῖν
2. manthanō
3. to learn
4. -
5. 31290
6. VNAA····
7. ˓to˒ learn
8. ˓to˒ learn
9. -
10. Y58; R125554; Person=Paul
11. 126388
1. ἀφʼ
2. apo
3. from
4. -
5. 5750
6. P·······
7. from
8. from
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126389
1. ὑμῶν
2. su
3. you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2G·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. Y58; R126368
11. 126390
1. ἐξ
2. ek
3. by
4. -
5. 15370
6. P·······
7. by
8. by
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126391
1. ἔργων
2. ergon
3. works
4. -
5. 20410
6. N····GNP
7. works
8. works
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126392
1. ὁμοῦ
2. homou
3. -
4. -
5. 36740
6. D·······
7. together
8. together
9. -
10. -
11. 126393
1. νόμου
2. nomos
3. of law
4. -
5. 35510
6. N····GMS
7. ˱of˲ law
8. ˱of˲ law
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126394
1. τό
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····ANS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126395
1. Πνεῦμα
2. pneuma
3. spirit
4. spirit
5. 41510
6. N····ANS
7. spirit
8. Spirit
9. GN
10. Y58; Person=Holy_Spirit
11. 126396
1. ἐλάβετε
2. lambanō
3. you all received
4. receive
5. 29830
6. VIAA2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ received
8. ˱you_all˲ received
9. -
10. Y58; F126385; R126368
11. 126397
1. ἤ
2. ē
3. or
4. -
5. 22280
6. C·······
7. or
8. or
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126398
1. ἐξ
2. ek
3. by
4. -
5. 15370
6. P·······
7. by
8. by
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126399
1. ἀκοῆς
2. akoē
3. hearing
4. -
5. 1890
6. N····GFS
7. hearing
8. hearing
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126400
1. πίστεως
2. pistis
3. with faith
4. faith
5. 41020
6. N····GFS
7. ˱with˲ faith
8. ˱with˲ faith
9. -
10. Y58
11. 126401

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–14: We are justified by believing, not by obeying the law

In this section, Paul contrasted “doing” and “believing.” He began by rebuking the Galatians because they had forgotten something. They had forgotten that they had been made right with God (justified) and had received the Holy Spirit by believing. They should not then begin to do/obey the law to be made right with God.

Being made right with God (justification) has always been an issue of believing. Abraham himself was justified because he believed. People who are Abraham’s children are those who believe. They are the ones who are blessed. People who try to be made right with God by obeying the law are cursed, because no one can obey the entire law.

Paul wanted the Galatians to change their ways. He was convinced that if they thought about their actions and understood the truth, they would change.

Some other examples for a heading for this section are:

Justification by Law or by Faith? (NET)

Law or Faith

Paragraph 3:1–5

This paragraph contains the strongest rebuke in the book of Galatians. (It is perhaps the strongest rebuke in the whole New Testament.) Paul rebuked the Galatians using several rhetorical questions. He used these rhetorical questions to tell the Galatians that he was very unhappy with them. He was unhappy because they had turned away from believing/trusting in Christ.

3:2a

I would like to learn just one thing from you:

I want to learn only one thing from you. (GW)
Tell me this one thing: (GNT)
Let me ask you this one question: (NLT)

I would like to learn just one thing from you: Paul used this clause to introduce the rhetorical question in 3:2b. The purpose of this clause was to make the readers think about what they had done. If they thought about these things, they would know the truth.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Let me ask you this one question (NLT)

Tell me this one thing (GNT)

I want you to think about this:

3:2b–c

Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?: This is a rhetorical question. In this rhetorical question, Paul emphasized how the Galatians had received the Spirit. They had not received it by obeying the law. They had received it by faith. The Galatians already knew this. So they should not have returned to obeying the law.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. In some languages, it may be necessary to divide this rhetorical question into two or three questions. For example:
Did you receive God’s Spirit by doing what the law requires? Or was it by hearing the gospel and believing it?
How did you receive God’s Spirit? Was it because of obeying the law? Or did you receive the Spirit because of believing what you heard?
As an exclamation. For example:
You certainly did not receive the Spirit by observing the law! You received it by believing what you heard.
As a rhetorical question with a response. For example:
Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law? Of course not! Instead, you received the Spirit by believing what you heard.

Use whichever form is most natural in your own language.

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order the clauses. For example:

^2bDid you receive the Spirit ^2cby believing what you heard or ^2bby observing the law?

Also, you should consider how to present an “either-or” idea. In an “either-or” idea, only one part is true. Some possible ways to translate this are:

Use a conditional statement. For example:
^2cIf you received the Spirit by means of believing, ^2bthen you could not have received the Spirit by means of works of the law.
Make it clear which part is not true and which part is true. For example:
^2bDid you receive the Spirit by means of observing the law? No, you did not. ^2cInstead, you received the Spirit by means of believing the good news of Jesus.

3:2b

Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law,

Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law?
How did you receive God’s Spirit? Was it because of obeying the law of Moses?
You certainly did not receive the Spirit through observing the law that God gave to Moses.

the Spirit: The word Spirit refers to the “Holy Spirit.”

Some other ways to translate this word are:

the Holy Spirit

God’s Spirit (GNT)

by works of the law: This phrase refers to obeying the law. This is the same phrase that Paul used in 2:16a. The Galatians did not receive the Spirit by means of obeying/keeping the law.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by means of following the law

through keeping the law

if/when you obeyed the law

because of your following the law of Moses

following the law that God gave to Moses

You should translate this phrase in the same way that you did in 2:16a.

3:2c

or by hearing with faith?

Or was it by believing what you heard?
Or did you receive it because of believing the good news that you heard?
Rather, you received the Spirit through believing what you heard.

or by hearing with faith: This phrase refers to believing what the Galatians had heard about Jesus Christ. Paul reminded them that they had received the Spirit by means of believing what they heard about Jesus Christ.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by believing what you heard (NIV)

because of hearing the gospel and believing it

See faith, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε, ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως

by works ˱of˲_law by (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τοῦτο μόνον Θέλω μαθεῖν ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τό Πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἤ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως)

Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form to rebuke the Galatian believers. 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. Alternate translation: [You received the Spirit not by doing what the law says, but by believing what you heard.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἐξ ἔργων νόμου

by works ˱of˲_law

See how you translated the phrase by works of the law in [2:16](../02/16.md), where it occurs three times.

Note 3 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

νόμου

˱of˲_law

See how you translated the phrase the law in [2:16](../02/016.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως

by by hearing ˱with˲_faith

Paul is using the possessive form here to describe the response that the Galatians had when they heard the preaching of the gospel. The Galatians had respond to the preaching of the gospel with faith. If this is not clear in your language, you could clarify the relationship for your readers. Alternate translation: [by believing what you heard] or [by hearing with faith] or [by trusting in the Messiah when you heard the message about him]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

πίστεως

˱with˲_faith

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of faith, you could express the same idea with a verb such as “believing” or you could express the meaning in some other way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [and believing]

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 3:2