GAL 5:9 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–12: Remain in the freedom you have in Christ

In this section, Paul tried to persuade the Galatians believers not to yield to the pressure from the false teachers to get circumcised. He warned them that if they became circumcised in order to receive God’s approval, then they would have rejected the grace and freedom that God had given them. They would become slaves again. He encouraged them to refuse circumcision and remain free.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Keep your freedom (NCV)

Do not become slaves again

Paragraph 5:7–10

In this paragraph, Paul warned the Galatians about the false teachers. They were dangerous. But God would judge them.

5:9

A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.

As they say, “A little leaven penetrates and changes the whole lump of dough.”
As the proverb warns, “Even a little bit of yeast spreads through the whole batch of bread dough.”
Watch out. Remember the proverb that says: “A little bit of yeast makes a lot of flour rise/swell.” And this teaching is like yeast.

A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough: This is a proverb. People used this proverb to refer to a small amount of something having a large effect. Paul used this proverb to warn the Galatians about the false teaching.

The word leaven refers to a product like yeast that makes bread rise. It only takes a small amount of yeast to make a large amount of bread dough rise. In the Bible, leaven is almost always a symbol of evil. So here it means that just as leaven affects bread, a small amount of false teaching will affect the churches throughout Galatia and do great harm to them.

Some ways to translate this proverb are:

Make it explicit that it is a proverb. For example:
“It takes only a little yeast to make the whole batch of dough rise,” as they say. (GNT)
Make it explicit that it is a warning. For example:
Be careful! “Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” (NCV)
Make it explicit that the proverb refers to the false teaching. For example:
This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! (NLT)
Make it explicit that it is a proverb, a warning, and refers to false teaching. For example:
The teaching that is not true is spreading. As the proverb warns, “Even a little bit of leaven affects the whole lump of dough.”
Watch out. Remember the proverb that says: “A little yeast makes a lot of flour rise.” And this false teaching is like yeast.

leaven: The Greek noun that the BSB translates as leaven refers to a product that makes bread dough rise. The most common type of leaven is yeast. Most of the more modern English versions translate this word as “yeast.”

This word also occurs in Matthew 13:33, Mark 8:15, and Luke 13:21. If you have translated any of these passages, you should use the same word here.

If you have not yet translated the word "leaven" or “yeast", here are some ways to translate it:

Use an expression that describes the yeast. For example:
what spreads to make bread rise
bread-expanding substance
Use a term from the national language and indicate its meaning. For example:
yisti that spreads to make bread swell
Borrow a word and explain it in a footnote. Here is an example of a possible footnote:
Yeast is something that spreads in flour dough and causes it to rise so that after the dough is baked it is soft to eat.

works through the whole batch of dough: The Greek word that the BSB translates as works through is more literally “leavens.” The word “leavens” is the verb form of the noun “leaven.” This verb refers to the process whereby leaven/yeast makes bread rise.

The Greek word that the BSB translates as batch of dough refers to an amount of clay or dough.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

to make the whole batch of dough rise (GNT)

spreads through the whole batch of dough (GW)

makes a lot of flour rise/swell

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-proverbs

μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μικρά ζύμη ὅλον τό φύραμα ζυμοῖ)

Here Paul quotes or creates a proverb, which is a short saying about something that is generally true in life. This proverb gives a comparison: Just as a small amount of leaven leavens a whole lump of dough, so a small amount of false teaching can deceive many people in a church. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the proverb in a way that will be recognized as a proverb and be meaningful in your language and culture. Alternate translation: [It has been said that a little leaven causes a whole lump of dough to be leavened]

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Μικρά ζύμη ὅλον τό φύραμα ζυμοῖ)

The word leaven refers to a substance that causes fermentation and expansion within a batch of dough or batter. Here, leavens refers to the fermentation process and lump refers to the batch of dough. If your readers would not be familiar with leaven, you could use the name of a substance that they would be familiar with, or you could use a general term. Alternate translation: [A little yeast causes all of the batch of dough to swell up]

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 5:9

SR Greek word order

Section 5:1–12: Remain in the freedom you have in Christ

Paragraph 5:7–10

5:9

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