GAL 3:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

UST You are acting very foolishly! You first became Christians because God’s Spirit enabled you. So, you should not now think that it is because of what you do by obeying the laws God gave Moses that you will continue to grow spiritually.

BLB Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?

AICNT Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

OEB Can you be so foolish? After beginning with what is spiritual, do you now end with what is external?

WEBBE Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort?

LSV Are you so thoughtless? Having begun in the Spirit, do you now end in the flesh?

FBV You really have lost your heads! You began living[fn] in the Spirit. Do you really think you can now make yourselves perfect by your own human efforts?[fn]

3:3 Meaning, “You began your Christian lives.”

3:3 Or “by human means.”

TCNT Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be perfected by the flesh?

T4T ◄You are acting so foolishly/Why are you being so foolish?► [RHQ]! You first became Christians as a result of God’s Spirit enabling you. So, ◄you should not now think that it is by what you yourselves do that you will continue to grow spiritually/do you now think it is by your own human efforts that you will continue to grow spiritually?!► [RHQ]

LEB Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be made complete by the flesh?

BBE Are you so foolish? having made a start in the Spirit, will you now be made complete in the flesh?

Moff Are you such fools? Did you begin with the spirit only to end now with the flesh?

Wymth Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now going to reach perfection through what is external?

ASV Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?

DRA Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh?

YLT so thoughtless are ye! having begun in the Spirit, now in the flesh do ye end?

Drby Are ye so senseless? having begun in Spirit, are ye going to be made perfect in flesh?

RV Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now perfected in the flesh?
(Are ye/you_all so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye/you_all now perfected in the flesh? )

SLT Are ye so unwise? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now completed in the flesh?

Wbstr Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

KJB-1769 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
(Are ye/you_all so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye/you_all now made perfect by the flesh? )

KJB-1611 Are ye so foolish? hauing begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Are ye such fooles, that after ye haue begun in the spirite, ye woulde nowe ende in the fleshe?
(Are ye/you_all such fools, that after ye/you_all have begun in the spirit, ye/you_all would now end in the flesh?)

Gnva Are ye so foolish, that after ye haue begun in the Spirit, ye would now be made perfect by the flesh?
(Are ye/you_all so foolish, that after ye/you_all have begun in the Spirit, ye/you_all would now be made perfect by the flesh? )

Cvdl Are ye so vnwyse? Ye beganne in the sprete, wolde ye ende now the in the flesh?
(Are ye/you_all so unwise? Ye/You_all began in the spirit, would ye/you_all end now the in the flesh?)

TNT Are ye so vnwyse that after ye have begonne in the sprete the wolde nowe ende in the flesshe?
(Are ye/you_all so unwise that after ye/you_all have begun in the spirit the would now end in the flesh? )

Wycl So ye ben foolis, that whanne ye han bigunne in spirit, ye ben endid in fleisch.
(So ye/you_all been fools, that when ye/you_all have begun in spirit, ye/you_all been ended in flesh.)

Luth Seid ihr so unverständig? Im Geist habt ihr angefangen, wollt ihr‘s denn nun im Fleisch vollenden?
(Are/Be you(pl)/their/her so unsensible/understanding? In_the spirit have you(pl)/their/her begun, wanted hers because/than now in_the flesh complete?)

ClVg sic stulti estis, ut cum Spiritu cœperitis, nunc carne consummemini?
(so fools you_are, as when/with By_Spirit cœperitis, now flesh/meat consummemini? )

UGNT οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε? ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε?
(houtōs anoaʸtoi este? enarxamenoi Pneumati, nun sarki epiteleisthe?)

SBL-GNT οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε;
(houtōs anoaʸtoi este? enarxamenoi pneumati nun sarki epiteleisthe;)

RP-GNT Οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; Ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε;
(Houtōs anoaʸtoi este; Enarxamenoi pneumati, nun sarki epiteleisthe;)

TC-GNT Οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; Ἐναρξάμενοι πνεύματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε;
(Houtōs anoaʸtoi este; Enarxamenoi pneumati, nun sarki epiteleisthe; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN 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.

3:3

Before you translate 3:3a–c, there are three issues to consider:

Issue 1: The number of sentences

In Greek, 3:3a–c is one sentence. This whole sentence is a rhetorical question. In some languages, it may be possible to translate this Greek sentence as one sentence. For example:

^aAre you foolish enough to think that ^bafter you began by the Spirit, ^cyou can finish by the flesh?

All English versions translate 3:3a as a separate rhetorical question. These versions then translate 3:3b–c as one or two additional sentences. (Examples are given in the Notes on 3:3a–c below.) In many languages, it will probably be natural to also translate 3:3a–c as two or three sentences.

Issue 2: The contrasting parallels

Notice that there are two parallels in this verse. These parallels contrast. The first contrasting parallels are “starting” and “finishing.” They are underlined below:

After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?

The second contrasting parallels are “with the Spirit” and “with the flesh.” They are underlined below.

After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?

It is good to recognize these contrasting parallels even if you cannot translate them literally in your language.

Issue 3: The order of the clauses

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

^3bAfter starting with the Spirit, ^3ait’s foolish ^3cto attempt to finish by human effort.

^3bYou began your life in Christ by the Spirit. ^3cNow are you trying to make it complete by your own power? ^3aThat is foolish. (NCV)

3:3a

Are you so foolish?

Are you mad/crazy?
Why are you so foolish?
Don’t be so foolish!

Are you so foolish?: This is a rhetorical question. Paul used this rhetorical question to rebuke the Galatians for being foolish.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why are you so foolish?
Are you mad/crazy?
As a tag question. For example:
You are not that foolish, are you?
As an exclamation. For example:
You should not be so foolish!
As a command. For example:
Do not be so foolish!

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to express a rebuke.

foolish: This is the same word that Paul used in 3:1a. You should translate it in the same way.

3:3b

After starting in the Spirit,

You^(plur) began with the Holy Spirit.
You started to live for Christ when you^(plur) received the Holy Spirit.
You began your life as Christians by receiving the Holy Spirit, did you not?

Verse 3:3b is the beginning of a rhetorical question that ends in 3:3c.

After starting in the Spirit: The phrase in the Spirit is another way of saying “receive the Spirit” in 3:2b. Paul reminded the Galatians that their lives in Christ began when they received the Holy Spirit.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

As the first part of the sentence that continues in 3:3c. For example:
After beginning with the Spirit (NIV)
After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit (NLT)
As a separate sentence. For example:
You began your life in Christ by the Spirit. (NCV)
You received the Holy Spirit when you started to follow Jesus.
As a separate rhetorical question. In this part of the rhetorical question of 3:3b–c, Paul emphasized that the Galatians had begun their Christian lives with the Holy Spirit. For example:
You began your life as Christians with the Spirit, did you not?

the Spirit: As in 3:2b, the word Spirit here means the “Holy Spirit.”

3:3c

are you now finishing in the flesh?

Do you now want to finish with/using your own strength/effort?
Now, do not try to use your own power/strength to finish/end.
Why do you finish by trying to use your own strength?

are you now finishing in the flesh?: Before you translate 3:3c, there are two issues to consider:

Issue 1: The interpretation issue

There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as finishing:

It means the finish or end of their lives either by death or Christ’s return. The idea of finishing here contrasts with the idea of “starting” in 3:3b. According to this interpretation, Paul asked the Galatians, “Are you now going to change from the way you began your Christian life and use your own efforts to continue until the end?” For example:
are you now trying to finish by human effort? (NET) (BSB, NIV11, NET, RSV, GNT, NJB)
It means to perfect and refers to the Galatians adding something to their spiritual lives to become perfect. For example:
why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? (NLT) (ESV, NLT, NASB, REB, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The thought here is similar to Philippians 1:6, which says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (BSB)

Issue 2: The rhetorical question

Paul again used a rhetorical question to rebuke the Galatians. He wanted them to realize that it made no sense to begin by/with the Spirit and then change to their own strength. They were foolish to try to live their Christian life in the flesh.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
do you now want to finish by your own power? (GNT)
Do you think that you can finish with your own strength?
As a statement. For example:
Now you are foolishly trying to finish/end by your own effort.
As a command. For example:
Do not be so foolish as to try to finish by your own strength.

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to express a rebuke.

in the flesh: The phrase in the flesh is another way of saying “by obeying the law.” It refers to people trying to save themselves by their own human effort. This phrase contrasts with “by the Spirit” (in 3:3b).

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by your own actions

because of your own efforts

using your own strength/power

For more information, see flesh, Meaning 5 in the Glossary.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως ἀνόητοι ἐστέ Ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι νῦν σαρκί ἐπιτελεῖσθε)

Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form to emphatically express his surprise. 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 are very foolish!] or [Don’t be so foolish!] or [Surely you cannot be so foolish!]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖσθε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως ἀνόητοι ἐστέ Ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι νῦν σαρκί ἐπιτελεῖσθε)

Paul is not asking for information, but is using the question form to guide the Galatian believers thinking about what they are doing. 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 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

ἐναρξάμενοι

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως ἀνόητοι ἐστέ Ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι νῦν σαρκί ἐπιτελεῖσθε)

Paul is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: [Having begun the Christian life] or [Having begun your new relationship with God]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

σαρκὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως ἀνόητοι ἐστέ Ἐναρξάμενοι Πνεύματι νῦν σαρκί ἐπιτελεῖσθε)

Paul is describing the actions people do while in their body by association with their body, which he calls flesh. Here, flesh refers to a reliance on one’s own effort in doing outward deeds and doing these actions with a self-sufficient and self-reliant trust in them instead of trusting in God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use plain language. Alternate translation: [by your own effort]

Parallel GAL 3:3

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

Paragraph 3:1–5

3:3

3:3a

3:3b

3:3c