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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) The actions that come from our earthly desires include: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,![]()
OET-LV And manifest is the works of_the flesh, which is sexual_immorality, impurity, wantonness,![]()
SR-GNT Φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστιν πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια, ‡
(Fanera de estin ta erga taʸs sarkos, hatina estin porneia, akatharsia, aselgeia,)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor.
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).
ULT Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness,
UST You clearly know what people do because of their sinful selves. They do sexually immoral acts, impure acts, and unrestrained immoral acts.
BSB The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, [and] debauchery;
MSB The acts of the flesh are obvious: adultery,[fn] sexual immorality, impurity, [and] debauchery;
5:19 CT does not include adultery.
BLB Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
AICNT Now the works of the flesh are evident: [[adultery]][fn] sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
5:19, adultery: Later manuscripts add. BYZ TR
OEB The sins of our earthly nature are unmistakable. They are sins like these – sexual immorality, impurity, indecency,
WEBBE Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
WMBB (Same as above)
NET Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity,
LSV And the works of the flesh are also evident, which are: adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, licentiousness,
FBV It's clear what the sinful human nature produces: sexual immorality, indecency, sensuality,
TCNT Now the works of the flesh are obvious: [fn]adultery, fornication, impurity, sensuality,
5:19 adultery, ¦ — CT
T4T You already know how people think and act [PRS] because of their self-directed nature. These are some of the things that they do: People are sexually immoral. People commit unnatural sexual acts. People act indecently.
LEB Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, licentiousness,
BBE Now the works of the flesh are clear, which are these: evil desire, unclean things, wrong use of the senses,
Moff Now the deeds of the flesh are quite obvious, such as sexual vice, impurity, sensuality,
Wymth Now you know full well the doings of our lower natures. Fornication, impurity, indecency, idol-worship, sorcery;
ASV Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
DRA Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury,
YLT And manifest also are the works of the flesh, which are: Adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Drby Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,
RV Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
SLT And the works of the flesh are manifest, which are; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,
Wbstr Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these , Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
KJB-1769 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
KJB-1611 Nowe the workes of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adulterie, fornication, vncleannesse, lasciuiousnesse,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)
Bshps The deedes of the flesshe are manifest, which are these, adulterie, fornication, vncleannesse, wantonnesse,
(The deeds of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness,)
Gnva Moreouer the workes of the flesh are manifest, which are adulterie, fornication, vncleannes, wantonnes,
(Moreover/What’s_more the works of the flesh are manifest, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, )
Cvdl The dedes of ye flesh are manifest, which are these: Aduoutrye, whordome, vnclenes, wantanes,
(The deeds of ye/you_all flesh are manifest, which are these: Aduoutrye, whoredom/prostitution, uncleans, wantanes,)
TNT The dedes of the flesshe are manyfest whiche are these advoutrie fornicacion vnclenes wantannes
(The deeds of the flesh are manyfest which are these advoutrie fornication uncleans wantannes )
Wycl And werkis of the fleisch ben opyn, whiche ben fornicacioun, vnclennes, vnchastite, letcherie, seruice of false goddis,
(And works of the flesh been open, which been fornication, uncleanness, unchastity, lechery/lust, service of false gods,)
Luth Offenbar sind aber die Werke des Fleisches, als da sind: Ehebruch, Hurerei, Unreinigkeit, Unzucht,
(Offenbar are but the work the fleshes, as there are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, fornication/sexual_offense,)
ClVg Manifesta sunt autem opera carnis, quæ sunt fornicatio, immunditia, impudicitia, luxuria,
(Manifesta are however works of_flesh, which are fornicatio, impurity, impudicitia, luxury/extravagance, )
UGNT φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστιν πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια,
(fanera de estin ta erga taʸs sarkos, hatina estin porneia, akatharsia, aselgeia,)
SBL-GNT φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ⸀ἐστιν πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια,
(fanera de estin ta erga taʸs sarkos, hatina ⸀estin porneia, akatharsia, aselgeia,)
RP-GNT Φανερὰ δέ ἐστιν τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστιν μοιχεία, πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια,
(Fanera de estin ta erga taʸs sarkos, hatina estin moiⱪeia, porneia, akatharsia, aselgeia,)
TC-GNT Φανερὰ δέ ἐστι τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, ἅτινά ἐστι [fn]μοιχεία, πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια,
(Fanera de esti ta erga taʸs sarkos, hatina esti moiⱪeia, porneia, akatharsia, aselgeia, )
5:19 μοιχεια ¦ — CT
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
5:19 When you follow . . . the results are (literally The works of the flesh are): An emphasis on law-keeping and sinful actions both flow from trying to live apart from the power of God’s Spirit.
• very clear: Basic understanding of right and wrong is universal (cp. Rom 1:32; 2:14-15; 1 Cor 5:1), though some people suppress this awareness (Rom 1:18-21).
• The list begins with sexual immorality; in contrast, the list of Christian virtues begins with love (Gal 5:22). All kinds of sexual misconduct were common (cp. Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 5:1; 6:15-18; 2 Cor 12:21; 2 Pet 3:10, 18). Sexual immorality was connected in paganism with fertility worship (cp. Rev 2:14, 20).
• Moral impurity removes holiness and makes fellowship with a holy God impossible (see Matt 23:27; Rom 6:19; 2 Cor 12:21; Eph 5:3; Col 3:5; 1 Thes 4:7).
The Law and the Spirit
An enduring question of the Christian faith is, Do Christians need to keep the Old Testament law in order to become mature followers of Christ? Does following God’s law provide sanctification?
When the Christians in Galatia had received the Good News of salvation through faith in Christ, they had also received the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their status as believers. Not only had God given his Spirit to them, but he had also worked miracles among them (Gal 3:5). They knew from experience that the Holy Spirit has the power to make them new people, and Paul had taught them to rely on the Spirit to guide them.
Shortly after Paul left Galatia, Jewish-Christian teachers arrived who taught the need to observe God’s law, both to be accepted by God and to be sanctified and become mature. They argued that Paul’s approach to sanctification by the Spirit would lead to lawlessness and sin.
Paul responded that, just as God counts us as righteous by faith, so also he makes us righteous by faith, through the working of the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26). Those who rely on the Spirit and follow his leading will not sin—God’s Spirit will never lead people to sin.
The real problem is not a lack of understanding regarding right and wrong. Our God-given conscience tells us when we’re doing wrong, and God’s law makes the requirements of his righteousness even clearer (Rom 7:7-12). The real problem is that, by nature, our hearts are hard and sinful, and we lack the wisdom to know the right thing to do in a given situation. By nature, we are unable to apply God’s word in a way that is consistent with his intentions.
The law cannot ameliorate our condition. But when the Holy Spirit guides and controls us, he changes our hearts to do the things that please God (Gal 5:22-23; Rom 8:5-14). God’s Spirit guides his people to fulfill his law in its true sense and intent. But fulfillment of the law must not be the goal or focus—the law is just our guardian (Gal 3:24-25). Instead, we focus on trusting God, relying on the Spirit, and loving others. God’s Spirit gives us the will and the power to do these things in a way that pleases God.
Passages for Further Study
Num 11:16-17, 24-30; Jer 31:33-34; Ezek 36:26-27; Luke 24:49; Acts 5:32; Rom 7:1–8:17; 12:2; 2 Cor 3:7-18; Gal 3:2-5; 5:5, 16-26; Heb 12:14-29
In this section, Paul talked about what freedom means. He no longer focused on how a person is made righteous. He focused on how a person who has received the righteousness of Christ should live.
Paul told the Galatians that choosing to live their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit would keep them from living sinful lives. It would keep them from living as slaves to the law. A life lived in the Spirit is a life of love for each other.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
Follow closely the Spirit of God
Obey God’s Spirit, not your sinful desires
In this paragraph, Paul reminded the Galatians that they should not live sinful lives. He gave a list of examples of sinful actions. The list can be divided into several groups: sexual sins, wrong relationships to spiritual powers other than God, wrong relationships between people, and drunken living.
Paul’s list is not intended as a complete list of sins. Paul listed sins that represent the kinds of actions that come from the sinful nature. There are many more such sins.
The acts of the flesh are obvious:
¶ Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious. (GW)
¶ The deeds of a evil heart/mind are clearly seen.
¶ The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: (NCV)
In 5:19, Paul began a new topic. He introduced this new topic with a Greek conjunction that most English versions translate as “now.” In this context, “now” is not a time word.
The BSB has not translated this conjunction, and some other versions, such as the NIV and NLT, also do not translate it. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either. Connect 5:19a to 5:18b in a way that is natural in your language.
The acts of the flesh are obvious: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as acts of the flesh refers to the sinful actions/deeds that a person does when he follows/obeys his corrupt human nature.
The Greek word that the BSB translates as obvious means “are clearly seen.”
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
The wrong things the sinful self does are clear (NCV)
Anyone can see the behaviour that belongs to the unspiritual nature (REB)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear (NLT)
Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious (GW)
See flesh, Meaning 5 in the Glossary.
sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
adultery, unclean acts, indecent conduct;
They are fornication, filthy/evil thoughts, shameful deeds,
being sexually unfaithful, not being pure, taking part in sexual sins, (NCV)
Paul’s list of sinful actions begins here. Some ways to introduce this list are:
For example:
They are deeds such as:
The sinful nature shows itself in
sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery: In Greek, the three words that the BSB translates as sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery all refer to sexual sins. They include sins of thought, sins of actions, and sinful desires.
In some languages, it will be possible to translate these three Greek words with three words or phrases. In other languages, it may be possible to use two terms to translate these three Greek terms.
sexual immorality: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sexual immorality refers to having sexual relations with someone you are not married to.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
fornication/adultery
being sexually unfaithful (NCV)
immoral…actions (GNT)
all kinds of immoral behavior with someone who is not your spouse
impurity: The Greek word that the BSB translates as impurity is more literally “uncleanness.” In the Bible, immoral acts are referred to as “unclean.” This word refers to any shameful or wrong activity in the area of sex.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
indecency
filthy thoughts (CEV)
filthy…actions (GNT)
disgusting sexual habits/thoughts
debauchery: The Greek word that the BSB translates as debauchery refers to indulging in wrong sexual desires, or being preoccupied with illicit sexual acts.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
perversion/indecency
taking part in sexual sins (NCV)
shameful deeds (CEV)
indecent actions (GNT)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός & πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερά Δέ ἐστίν τά ἔργα τῆς σαρκός ἅτινα ἐστίν πορνεία ἀκαθαρσία ἀσέλγεια)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of impurity you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [behaves impurely]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: φανερά Δέ ἐστίν τά ἔργα τῆς σαρκός ἅτινα ἐστίν πορνεία ἀκαθαρσία ἀσέλγεια)
Here Paul speaks of the flesh as if it were a person who has works. He is referring to what a person does as a result of having a sinful human nature. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the things people do because of their sinful natures] or [the things people do because they are sinful]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
τῆς σαρκός
˱of˲_the flesh
See how you translated flesh in [5:13](../05/13.md) and [5:16](../05/16.md).