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ParallelVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Gal 5 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26
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.)
OET (OET-RV) idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousies, rages, selfish ambitions, arguing, divisions,![]()
OET-LV idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, rages, selfish_ambitions, dissensions, sects,![]()
SR-GNT εἰδωλολατρεία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλοι, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις, ‡
(eidōlolatreia, farmakeia, eⱪthrai, eris, zaʸloi, thumoi, eritheiai, diⱪostasiai, haireseis,)
Key: light-green:nominative/subject.
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 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, factions,
UST They also worship false gods, do witchcraft, repeatedly act in hostile ways, quarrel with people, act jealously, behave angrily, act ambitiously, act divisively within a group of people, and make divisive groups of people.
BSB idolatry [and] sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, [and] rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,
MSB idolatry [and] sorcery; hostilities,[fn] quarrels,[fn] jealousies,[fn] [and] rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,
BLB idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, contentions, dissensions, factions,
AICNT idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions,
OEB idolatry, sorcery, quarrels, strife, jealousy, outbursts of passion, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
WEBBE idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
WMBB (Same as above)
NET idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions,
LSV idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, strife, jealousy, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects,
FBV idolatry, sorcery, hatred, rivalry, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, dissension, heresy,
TCNT idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, [fn]quarrels, [fn]jealousies, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions,
T4T People worship false gods and things that represent those gods. People perform ◄rituals in order that evil spirits might act for them/sorcery►. People are hostile to others. People quarrel with each other. People are ◄jealous/resent other people’s status►. People behave angrily. People try ◄to get others to think highly of them/to exalt themselves► and ◄do not consider what others want/act selfishly►. People do not associate with others. People associate only with those who agree with them.
LEB idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, factions,
BBE Worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings,
Moff idolatry, magic, quarrels, dissension, jealousy, temper, rivalry, factions, party-spirit,
Wymth enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of passion, intrigues, dissensions, factions, envyings;
ASV idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties,
DRA Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects,
YLT idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strifes, emulations, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects,
Drby idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strifes, jealousies, angers, contentions, disputes, schools of opinion,
RV idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, heresies,
(idolatry, sorcery, enmitys, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, heresies, )
SLT Idolatry, charm, enmities, strifes, jealousies, wraths, intriguings, seditions, sects.
Wbstr Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
KJB-1769 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
KJB-1611 Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Bshps Worshippyng of images, witchcrafte, hatred, variaunce, zeale, wrath, strife, seditions, sectes,
(Worshipping of images, witchcrafte, hatred, variance, zeale, wrath, strife, seditions, sectes,)
Gnva Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, debate, emulations, wrath, contentions, seditions, heresies,
Cvdl Idolatrye, witchcraft, hatred, variaunce, zele, wrath, stryfe, sedicion, sectes,
(Idolatrye, witchcraft, hatred, variance, zele, wrath, strife, seditionn, sectes,)
TNT ydolatrye witchecraft hatred variaunce zele wrath stryfe sedicion sectes
(ydolatrye witchecraft hatred variance zeal wrath strife seditionn sectes )
Wycl witchecraftis, enmytees, striuyngis, indignaciouns, wraththis, chidingis, discenciouns, sectis, enuyes,
(witchecraftis, enmytees, striuyngis, indignations, wraththis, chidingis, discenciouns, sectis, enuyes,)
Luth Abgötterei, Zauberei, Feindschaft, Hader, Neid, Zorn, Zank, Zwietracht, Rotten, Haß, Mord,
(idolatry, Zauberei, enmity, Hader, Neid, anger, quarrel(n), Zwietracht, gangn, hate(n), murder,)
ClVg idolorum servitus, veneficia, inimicitiæ, contentiones, æmulationes, iræ, rixæ, dissensiones, sectæ,
(idols servitus, poisoneda, enemiestiæ, contentiones, competition/rivalrynes, anger, rixæ, dissensiones, sectæ, )
UGNT εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλοι, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις,
(eidōlolatria, farmakeia, eⱪthrai, eris, zaʸloi, thumoi, eritheiai, diⱪostasiai, haireseis,)
SBL-GNT εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ⸂ἔρις, ζῆλος⸃, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις,
(eidōlolatria, farmakeia, eⱪthrai, ⸂eris, zaʸlos⸃, thumoi, eritheiai, diⱪostasiai, haireseis,)
RP-GNT εἰδωλολατρεία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρεις, ζῆλοι, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις,
(eidōlolatreia, farmakeia, eⱪthrai, ereis, zaʸloi, thumoi, eritheiai, diⱪostasiai, haireseis,)
TC-GNT [fn]εἰδωλολατρεία, [fn]φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, [fn]ἔρεις, [fn]ζῆλοι, θυμοί, [fn]ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις,
(eidōlolatreia, farmakeia, eⱪthrai, ereis, zaʸloi, thumoi, eritheiai, diⱪostasiai, haireseis, )
5:20 ειδωλολατρεια ¦ ειδωλολατρια ANT NA PCK SBL WH
5:20 φαρμακεια ¦ φαρμακια WH
5:20 ερεις ¦ ερις CT PCK
5:20 ζηλοι ¦ ζηλος CT
5:20 εριθειαι ¦ εριθιαι WH
Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
5:20 Idolatry, the worship of false gods, was common in Galatia and was often accompanied by sorcery (see Acts 19:19; cp. 1 Sam 15:23; Rev 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15) and sexual immorality (cp. 1 Cor 6:9, 15-20).
• Hostility arises from angry pride rather than the Spirit’s humility and love (Gal 5:22-23).
• Quarreling refers not to standing up for what is right, but to stirring up discord and looking for a fight (1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 12:20; 1 Tim 6:4; Titus 3:9). Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit seek to speak the truth in love with a peacemaking attitude (Gal 5:22; Eph 4:15; 2 Tim 2:23-26).
• Jealousy (Greek zēlos, “zeal”) has both a positive sense (“passionate commitment”) and, as here, a negative one (“intense desire for another’s things”); cp. Jas 3:14-16.
• Outbursts of anger (or fits of rage) contrast with self-control (Gal 5:23; see, e.g., Acts 19:28; 2 Cor 12:20; 1 Tim 3:3; Titus 1:7).
• Selfish ambition (or Selfishness) is the antithesis of Christian love (cp. Rom 2:8; Phil 2:3; Jas 3:14, 16).
• Division (Greek haireseis, “heresies, factions, sects”) refers to people using differing beliefs or practices to divide the community (cp. 1 Cor 11:17-19; 2 Pet 2:1-3).
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.
idolatry and sorcery;
the worship of idols, the practice of sorcery/witchcraft,
worshiping the shrine, calling on evil spirits,
worshiping gods, doing witchcraft, (NCV)
idolatry and sorcery: The two Greek words that the BSB translates as idolatry and sorcery refer to a wrong relationship to spiritual powers other than God.
idolatry: The word idolatry refers to the worship of idols. It refers to worshiping false gods and their images or statues.
(In a broader sense, it also refers to honoring something above God. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 that greed is idolatry.)
Some other ways to translate this word are:
worshiping idols
worship of the shrine
worshiping that which it is not proper to worship
sorcery: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sorcery refers to the use of magic words, objects, or rituals to interact with spirits.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
witchcraft (NIV)
calling on evil spirits
using the power which Satan gives
hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions: These words refer to wrong relationships between people. They result in conflict between people.
Paul used eight different words to describe these sinful actions. Some of these words are very close in meaning. In some languages, it may be possible to find eight words that match the general range of meaning of these eight sins. In other languages, one word or term may include the meaning of two of Paul’s words. In other words, in some languages, it may be possible to translate the eight Greek words with fewer than eight terms. The meanings of the words that Paul used should guide your choices of words.
hatred, discord, jealousy,
hatred, quarrelling, jealousy, (JBP)
hating, making trouble, being jealous, (NCV)
becoming enemies, arguing/fighting, envy,
hatred: The Greek word that the BSB translates as hatred refers to being an enemy of someone and having hostile feelings and actions toward that person.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
People become enemies (GNT)
enmity (ESV)
people hate each other
discord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as discord refers to fights and conflicts between people.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
making trouble (NCV)
quarrelling (JBP)
people argue/fight
jealousy: The word jealousy refers to bad feelings toward another person because that person has something (including status or success) that you want. Some languages have idioms for these feelings, like “bitter stomach,” “black stomach,” or “evil eye.”
Some other ways to translate this word are:
being jealous
people are jealous/envious
and rage; rivalries,
anger, selfishness,
having a bad temper, being selfish,
being angry, thinking only about themselves/oneself,
rage: The Greek word that the BSB translates as rage refers to intense anger and a tendency to express that anger in a way that hurts other people.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
outbursts of anger (NET)
being angry (NCV)
bad temper (JBP)
anger (RSV)
people are angry
rivalries: The Greek word that the BSB translates as rivalries refers to a selfish desire to be more important than others.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
being selfish (NCV)
selfish ambition (NIV)
selfishness (RSV)
people want their own way
divisions, factions,
conflicts, divisions/factions
separating into different parties and groups,
being angry with each other, dividing into rival groups,
divisions: The Greek word that the BSB translates as divisions refers to people dividing into opposing groups. It refers to people separating themselves from people whom they do not agree with. They do this because they are angry with one another.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
conflict (GW)
dissensions (NASB)
making people angry with each other (NCV)
This word is very similar to the next word, which the BSB translates as factions.
factions: The Greek word that the BSB translates as factions refers to people dividing into different groups that are against one another. People unite with those people whom they agree with, and they are against the group that they disagree with.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
causing divisions among people (NCV)
division (NLT)
Because the words “dissensions” and “divisions” are so similar, it is possible in some languages to translate these two words as one term. For example:
people divide into opposing groups
εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλοι, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις
idolatry sorcery enmities strife (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰδωλολατρία φαρμακεία ἔχθραι ἔρις ζηλοῖ θυμοί ἐριθεῖαι διχοστασίαι αἱρέσεις)
Alternate translation: [worshiping idols, practicing witchcraft, being hostile, striving with others, being jealous, angrily bursting out, causing people to divide, making factious groups]