Matthew Poole Commentary - Galatians 3:19 - 3:19

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Matthew Poole Commentary - Galatians 3:19 - 3:19


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Wherefore then serveth the law? Some might say: To what purpose was the law given? As if there could be no use of it unless it were available to justification.



It was added because of transgressions; it was (saith the apostle) given after the promise, not to supply something wanting as to justification, to prescribe some works that must be added; but either to restrain sin, 1Ti_1:9, or to show and discover sin, to make men see that they stood in need of Christ: see Rom_7:13.



Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made: till Christ the promised Seed should come, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth, Rom_10:4; upon whose coming the law contained in ordinances ceased. That Christ is here to be understood by the seed, is plain by the addition,



to whom the promise was made. Some here understand by the seed, Christ and the church, (which both make up Christ mystical), and interpret this text by Eph_2:14, till the Jews and Gentiles should be both made one. This law (he saith)



was ordained by angels. Luke, Act_7:38, speaks of the law as published by one angel: the apostle, Heb_2:2, calls it, the word spoken by angels. We read of no angels, Exo_19:20, nor of any of the saints; yet, Deu_33:2: Moses saith God came from Sinai, with ten thousand saints. The law was given either by the ministry of an angel, or by God attended with angels.



In the hand of a mediator; that is, (say some), under the power of Christ the Mediator; but by the mediator is rather to be understood Moses, which agreeth with Deu_5:5, where Moses telleth the Jews, that he stood between the Lord and them at that time, to show them the word of the Lord; nor is Christ any where called the Mediator of the old, but of the new testament, Heb_8:6 Heb_12:24.