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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Galatians 3:9 - 3:9
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
9. ὤστε, “so that,” i.e. since Abraham was justified by faith (Gal 3:6), and those who are of faith are his sons (Gal 3:7), and the blessings promised to the Gentiles come to them in him (Gal 3:8). This thought is fully developed in Romans 4.
οἱ ἐκ πίστεως (Gal 3:7 note) εὐλογοῦνται. Not ἐνευλ. (Gal 3:8), for he is not here insisting on union with Abraham. The tense is timeless. Observe that “sons” and “blessing” are related as “seed” and “heirs” in Gal 3:29.
σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ, “with believing Abraham,” or “with Abraham the believer.” For a full investigation of the use of πιστός see Hort on 1Pe 1:21. In both the O.T. and Apocrypha it = “trustworthy” or “faithful,” but not “believing” or “trustful.” In the N.T. the latter meaning is still rare, but in our verse it is “a fresh application of an old epithet of Abraham.” See also in particular 2Co 6:15; 1Ti 4:3; Act 16:1. The article recalls the fact that his faith has already been mentioned (Gal 3:6), but it must be omitted in English. Similarly “faithful “no longer means “full of faith.” Thus the R.V., “the faithful Abraham,” is doubly unsatisfactory. St Paul changes ἐν to σύν when uttering his own words, probably because he was accustomed to think of blessing ἐν Χριστῷ.