Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
• New International Version (NIV)It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Context of Galatians 5:1

It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed]. 2Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation]. 3Once more I solemnly affirm to every man who receives circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], that he is under obligation and required to keep the whole Law.

Galatians 5:1 word by word

τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Stand fastστήκωstēkō · to standG4739
• thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• the libertyὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the libertyἐλευθερίαeleutheria · freedomG1657
• wherewithὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• hath madeἐλευθερόωeleutheroō · to set freeG1659
• usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• beἐνέχωenechō · to opposeG1758
• notμήmē · notG3361
• againπάλινpalin · againG3825
• the yokeζυγόςzugos · yoke/scalesG2218
• of bondageδουλείαdouleia · slaveryG1397

Cross-references for Galatians 5:1

• Proverbs 23:23Buy truth, and do not sell it; Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
• 1 Corinthians 15:58Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].
• 1 Corinthians 16:13Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.
• Ephesians 6:14So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),
• Philippians 1:27Only [be sure to] lead your lives in a manner [that will be] worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I do come and see you or remain absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit [and one purpose], with one mind striving side by side [as if in combat] for the faith of the gospel.
• 1 Thessalonians 3:8because now we really live [in spite of everything], if you stand firm in the Lord.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:15So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold [tightly] to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.
• Hebrews 3:6but Christ is faithful as a Son over His [Father’s] house. And we are His house if we hold fast our confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ].
• Hebrews 4:14Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior].
• Hebrews 10:23Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word];
• Jude 1:3Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I was compelled to write to you [urgently] appealing that you fight strenuously for [the defense of] the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith that is the sum of Christian belief that was given verbally to believers].
• Revelation 2:25except to hold tightly to what you have until I come.
• Revelation 3:3So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
• Galatians 5:13For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.
• Galatians 2:4My concern was because of the false brothers [those people masquerading as Christians] who had been secretly smuggled in [to the community of believers]. They had slipped in to spy on the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us back into bondage [under the Law of Moses].
• Galatians 3:25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under [the control and authority of] a tutor and disciplinarian.

Commentaries on Galatians 5:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty - This is intimately connected with the preceding chapter: the apostle having said, just before, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free, immediately adds, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Hold fast your Christian profession; it brings spiritual liberty: on the contrary, Judaism brings spiritual bondage. Among the Jews, the Messiah's reign was to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Stand fast, therefore - Be firm and unwavering. This verse properly belongs to the previous chapter, and should not have been separated from it. The sense is, that they were to be firm and unyielding in maintaining the great principles of Christian liberty. They had been freed from the bondage of rites and ceremonies; and they should by no means, and in no form, yield to them again. In the liberty … - Compare John 8:32, John 8:36; Romans 6:18; Notes…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1An earnest exhortation to stand fast in the liberty of the gospel. (1-12) To take heed of indulging a sinful temper. (13-15) And to walk in the Spirit, and not to fulfil the lusts of the flesh: the works of both are described. (16-26) Verses 1-6 Christ will not be the Saviour of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Saviour. Let us take heed to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to stedfastness in the doctrine and liberty of the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Paul clearly explains his message to the Galatians. He criticizes their unwise behavior and offers a better choice. That choice is freedom. Christ has set us free: Christians are free to live by faith in Christ alone (see Romans 8). do not be encumbered once more (literally do not take on a yoke): A yoke is a heavy wooden bar that joins two farm animals together, like oxen, so they can pull heavy loads. In the Jewish tradition, people used the word "yoke"…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-261. The oldest manuscripts read, "in liberty (so Alford, Moberley, Humphry, and Ellicott. But as there is no Greek for 'in,' as there is in translating in 1Co 16:13; Php 1:27; 4:1, I prefer 'It is FOR freedom that') Christ hath made us free (not in, or for, a state of bondage). Stand fast, therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage" (namely, the law, Ga 4:24; Ac 15:10). On "again," see on Ga 4:9.Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 5:1

• Commandments
• Decision
• Perseverance

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Adoption
• Affection
• Bite
• Contrary
• Cross
• Crucify
• Debtor
• Flesh

Commentaries on Galatians 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings