Galatians 2:3

Galatians 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
• New International Version (NIV)Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

Context of Galatians 2:3

114 years later, I went to Jerusalem again. This time I went with Barnabas, and I also took Titus with me. 2I went there because God had shown me that I should go. I talked to the Christian leaders there. I explained to them the good news that I teach to the Gentiles. But I talked only to those men who seemed to be the leaders. I wanted to be sure that they agreed with the message that I taught. I did not want my work, both in past times and now, to be worth nothing. Titus was with me then. He is a Greek person and nobody had circumcised him. But the leaders in Jerusalem did not say that we must circumcise him. 4But some men did want us to obey all the Jewish rules. Those men came secretly among our group. They said that they were believers, but they were not really true believers. They wanted to see how we lived as believers. They wanted to know how Christ Jesus has made us free from the Jewish rules. They wanted to make us slaves to those rules. 5But we did not allow them to do this to us. They wanted to spoil the true good news that you have believed. We kept the good news safe for you.

Galatians 2:3 word by word

ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ Τίτος ὁ σὺν ἐμοί, Ἕλλην ὤν, ἠναγκάσθη περιτμηθῆναι·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butἀλλάalla · butG235
• neitherοὐδέoude · norG3761
• TitusΤίτοςTitos · TitusG5103
• who wasὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• withσύνsun · withG4862
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• beingεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• a GreekἝλλην=ἝλληνHellēn · Greek, GentileG1672
• was compelledἀναγκάζωanagkazō · to compelG315
• to be circumcisedπεριτέμνωperitemnō · to circumciseG4059

Cross-references for Galatians 2:3

• Galatians 5:2Listen carefully! I, Paul, tell you this. If you agree that someone should circumcise you, then Christ will be worth nothing to you.
• Acts 15:24We have heard that some men from our group have confused your thoughts. These men came to you and they taught you without our authority. The things that they said were not right and they have upset you.
• Acts 16:3Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him to different places. All the Jews in that region knew that Timothy's father was a Gentile. So Paul circumcised Timothy, so that the Jews would accept him.
• 1 Corinthians 9:20When I was among Jews, I lived like they do, because I wanted to bring Jews to Christ. The Law that God gave to Moses no longer has authority over me. But I chose to obey that Law when I was among Jewish people who obey it. I did that so that I could help them to believe in Christ.

Commentaries on Galatians 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3But neither Titus, who was with me - The apostle proceeds to state that his account was so satisfactory to the apostles, that they not only did not require him to insist on the necessity of circumcision among the Gentiles, but did not even require him to have Titus, who was a Greek, circumcised; though that might have appeared expedient, especially at Jerusalem, to have prevented false brethren from making a handle of his uncircumcision, and turning it to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3But neither Titus, who was with me - Paul introduces this case of Titus undoubtedly to show that circumcision was not necessary for salvation. It was a case just in point. He had gone up to Jerusalem with the express reference to this question. Here was a man whom he had admitted to the Christian church without circumcising him. He claimed that he had a right to do so; and that circumcision was not necessary in order for salvation. If it were necessary…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The apostles in Jerusalem fully agreed with Paul's message. They all believed the same good news: God's grace comes through faith in Christ, not by following the law. The Jerusalem apostles clearly did not believe that circumcision was necessary for a non-Jew like Titus.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. But--So far were they from regarding me as running in vain, that "not even Titus who was with me, who was a Greek (and therefore uncircumcised), was compelled to be circumcised." So the Greek should be translated. The "false brethren," Ga 2:4 ("certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed," Ac 15:5), demanded his circumcision. The apostles, however, constrained by the firmness of Paul and Barnabas (Ga 2:5), did not compel or insist on his being…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 2:3

• Barnabas
• Bigotry
• Circumcision
• Law
• Minister, Christian
• Titus

In the dictionaries

• Greek
• Titus
• Manius; Titus
• Titus; Titius Justus
• Greek, Grecian, Hellenist
• Add
• Blame
• Bondage
• Circumcision
• Conference

Commentaries on Galatians 2

• 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