Galatians 2:4

Galatians 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
• New International Version (NIV)This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery—
• New King James Version (NKJV)And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),

Context of Galatians 2:4

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. 3Titus 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. But 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. 6The church leaders in Jerusalem did not argue with me. (They were the people who seemed to be the leaders. It does not matter to me whether they were really important people or not. God does not respect some people more than others.) Those leaders did not tell me to change the message that I teach.

Galatians 2:4 word by word

διὰ δὲ τοὺς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους, οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἣν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδουλώσουσιν,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And thatδέde · thenG1161
• because ofδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• false brethrenψευδάδελφοςpseudadelphos · false brotherG5569
• unawares brought inπαρείσακτοςpareisaktos · infiltratedG3920
• whoὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• came in privilyπαρεισέρχομαιpareiserchomai · to come inG3922
• to spy outκατασκοπέωkataskopeō · to spyG2684
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• libertyὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• libertyἐλευθερίαeleutheria · freedomG1657
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• we haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they might bringκαταδουλόωkatadouloō · to enslaveG2615

Cross-references for Galatians 2:4

• Galatians 5:10But I feel sure about you, because we belong to the Lord. I know that you will agree with what I say about this. But as for the man who is confusing you, God will punish him. It does not matter who he is, God will punish him.
• Acts 15:1Some men arrived in Antioch from Judea. They began to teach the believers there who were not Jews. They said to them, ‘God cannot save you unless someone circumcises you. This is in the Law that God gave to Moses.’
• Acts 20:30Even men from your own group of believers will teach things that are not true. They want to deceive other believers, so that they leave you and join with them.
• 2 Corinthians 11:13Those people are false apostles. They do not work in an honest way. They try to make people think that Christ has sent them as his apostles.
• 1 John 4:1My friends, do not believe everyone who says that they speak God's message. There are many false prophets who are travelling around everywhere. They say that they have a message from God's Spirit, but the message comes from a false spirit. So check each message carefully to see if it is really from God.
• 2 Timothy 3:6Among those people, there are some men who find a way into people's homes. They get power over silly women who feel very guilty about their sins. Those women want to do wrong things and they cannot stop themselves.
• 2 Peter 2:1Many years ago, there were false prophets among God's people. They did not speak God's true messages. In the same way, there will also be false teachers among you. They will come among you and they will teach you things that are not true. Their wrong ideas will deceive people. Those false teachers will even speak against the Master, who paid the price for their sins. As a result, they will bring trouble on themselves that quickly destroys them.
• Jude 1:4I say this because certain bad people have secretly come among you. They have turned away from God. They are trying to change God's true message. They teach that we can do any evil things that we want to do. They say that God will be kind and he will forgive us for all those things. They do not accept the authority of Jesus Christ, who is our only Master and our Lord. God will certainly punish those wicked people. A long time ago God said that he would punish people like them.
• Galatians 3:23But before God showed us the way of faith, the Law had authority over us. God's Law kept us safe, until God showed us that we must believe in Christ.
• Galatians 5:1Christ has made us free so that we can be really free! So be strong and do not turn back. Do not let yourselves become slaves to the Jewish rules again.
• Psalms 51:12Give me joy again, because you have made me safe. Make me strong and ready to obey you.
• Psalms 119:45I will not be in danger as I live, because I try to obey your teaching.
• John 8:31Then Jesus said to the Jews who now believed him, ‘Continue to obey the words that I have spoken to you. If you do that, you are really my disciples.
• 2 Corinthians 3:17The Lord is the same as the Spirit. And when the Lord's Spirit is with anyone, that person is free.
• 1 Peter 2:16You are free people. But you are servants of God. So do not think, ‘Because I am free, I can do any bad thing that I want to do.’
• 2 Peter 2:19The false teachers tell these believers to do whatever they want to do. They promise that this will make them really free. But the false teachers themselves are not free. Instead, they are like slaves. They cannot stop doing the bad things that will destroy them. We know that if something has power over a person, then that person is its slave.

Commentaries on Galatians 2:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And that because of false brethren - Who these false brethren were is not certainly known, nor is it known whether he refers to those who were at Jerusalem or to those who were at Antioch. It is probable that he refers to Judaizing Christians, or persons who claimed to be Christians and to have been converted from Judaism. Whether they were dissemblers and hypocrites, or whether they were so imperfectly acquainted with Christianity, and so obstinate…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Paul called some supposed believers false, saying they were not Christians. They did not understand or truly accept the good news about Jesus, unlike the apostles in Jerusalem (2:3). had come in under false pretenses: Paul suggests that a larger group of Jewish "Christians" opposed his preaching (see Acts 15:5) and supported the false teachers who joined the church. Requiring non-Jewish Christians to follow Jewish law would trap them in rules and deny the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. And that--that is, What I did concerning Titus (namely, by not permitting him to be circumcised) was not from contempt of circumcision, but "on account of the false brethren" (Ac 15:1, 24) who, had I yielded to the demand for his being circumcised, would have perverted the case into a proof that I deemed circumcision necessary. unawares--"in an underhand manner brought in." privily--stealthily. to spy out--as foes in the guise of friends, wishing to…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 2:4

• Barnabas
• Bigotry
• Circumcision
• Heresy
• Law
• Minister, Christian
• Spies

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Christ, Jesus
• 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