Galatians 4:16

Galatians 4:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
• New International Version (NIV)Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

Context of Galatians 4:16

14I caused trouble for you because I was ill. But you did not insult me. You did not tell me to go away. But you were kind to me. You took care of me as if I were an angel from God, or even Christ Jesus himself. 15But now you do not seem to be happy with me any more. I can say that you would have pulled out your own eyes to help me. You would have given them to me, if that had been possible. But now I seem to have become your enemy! Is that because I am telling you God's true message? 17Those false teachers try very much to please you. But they do not really want what is good for you. They want to make you turn away from me. Then you will only want to listen to them. 18It is good for someone to try to please other people if they really want to help them. That is true all the time, not only when I am there with you.

Galatians 4:16 word by word

ὥστε ἐχθρὸς ὑμῶν γέγονα ἀληθεύων ὑμῖν;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Am Iγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• thereforeὥστεhōste · soG5620
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• enemyἐχθρόςechthros · enemyG2190
• because I tellἀληθεύωalētheuō · be truthfulG226

Cross-references for Galatians 4:16

• Galatians 3:1You Christians in Galatia are like fools! Someone has taught you to believe crazy ideas! I taught you clearly that Jesus Christ died on the cross as a sacrifice on our behalf. You understood that.
• 1 Kings 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, ‘Is that really you, the man who brings trouble to Israel?’
• 1 Kings 21:20When Elijah met Ahab, Ahab said to him, ‘So, my enemy, now you have found me!’ Elijah answered, ‘Yes, I have found you to warn you! You have decided to do things that the Lord says are evil.
• 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man. We could ask him what the Lord wants us to do. But I do not like him, because he never says that anything good will happen to me. He only says that I will have trouble. He is Imlah's son, Micaiah.’ Jehoshaphat said, ‘The king should not talk like that.’
• 2 Chronicles 24:20Then God's Spirit came to Jehoiada's son Zechariah with power. Zechariah stood in front of the people and he said, ‘This is what God says: “You are not obeying the Lord's commands. So nothing will go well for you. You have turned away from the Lord, so now he has turned away from you!” ’
• 2 Chronicles 25:16While the prophet was still speaking, the king said to him, ‘We did not choose you to be the king's advisor! If you do not stop speaking, my men will kill you.’ So the prophet stopped. But then he said, ‘I know what God has decided to do. He will destroy you because you have done these bad things and you have not listened to my advice.’
• Psalms 141:5If a good man hits me because he loves me, he is being kind to me. If he shows me that I have done a wrong thing, that it is like special oil on my head. I would not refuse it. I continue to pray against what wicked people do.
• Proverbs 9:8So do not warn proud people. They will only hate you. But if you warn a wise person, he will love you.
• John 7:7People who belong to this world cannot hate you. But they hate me. The things that they do are very bad. And I tell them that those things are wrong. That is why they hate me.
• John 8:45As for me, I tell you what is true. And that is why you do not believe me.
• Galatians 2:5But 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 5:7Like good runners, you were doing very well! You should not have let anyone turn you away from God's true message.

Commentaries on Galatians 4:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Am I therefore become your enemy - How is it that you are so much altered towards me, that you now treat me as an enemy, who formerly loved me with the most fervent affection? Is it because I tell you the truth; that very truth for which you at first so ardently loved me?Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Am I therefore become your enemy … - Is my telling you the truth in regard to the tendency of the doctrines which you have embraced, and the character of those who have led you astray, and your own error, a proof that I have ceased to be your friend? How apt are we to feel that the man who tells us of our faults is our enemy! How apt are we to treat him coldly, and to “cut his acquaintance,” and to regard him with dislike! The reason is, he gives us pain…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 12-18 The apostle desires that they would be of one mind with him respecting the law of Moses, as well as united with him in love. In reproving others, we should take care to convince them that our reproofs are from sincere regard to the honour of God and religion and their welfare. The apostle reminds the Galatians of the difficulty under which he laboured when he first came among them. But he notices, that he was a welcome messenger to them. Yet…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16At first, the Galatians gladly accepted Paul and his message when they became Christians. But now they were unsure about Paul and possibly even rejected him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. Translate, "Am I then become your enemy (an enemy in your eyes) by telling you the truth" (Ga 2:5, 14)? He plainly did not incur their enmity at his first visit, and the words here imply that he had since then, and before his now writing, incurred it: so that the occasion of his telling them the unwelcome truth, must have been at his second visit (Ac 18:23, see my Introduction). The fool and sinner hate a reprover. The righteous love faithful reproof…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 4:16

• Love
• Reproof
• Truth

In the dictionaries

• Doubt
• Flesh
• Observe
• Zealously
• Galatians, Epistle to the

Commentaries on Galatians 4

• 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