Galatians 6:8

Galatians 6:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
• New International Version (NIV)Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Context of Galatians 6:8

6Everyone who is learning about God's message from a teacher should help his teacher. The student should share all the good things that he has with his teacher. 7Nobody can hide the things that he does from God. Do not think a false thought like that! It is like a farmer who plants seeds in his field. The same kind of crops will grow as the seeds which he plants. That will be his harvest. A person may do things only to make himself happy. That person's harvest will be God's punishment and death. Or a person may do the things that God's Spirit wants. That person will receive a harvest from God's Spirit. The harvest will be life with God for ever. 9We must continue to do things that are good and we should not get tired. If we do not feel weak and stop doing good things, then we will receive a good harvest at the proper time. 10Because of all that, we must help everyone when we have the chance. Certainly we must do good things to help our friends who believe in Christ, as we do.

Galatians 6:8 word by word

ὅτι ὁ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα ἑαυτοῦ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίσει φθοράν, ὁ δὲ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• he thatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• sowethσπείρωspeirō · to sowG4687
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• hisἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• shallθερίζωtheridō · to reapG2325
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• corruptionφθοράphthora · corruptionG5356
• butδέde · thenG1161
• the Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
• everlastingαἰώνιοςaiōnios · eternalG166

Cross-references for Galatians 6:8

• Romans 6:13Sin can use your body to do things that are wrong. So do not let any parts of your body serve sin as their master. Instead, be ready to serve God as your Master. You can do that because you now have a new life. Your old life is dead. So give every part of your body to God. Then he will use you to do right things.
• Romans 8:13If you agree to live in that way, you will die. Instead, you should let God's Spirit help you with his power. Then you can stop doing the wrong things that your bodies want to do. As a result, you will have life with God.
• Romans 13:14Instead, you must live with the Lord Jesus Christ as your guide. Do not even think about the bad things that you may want to do to make yourself happy.
• James 3:18Those who bring peace to other people help them to live together in peace. As a result, people choose to do what is right and good.
• Proverbs 22:8If you plant evil things, your harvest will be trouble. If you are angry and you hurt people, it will never help you.
• Jeremiah 12:13My people will plant seeds of wheat, but they will only have weeds at harvest time. They will work very hard, but they will get nothing. At harvest time, they will have no crops to be proud of. Because I am very angry, they will not have any food.’
• Hosea 10:13But instead, you have planted evil things. So your harvest is terrible trouble. The food that you eat comes from your lies. You trusted in your own strength to save you. You thought that your strong army would keep you safe.
• 2 Peter 2:12But these false teachers speak against things that they do not understand. They are like wild animals. Their minds cannot think properly. They only do what their nature causes them to do. Wild animals are born so that people can catch them and kill them. In the same way, God will destroy the false teachers.
• Revelation 22:11Let everybody continue to live as they choose. Everyone who does wrong things will continue to do wrong things. Everyone who is disgusting will continue to be disgusting. Everyone who does right things will continue to do right things. Everyone who belongs to God will continue to be holy.’
• Galatians 6:7Nobody can hide the things that he does from God. Do not think a false thought like that! It is like a farmer who plants seeds in his field. The same kind of crops will grow as the seeds which he plants. That will be his harvest.
• Psalms 126:5When people went out to plant their seeds, they were crying. But they will be happy when they bring in the harvest!
• Ecclesiastes 11:6Plant your seeds in the morning, and continue to work until the evening. You do not know which seeds will become strong plants. Perhaps only some of them will grow. Perhaps they will all grow well.
• Isaiah 32:20But still the Lord will bless you. You will plant your seeds beside streams of water. You will send your cows and donkeys into the fields, and they will have plenty of grass to eat.
• Matthew 19:29Some people have left their homes. Or they may have left their brothers or sisters. Or they may have left their mother or their father. Or they may have left their wife or their children or their fields. They have done that because of me. God will give those people many more things than they have left behind, even 100 times more! And after they die, they will live for ever with God.
• Luke 18:30Now, in this world, God will give these people many more things than they have left behind. And in the future world they will live for ever with God.’
• John 4:14But I can give people a different kind of water. Everyone who drinks that kind of water will never get thirsty again. The water that I give them will become like a well inside them. That well will continue to provide water that gives them life for ever with God.’

Commentaries on Galatians 6:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8He that soweth to his flesh - In like manner, he that sows to the flesh - who indulges his sensual and animal appetites, shall have corruption as the crop: you cannot expect to lead a bad life and go to heaven at last. According as your present life is, so will be your eternal life whether your sowing be to the flesh or to the Spirit, so will your eternal reaping be. To sow, here, means transacting the concerns of a man's natural life. To reap, signifies…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8For he that soweth to his flesh - That makes provision for the indulgence of fleshly appetites and passions; see the notes at Galatians 5:19-21. He who makes use of his property to give indulgence to licentiousness, intemperance, and vanity. Shall of the flesh - From the flesh, or as that which indulgence in fleshly appetites properly produces. Punishment, under the divine government, is commonly in the line of offences. The punishment of licentiousness…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-11Verses 6-11 Many excuse themselves from the work of religion, though they may make a show, and profess it. They may impose upon others, yet they deceive themselves if they think to impose upon God, who knows their hearts as well as actions; and as he cannot be deceived, so he will not be mocked. Our present time is seed time; in the other world we shall reap as we sow now. As there are two sorts of sowing, one to the flesh, and the other to the Spirit, so…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Living to please the Spirit is only possible with the Spirit's power (3:3; 5:16). People who rely on their own efforts or do whatever they want are in the same situation: They live to satisfy their own sinful desires. These people will face decay and death. Those who live by the Spirit's power and trust in God will gain everlasting life.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Translate, "He that soweth unto his own flesh," with a view to fulfilling its desires. He does not say, "His spirit," as he does say, "His flesh." For in ourselves we are not spiritual, but carnal. The flesh is devoted to selfishness. corruption--that is, destruction (Php 3:19). Compare as to the deliverance of believers from "corruption" (Ro 8:21). The use of the term "corruption" instead, implies that destruction is not an arbitrary punishment of…Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 6:8

• Carnal Mindedness
• Confidence
• Corruption
• Holy Spirit
• Immortality
• Judgment
• Life
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• Seed
• Sin
• Sower
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Communicate
• Crucify
• Cutting
• Eternal life
• Fault
• Overtake
• Reap
• Rejoicing
• Restore
• Comparative Religion

Commentaries on Galatians 6

• 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