God’s Word Translation
Galatians 3:2
2I want to learn only one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by your own efforts to follow the laws in the Scriptures or by believing what you heard?
Galatians 3:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
- New International Version (NIV)I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?
- New King James Version (NKJV)This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Context of Galatians 3:2
1You stupid people of Galatia! Who put you under an evil spell? Wasn’t Christ Jesus’ crucifixion clearly described to you? I want to learn only one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by your own efforts to follow the laws in the Scriptures or by believing what you heard? 3Are you that stupid? Did you begin in a spiritual way only to end up doing things in a human way? 4Did you suffer so much for nothing? ⌞I doubt⌟ that it was for nothing!
Read all of Galatians 3Galatians 3:2 word by word
τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν· ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- onlyμόνονmonon · onlyG3440
- wouldθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- I learnμανθάνωmanthanō · to learnG3129
- ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
- youσύsu · youG4771
- Received yeλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
- the Spiritὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
- byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- the worksἔργονergon · workG2041
- of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- orἤē · orG2228
- the hearingἀκοήakoē · hearingG189
- of faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
Cross-references for Galatians 3:2
- Galatians 3:5Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you through your own efforts or through believing what you heard?
- Acts 2:38Peter answered them, “All of you must turn to God and change the way you think and act, and each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.
- Acts 8:15Peter and John went to Samaria and prayed that the Samaritans would receive the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 10:44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came to everyone who heard his message.
- Acts 11:15“When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came to these people. This was the same thing that happened to us in the beginning.
- Acts 15:8God, who knows everyone’s thoughts, showed that he approved of people who aren’t Jewish by giving them the Holy Spirit as he gave the Holy Spirit to us.
- Acts 19:2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “No, we’ve never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:7The evidence of the Spirit’s presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone.
- 2 Corinthians 11:4When someone comes to you telling about another Jesus whom we didn’t tell you about, you’re willing to put up with it. When you receive a spirit that is different from the Spirit you received earlier, you’re also willing to put up with that. When someone tells you good news that is different from the Good News you already accepted, you’re willing to put up with that too.
- Ephesians 1:13You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised.
- Hebrews 2:4God verified what they said through miraculous signs, amazing things, other powerful acts, and with other gifts from the Holy Spirit as he wanted.
- Hebrews 6:4Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Peter 1:12God revealed to the prophets that the things they had spoken were not for their own benefit but for yours. What the prophets had spoken, the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven, has now made known to you by those who spread the Good News among you. These are things that even the angels want to look into.
- Romans 1:17God’s approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, “The person who has God’s approval will live by faith.”
- Romans 10:16But not everyone has believed the Good News. Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
Commentaries on Galatians 3:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law - This may refer to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, which were very common in the apostolic Church. Did ye receive these extraordinary gifts in consequence of your circumcision, and observing the Mosaic precepts? or was it by the hearing of the Gospel, prescribing faith in Christ crucified? It may also refer to the spirit of adoption, and consequently to their sonship.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2This only would I learn of you - I would ask this of you; retaining still the language of severe reproof. The design here, and in the following verses, is, to prove to them that the views which they had at first embraced were correct, and that the views which they now cherished were false To show them this, he asks them the simple question, by what means they had obtained the exalted privileges which they enjoyed? Whether they had obtained them by the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2The Galatians, like all Christians, received the Spirit by faith in Christ, not by obeying the law of Moses (see Acts 2:38–39; Romans 8:9–11; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:11–14; compare Acts 10:44–48; 11:15–18). God accepted the Galatians because they believed the good news about Jesus (compare Romans 10:14–17). This made their return to the law unreasonable (Galatians 3:3–4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. "Was it by the works of the law that ye received the Spirit (manifested by outward miracles, Ga 3:5; Mr 16:17; He 2:4; and by spiritual graces, Ga 3:14; Ga 4:5, 6; Ep 1:13), or by the hearing of faith?" The "only" implies, "I desire, omitting other arguments, to rest the question on this alone"; I who was your teacher, desire now to "learn" this one thing from you. The epithet "Holy" is not prefixed to "Spirit" because that epithet is a joyous one…Read the comment
Topics related to Galatians 3:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Galatians 3
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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