God’s Word Translation
Galatians 3:4
4Did you suffer so much for nothing? ⌞I doubt⌟ that it was for nothing!
Galatians 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
- New International Version (NIV)Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
Context of Galatians 3:4
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? 3Are you that stupid? Did you begin in a spiritual way only to end up doing things in a human way? Did you suffer so much for nothing? ⌞I doubt⌟ that it was for nothing! 5Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you through your own efforts or through believing what you heard? 6Abraham serves as an example. He believed God, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abraham’s approval by God.
Read all of Galatians 3Galatians 3:4 word by word
τοσαῦτα ἐπάθετε εἰκῇ; εἴ γε καὶ εἰκῇ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Galatians 3:4
- Ezekiel 18:24“But suppose a righteous person turns away from doing right and he does evil things. He does all the disgusting things that the wicked person did. Will he live? All the right things that he has done will not be remembered because of his unfaithfulness and because of his sin. He will die because of them.
- Hebrews 6:4Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit.
- Hebrews 10:32Remember the past, when you first learned the truth. You endured a lot of hardship and pain.
- 2 Peter 2:20People can know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and escape the world’s filth. But if they get involved in this filth again and give in to it, they are worse off than they were before.
- 2 John 1:8Be careful that you don’t destroy what we’ve worked for, but that you receive your full reward.
Commentaries on Galatians 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? - Have ye received and lost so much good? The verb , as compounded with , well, or , ill, and often without either, signifies to suffer pain or loss, or to possess and enjoy. In such a case the man is considered as the patient, and the good or ill acts upon him. Though it is possible that the Galatians had suffered some persecution for the truth of Christ, yet it is as likely that the apostle refers to the benefits…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Have ye suffered so many things in vain? - Paul reminds them of what they had endured on account of their attachment to Christianity. He assures them, that if the opinions on account of which they had suffered were false, then their sufferings had been in vain. They were of no use to them - for what advantage was it to suffer for a false opinion? The opinions for which they had suffered had not been these which they now embraced. They were not those…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Have you suffered so much for nothing? This might mean suffering, but the Galatian church's history does not suggest that. Paul likely referred to the spiritual experiences the Galatians had through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:3, 5). Depending on the law of Moses for a right relationship with God makes the Spirit's work seem meaningless.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Have ye suffered so many things--namely, persecution from Jews and from unbelieving fellow countrymen, incited by the Jews, at the time of your conversion. in vain--fruitlessly, needlessly, since ye might have avoided them by professing Judaism [Grotius]. Or, shall ye, by falling from grace, lose the reward promised for all your sufferings, so that they shall be "in vain" (Ga 4:11; 1Co 15:2, 17-19, 29-32; 2Th 1:5-7; 2Jo 8)? yet--rather, "If it be…Read the comment
Topics related to Galatians 3:4
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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