God’s Word Translation
Galatians 4:16
16Can it be that I have become your enemy for telling you the truth?
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
14Even though my illness was difficult for you, you didn’t despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were God’s messenger or Christ Jesus himself. 15What happened to your positive attitude? It’s a fact that if it had been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Can it be that I have become your enemy for telling you the truth? 17These people ⌞who distort the Good News⌟ are devoted to you, but not in a good way. They don’t want you to associate with me so that you will be devoted only to them. 18(Devotion to a good cause is always good, even when I’m not with you.)
Read all of Galatians 4Galatians 4:16 word by word
ὥστε ἐχθρὸς ὑμῶν γέγονα ἀληθεύων ὑμῖν;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Galatians 4:16
- Galatians 3:1You stupid people of Galatia! Who put you under an evil spell? Wasn’t Christ Jesus’ crucifixion clearly described to you?
- 1 Kings 18:17When he saw Elijah, Ahab said, “Is that you, you troublemaker of Israel?”
- 1 Kings 21:20Ahab asked Elijah, “So you’ve found me, my enemy?” Elijah answered, “I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil.
- 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.” Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
- 2 Chronicles 24:20God’s Spirit gave Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada, strength. Zechariah stood in front of the people and said to them, “This is what God says: Why are you breaking the Lord’s commands? You won’t prosper that way! The Lord has abandoned you because you have abandoned him.”
- 2 Chronicles 25:16As he was talking, the king asked him, “Did we make you an adviser to the king? Stop! Do you want me to have you killed?” The prophet stopped. He said, “I know that God has decided to destroy you because you did this, but you refuse to listen to my advice.”
- Psalms 141:5A righteous person may strike me or correct me out of kindness. It is like lotion for my head. My head will not refuse it, because my prayer is directed against evil deeds.
- Proverbs 9:8Do not warn a mocker, or he will hate you. Warn a wise person, and he will love you.
- John 7:7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I say that what everyone does is evil.
- John 8:45So you don’t believe me because I tell the truth.
- Galatians 2:5But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the Good News would always be yours.
- Galatians 5:7You were doing so well. Who stopped you from being influenced by the truth?
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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