New English Translation
Galatians 1:15
15But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased
Galatians 1:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
- New International Version (NIV)But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased
- English Standard Version (ESV)But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,
- New King James Version (NKJV)But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,
Context of Galatians 1:15
13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when the one who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from any human being, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus.
Read all of Galatians 1Galatians 1:15 word by word
ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- whenὅτεhote ho te hē te tō te · whenG3753
- it pleasedεὐδοκέωeudokeō · to delightG2106
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- separatedἀφορίζωaphorizō · to separateG873
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- mother’sμήτηρmētēr · motherG3384
- wombκοιλίαkoilia · belly/womb/stomachG2836
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- graceχάριςcharis · graceG5485
Cross-references for Galatians 1:15
- Deuteronomy 7:7It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you – for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples.
- 1 Samuel 12:22The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. The Lord was pleased to make you his own people.
- 1 Chronicles 28:4The Lord God of Israel chose me out of my father’s entire family to become king over Israel and have a permanent dynasty. Indeed, he chose Judah as leader, and my father’s family within Judah, and then he picked me out from among my father’s sons and made me king over all Israel.
- Matthew 11:26Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
- Luke 10:21On that same occasion Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
- 1 Corinthians 1:1From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother,
- Ephesians 1:5He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will –
- Ephesians 3:11This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
- Isaiah 49:1Listen to me, you coastlands! Pay attention, you people who live far away! The Lord summoned me from birth; he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world.
- Jeremiah 1:5“Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
- Luke 1:15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
- Acts 9:15But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel.
- Acts 13:2While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
- Acts 22:14Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from his mouth,
- Romans 1:1From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.
- Romans 1:5Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.
Commentaries on Galatians 1:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15Who separated me from my mother's womb - Him whom I acknowledge as the God of nature and the God of grace; who preserved me by his providence when I was a helpless infant, and saved me by his grace when I was an adult persecutor. For some useful remarks on these passages see the introduction, sec. 2.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15But when it pleased God - Paul traced all his hopes of eternal life, and all the good influences which had ever borne upon his mind, to God. Who separated me - That is, who destined me; or who purposed from my very birth that I should be a preacher and an apostle. The meaning is, that God had in his secret purposes set him apart to be an apostle. It does not mean that he had actually called him in his infancy to the work, for this was not so, but that…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-24Verses 15-24 St. Paul was wonderfully brought to the knowledge and faith of Christ. All who are savingly converted, are called by the grace of God; their conversion is wrought by his power and grace working in them. It will but little avail us to have Christ revealed to us, if he is not also revealed in us. He instantly prepared to obey, without hesitating as to his worldly interest, credit, ease, or life itself. And what matter of thanksgiving and joy is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb: God chose Paul for special work even before he was born. This is like how God chose other leaders (see Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13–16; Isaiah 49:1–6; Romans 9:10–13). called me by His grace: For Paul's conversion story (how he became a follower of Jesus), see Acts 9:1–19; 22:1–21; 26:9–23. Paul was called to share the good news about Jesus with non-Jews (Galatians 2:7). He even taught other apostles what this…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. separated--"set me apart": in the purposes of His electing love (compare Ac 9:15; 22:14), in order to show in me His "pleasure," which is the farthest point that any can reach in inquiring the causes of his salvation. The actual "separating" or "setting apart" to the work marked out for him, is mentioned in Ac 13:2; Ro 1:1. There is an allusion, perhaps, in the way of contrast, to the derivation of Pharisee from Hebrew, "pharash," "separated." I was…Read the comment
Topics related to Galatians 1:15
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Galatians 1
- 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
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