New International Version
Galatians 3:17
17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
Galatians 3:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
- English Standard Version (ESV)This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
- New Living Translation (NLT)This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.
Context of Galatians 3:17
15Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
Read all of Galatians 3Galatians 3:17 word by word
τοῦτο δὲ λέγω· διαθήκην προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ μετὰ τετρακόσια καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτη γεγονὼς νόμος οὐκ ἀκυροῖ εἰς τὸ καταργῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- the covenantδιαθήκηdiathēkē · covenantG1242
- that was confirmed beforeπροκυρόομαιprokuroō · to establishG4300
- ofὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- inεἰςeis · towardG1519
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- wasγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- four hundredτετρακόσιοιtetrakosioi tetrakosia · four hundredG5071
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- thirtyτριάκονταtriakonta · thirtyG5144
- yearsἔτοςetos · yearG2094
- afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- cannotοὐou · noG3756
- disannulἀκυρόωakuroō · to nullifyG208
- it should makeκαταργέωkatargeō · to abateG2673
- the promiseἐπαγγελίαepaggelia · promiseG1860
Cross-references for Galatians 3:17
- Galatians 5:16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
- 1 Corinthians 1:12What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:29What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;
- 1 Corinthians 10:19Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
- 2 Corinthians 9:6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Ephesians 4:17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
- Colossians 2:4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
- Genesis 15:18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—
- Genesis 17:7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Luke 1:68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- John 8:56Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
- Romans 3:25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
- 2 Corinthians 1:20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
- Hebrews 11:13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
- 1 Peter 1:11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
Commentaries on Galatians 3:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Confirmed before of God in Christ - i.e. The promise of justification, etc., made to believers in Christ Jesus, who are the spiritual seed of Christ, as they are children of Abraham, from the similitude of their faith. Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned to him for justification; the Gentiles believed in Christ, and received justification. Probably the word Christ is to be taken, both here and in the preceding verse, for Christians, as has…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17The covenant which was confirmed before of God - By God, in his promise to Abraham. It was confirmed before the giving of the Law. The confirmation was the solemn promise which God made to him. In Christ - With respect to the Messiah; a covenant relating to him, and which promised that he should descend from Abraham. The word “in,” in the phrase “in Christ,” does not quite express the meaning of the Greek ̓ ̀ eis ChristonThat means rather “unto Christ;”…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 The covenant God made with Abraham, was not done away by the giving the law to Moses. The covenant was made with Abraham and his Seed. It is still in force; Christ abideth for ever in his person, and his spiritual seed, who are his by faith. By this we learn the difference between the promises of the law and those of the gospel. The promises of the law are made to the person of every man; the promises of the gospel are first made to Christ…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Just as human covenants cannot be canceled (3:15), the terms of God's covenant with Abraham were not changed when God gave Moses the law. 430 years: See study note on Exodus 12:40.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. this I say--"this is what I mean," by what I said in Ga 3:15. continued ... of God--"ratified by God" (Ga 3:15). in Christ--rather, "unto Christ" (compare Ga 3:16). However, Vulgate and the old Italian versions translate as English Version. But the oldest manuscripts omit the words altogether. the law which was--Greek, "which came into existence four hundred thirty years after" (Ex 12:40, 41). He does not, as in the case of "the covenant," add…Read the comment
Topics related to Galatians 3:17
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
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