Galatians 1:15

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 Living Translation (NLT)But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him

Context of Galatians 1:15

13For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Galatians 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 7:7The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
• 1 Samuel 12:22For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people.
• 1 Chronicles 28:4However the Lord God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel.
• Matthew 11:26Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
• Luke 10:21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
• 1 Corinthians 1:1Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
• Ephesians 1:5having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
• Ephesians 3:11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
• Isaiah 49:1“Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
• Jeremiah 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
• Luke 1:15For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
• Acts 9:15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
• Acts 13:2As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
• Acts 22:14Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.
• Romans 1:1Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
• Romans 1:5Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for 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

• Gentiles
• Grace of God
• Ignorance
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Predestination
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• God
• Equal
• Faith
• Criticism of the Bible
• Discrepancies, Biblical
• Galatians, Epistle to the
• Immaculate Conception, the
• Inspiration
• Laodiceans, Epistle to the
• Paul, the Apostle

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