Galatians 2:16

Galatians 2:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
• New International Version (NIV)know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
• English Standard Version (ESV)yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
• New King James Version (NKJV)knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Context of Galatians 2:16

14When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions? 15“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” 17But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down.

Galatians 2:16 word by word

εἰδότες δὲ ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου· ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Knowingεἴδωeidō · to perceive: understandG1492
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• isδικαιόωdikaioō · to justifyG1344
• notοὐou · noG3756
• byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the worksἔργονergon · workG2041
• of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• butἐάνean · ifG1437
• ·μήmē · notG3361
• byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• the faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• of JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• evenκαίkai · andG2532
• weἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• have believedπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• inεἰςeis · towardG1519
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• for byδιότιdioti · becauseG1360
• fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• ·πᾶςpas · allG3956

Cross-references for Galatians 2:16

• Galatians 2:19For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God.
• Galatians 3:10But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”
• Galatians 5:4For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
• Job 9:2“Yes, I know all this is true in principle. But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?
• Job 25:4How can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone born of a woman be pure?
• Psalms 130:3Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?
• Luke 10:25One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
• Acts 13:38“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.
• Romans 3:19Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
• Romans 4:2If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.
• Philippians 3:9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
• Galatians 3:13But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
• Galatians 4:5God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
• Romans 1:17This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
• Romans 3:21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
• Romans 4:5But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Commentaries on Galatians 2:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Knowing that a man is not justified - See the notes on Romans 1:17; Romans 3:24; (note), Romans 3:27; (note); Romans 8:3; (note). And see on Acts 13:38; (note) and Acts 13:39; (note), in which places the subject of this verse is largely discussed. Neither the works of the Jewish law, nor of any other law, could justify any man; and if justification or pardon could not have been attained in some other way, the world must have perished. Justification by…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Knowing - We who are Jews by nature, or by birth. This cannot mean that all the Jews knew this, or that he who was a Jew knew it as a matter of course, for many Jews were ignorant of it, and many opposed it. But it means that the persons here referred to, those who had been born Jews, and who had been converted to Christianity, had had an opportunity to learn and understand this, which the Gentiles had not. This gospel had been preached to them, and they…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-19Verses 15-19 Paul, having thus shown he was not inferior to any apostle, not to Peter himself, speaks of the great foundation doctrine of the gospel. For what did we believe in Christ? Was it not that we might be justified by the faith of Christ? If so, is it not foolish to go back to the law, and to expect to be justified by the merit of moral works, or sacrifices, or ceremonies? The occasion of this declaration doubtless arose from the ceremonial law…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Both Jews and non-Jews are sinners. The good news requires everyone to admit their sins (see Romans 2:1–5; 3:1–20) and seek God's grace (Romans 3:21–26). Peter later showed he agreed with this message (Acts 15:7–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. Connect these verses together, and read with most of the oldest manuscripts "But" in the beginning of Ga 2:16: "We (I and thou, Peter) by nature (not by proselytism), Jews, and not sinners as (Jewish language termed the Gentiles) from among the Gentiles, YET (literally, 'BUT') knowing that ... even we (resuming the 'we' of Ga 2:15, 'we also,' as well as the Gentile sinners; casting away trust in the law), have believed," &c.Read the comment

Topics related to Galatians 2:16

• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Justification
• Salvation
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Jesus Christ
• Add
• Blame
• Bondage
• Conference
• Crucify

Commentaries on Galatians 2

• 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