Galatians 3:10 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Galatians 3:10
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
law (through the idea of prescriptive usage) · noun — genitive singular masculine
do
ποιῆσαιpoiēsai
G4160
to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active infinitive
them
αὐτά.auta
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative plural neuter
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Romans 3:19-20 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the worl…
Jeremiah 11:3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
James 2:9-11 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Galatians 2:16 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 w…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Galatians 3:6-18
The apostle having reproved the Galatians for not obeying the truth, and endeavoured to impress them with a sense of their folly herein, in these verses he largely proves the doctrine which he had reproved them for rejecting, namely, that of justification by faith without the works of the law. This he does several ways.
I. From the example of Abraham's justification. This argument the apostle uses, Rom. 4. Abraham believed God, and that was accounted to him for righteousness (Gal 3:6); that is, his faith fastened upon the word and promise of God, and upon his believing he was owned and accepted of God as a righteous man: as on this account he is represented as the father of the faithful, so…
Confirmation of Gal 3:9. They who depend on the works of the law cannot share the blessing, for they are under the curse "written," Deu 27:26, Septuagint. PERFECT obedience is required by the words, "in all things." CONTINUAL obedience by the word, "continueth." No man renders this obedience (compare Rom 3:19-20). It is observable, Paul quotes Scripture to the Jews who were conversant with it, as in Epistle to the Hebrews, as said or spoken; but to the Gentiles, as written. So Matthew, writing for Jews, quotes it as "said," or "spoken"; Mark and Luke, writing for Gentiles, as "written" (Mat 1:22; Mar 1:2; Luk 2:22-23) [TOWNSON].
Adam Clarke on Galatians 3:10
As many as are of the works of the law - All that seek salvation by the performance of the works of the law are under the curse, because it is impossible for them to come up to the spiritual meaning and intent of the law; and the law pronounces them cursed that continue not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Hence, every Jew is necessarily under the curse of God's broken law; and every sinner is under the same curse, though he be not a Jew, who does not take refuge in the salvation provided for him by the Gospel. It is worthy of remark that no printed copy of the Hebrew Bible preserves the word כל col, All, in Deu 27:26, which answers to the apostle's word πασ…
The words "they are under a curse" mean that in the law there was a curse against Adam's transgression, until the advent of the one who came from above and who, clothing himself with a body from the mass of Adamic humanity, turned the curse into blessing.
From his saying "works of the law" we are to understand that there are also good works in the Christian life, especially those that the apostle frequently commends, such as that we should be mindful of the poor and the other precepts for living that are contained in this very letter. The fulfillment of all these works is the calling of every Christian. The cursed works of the law referred to here are therefore other things: obviously observations [of days,] sacrifices of lambs and other such works that they perform concerning circumcision and the choice of foods. But now the paschal feast has been consummated through Christ.
Those who, he says, rely on the works of the law are under a curse. For since he feared to allow those people to rely on the law for fear that they become subject to a curse, because it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue," (Deut. 27:26) he himself strives to show that those who continue in the law are under a curse. How? Because no one, he says, fulfills the law, therefore they are cursed. As if they had departed from the law and so been freed from the curse. "Everyone who does not continue." For this reason then those who rely on the law are under a curse, because they are not able to fulfill the law.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Law Of God, The · Requires perfect obedience — Requires perfect obedience
Scriptures, The · Are called the: Book of the law — Are called the: Book of the law
Sin · The Law: Curses those guilty of — The Law: Curses those guilty of
Word Of God · .BOOK OF THE LAW — .BOOK OF THE LAW
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Galatians 3:10
For as many as are of the works of the law,.... The apostle does not say, "as many as were of the law", to whom it belonged, who were born and brought up in it, and to whom it was given, the Jews; for there were some of them who believed in Christ, were blessed with Abraham, and not under the curse of the law; nor does he say, "as many as do the works of the law": for the works of the law are to be done, though not in order to obtain righteousness and life by them; yet it is not the doing of them, but the not doing of them, that entails the curse on men: his meaning is, that as many as seek for justification by the works of the law, and trust in their own righteousness for acceptance with Go…
Galatians 3:10-14
10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
10. Quictrnque enim ex operibus Legis sunt, sub maledictione sunt. Scripture est enim (Deuteronomy 27:26): Maledictus omnis, qui non permanet in omnibus, quae scripta sunt in libro Legis, ut facial ca.
11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
11. Quod autem in Lege nerno justificetur apud Deum, patet, quia justus ex fide rivet. (Habakkuk 2:4 Romans 1:17 Hebrews 10:38.)
12. And the law is not of faith: but,…
By relying on circumcision, the Galatians depended on the law. Those who look to the law for right standing with God are under a curse. They cannot keep the whole law, so they cannot receive blessing under its terms.
3:10 Paul here quotes Deut 27:26, which summarized the curse that Israel would experience if they failed to keep all the stipulations of God’s covenant (see Deut 27:9-26; cp. Deut 28:15-68; 31:26; Josh 1:8; Mal 2:2; see also Gen 3:14-19; 4:10-12). It is impossible for sinful human beings to obey God’s will completely (see Rom 3:9-20).
