Galatians 5:3

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
testify	μαρτύρομαι marturomai	G3143	to be adduced as a witness · verb — present middle or passive deponent indicative, 1st person singular
again	πάλιν palin	G3825	(adverbially) anew · adverb
every	παντὶ panti	G3956	all · adjective — dative singular masculine
man	ἀνθρώπῳ anthrōpō	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — dative singular masculine
circumcised	περιτεμνομένῳ peritemnomenō	G4059	to cut around · verb — present passive participle, dative singular masculine
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
debtor	ὀφειλέτης opheiletēs	G3781	an ower · noun — nominative singular masculine
do	ποιῆσαι. poiēsai	G4160	to make or do (in a very wide application · verb — aorist active infinitive
the	νόμον nomon	G3551	law (through the idea of prescriptive usage) · noun — accusative singular masculine
whole	ὅλον holon	G3650	"whole" or "all" · adjective — accusative singular masculine
law	νόμος nómos	G3551	law (through the idea of prescriptive usage)

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

Romans 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
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 whi…
James 2:10-11 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
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.
Deuteronomy 8:19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against y…
Deuteronomy 31:21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it sh…
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Nehemiah 9:29-30 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandme…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 5:1-12

In the former part of this chapter the apostle cautions the Galatians to take heed of the judaizing teachers, who endeavoured to bring them back under the bondage of the law. He had been arguing against them before, and had largely shown how contrary the principles and spirit of those teachers were to the spirit of the gospel; and now this is as it were the general inference or application of all that discourse. Since it appeared by what had been said that we can be justified only by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by the righteousness of the law, and that the law of Moses was no longer in force, nor Christians under any obligation to submit to it, therefore he would have them to stand fast i…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 5:3

For--Greek, "Yea, more"; "Moreover." I testify . . . to every man--as well as "unto you" (Gal 5:2). that is circumcised--that submits to be circumcised. Such a one became a "proselyte of righteousness." the whole law--impossible for man to keep even in part, much less wholly (Jam 2:10); yet none can be justified by the law, unless he keep it wholly (Gal 3:10).

Adam Clarke on Galatians 5:3

He is a debtor to do the whole law - Lays himself, by receiving circumcision, under the obligation to fulfill all its precepts, ordinances, etc.

John Gill on Galatians 5:3

For I testify again to every man,.... This is the form of an oath, a calling God to witness, swearing by the living God, and declaring as in his presence to every man, whether Jew or Gentile, whoever he be: that is circumcised; in order to obtain salvation, and as necessary to it: that he is a debtor to do the whole law; and this it is that made circumcision an insupportable yoke, for that itself might be bore, and was bore by children of eight days old; but the fulfilling of the whole law cannot be done by any man; and yet everyone that is circumcised, in order to procure righteousness and life, is bound to keep the whole law; because the law is only his righteousness, when he observes al…

The Church Fathers

Just as no one can serve two masters, so it is difficult to keep both the shadow and the substance of the law.
— Jerome, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 2.5.4

When he says "bound," he is no longer speaking of the law as something unworthy but of a heavy burden which can be made lighter. There is one Lord, who is able to make it either heavy or light according to the choice of those who have not refused to accept salvation through his grace through his appearance in the flesh.
— Epiphanius of Salamis, PANARION 42.12.3, THIRD REFUTATION OF MARCION

There are some who serve the law to a certain extent without being circumcised; for many Romans in Judea served the law without circumcision.… Yet there is no one who is circumcised without being required to serve the whole law. He is a debtor, since the law was given to the circumcised. His meaning here was that they had become so negligent as to deserve to bear all the burdens of the law.
— Ambrosiaster, EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 5.3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Circumcision · Covenant promises of — Covenant promises of
Creditors · Illustrative of: The demands of the law — Illustrative of: The demands 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).

Galatians 5:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 5:1-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 5:3

Adam Clarke on Galatians 5:3

John Gill on Galatians 5:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Galatians 5:3

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Galatians 5:1-12

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Galatians 5:3

Adam Clarke on Galatians 5:3

John Gill on Galatians 5:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Galatians 5:1-6

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Galatians 5:3