some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative singular masculine
think
δοκεῖdokei
G1380
compare the base of G1166 (δεικνύω)) of the same meaning · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
be
εἶναίeinai
G1511
to exist · verb — present active infinitive
something
τιti
G5100
some or any person or object · indefinite pronoun — nominative singular neuter
is
ὤνṓn
G5607
being
nothing
μηδὲνmēden
G3367
not even one (man · adjective — nominative singular neuter
deceiveth
φρεναπατᾷphrenapata
G5422
to be a mind-misleader · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
himself
ἑαυτόν·he'auton
G1438
him- (her- · reflexive pronoun
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
Proverbs 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
1 Corinthians 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but…
2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or eve…
Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Galatians 6:1-10
The apostle having, in the foregoing chapter, exhorted Christians by love to serve one another (Gal 6:13), and also cautioned us (Gal 6:16) against a temper which, if indulged, would hinder us from showing the mutual love and serviceableness which he had recommended, in the beginning of this chapter he proceeds to give some further directions, which, if duly observed, would both promote the one and prevent the other of these, and render our behaviour both more agreeable to our Christian profession and more useful and comfortable to one another: particularly,
I. We are here taught to deal tenderly with those who are overtaken in a fault, Gal 6:1. He puts a common case: If a man be overtaken i…
Self-conceit, the chief hindrance to forbearance and sympathy towards our fellow men, must be laid aside.
something--possessed of some spiritual pre-eminence, so as to be exempt from the frailty of other men.
when he is nothing--The Greek is subjective: "Being, if he would come to himself, and look on the real fact, nothing" [ALFORD] (Gal 6:2, Gal 6:6; Rom 12:3; Co1 8:2).
deceiveth himself--literally, "he mentally deceives himself." Compare Jam 1:26, "deceiveth his own heart."
Adam Clarke on Galatians 6:3
If a man think himself to be something - i.e. To be a proper Christian man; when he is nothing; being destitute of that charity which beareth, hopeth, and endureth all things. See Co1 13:1, etc. Those who suppose themselves to excel all others in piety, understanding, etc., while they are harsh, censorious, and overbearing, prove that they have not the charity that thinketh no evil; and in the sight of God are only as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. There are no people more censorious or uncharitable than those among some religious people who pretend to more light and a deeper communion with God. They are generally carried away with a sort of sublime, high sounding phraseology, which s…
"For if a man thinketh himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." Here again he reflects on their arrogance. He that thinks himself to be something is nothing, and exhibits at the outset a proof of his worthlessness by such a disposition.
"For if anyone seems to himself to be something," that alone is nothing of what he appears to be. Therefore he is deceiving himself in nothing. — [PHOTIUS] "he deceives his own mind." For if anyone were to approve his own work, and to examine himself exactly, he would have his boasting rather in himself and not against another; that is, he would have boasting against himself, or he would condemn himself, and not another: that is, seeing himself inferior and needy, he will accuse himself, and refrain from condemning others, since he will know that his conduct does not always observe the right way, but meanwhile even falls away from it. [end of the Photius excerpt] —
It is true, and no one is unaware of it, that if we consider honestly our acts and thoughts we find ourselves superior to no one and cannot easily pass judgment on another. For the person who is puffed up as if he were something special is misled, since he does not know that humility becomes a means of growth. For he does not have before his eyes the words and deeds of the Savior, who, though he be Lord of all, humbled himself so as to give us a pattern that we might follow should we wish to grow. If we were to exalt ourselves, we would stumble as a result of the ignorance of a heart elated by the hope of presuming to be more worthy of praise.
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
Cutting — The flesh in various ways was an idolatrous practice, a part of idol-worship (Deut. 14:1; 1 Kings 18:28). The Israelites were commanded not to imitate this practice (Lev. 19:28; 21:5; Deut. 14:1).…
Self-Exaltation · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Self-Examination · 11:27,28,31; — 11:27,28,31;
Self-Righteousness · 2:4; — 2:4;
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).
on Galatians 6:3
For if a man think himself to be something,.... Of himself; to have anything of himself, to do anything of himself, and of himself to attain to life and salvation:
when he is nothing: of himself; not even as a creature, but owes his being and preservation, and all the mercies of life, to another, even to God; has no grace nor gifts of himself, but what he has received, and can do no good thing, not think a good thought, or perform a good action, of himself, and much less of himself procure eternal life and salvation:
he deceiveth himself: and will find himself sadly mistaken, and wretchedly disappointed another day; or whoever thinks himself to be some famous and excellent person, to be so…
Galatians 6:1-5
1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
1. Fratres, etiamsi praeoccupatus fuerit homo in aliquo lapsu, vos, qui spirituales estis, instaurate ejusmodi hominem spiritu lenitatis; considerans to ipsum, ne tu quoque tenteris.
2. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
2. Alii aliorum onera portate, et sic adimplete legem Christi.
3. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
3. Nam si quis putat se esse aliquid, quum nihil sit, se ipsum decipit.
4. But let every man prove his own w…
