Galatians 3:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant.[a] It does not say, “And to descendants,” as referring to many, but as referring to one, “And to your descendant,” who is Christ.(A) 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward,[b] does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise.(B) 18 For if the inheritance comes from the law,(C) it is no longer from a promise; but God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise.[c]
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- 3:16 Descendant: literally, “and to his seed.” The Hebrew, as in Gn 12:7; 15:18; 22:17–18, is a collective singular, traditionally rendered as a plural, descendants, but taken by Paul in its literal number to refer to Christ as descendant of Abraham.
- 3:17 Four hundred and thirty years afterward: follows Ex 12:40 in the Greek (Septuagint) version, in contrast to Gn 15:13 and Acts 7:6, for chronology.
- 3:18 This refutes the opponents’ contention that the promises of God are fulfilled only as a reward for human observance of the law.
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