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Galatians 3:15-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Galatians 3:15-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Law Did Not Nullify the Promise. 15 [a]Brothers, in human terms I say that no one can annul or amend even a human will once ratified.(A) 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant.[b] It does not say, “And to descendants,” as referring to many, but as referring to one, “And to your descendant,” who is Christ.(B) 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward,[c] does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to cancel the promise.(C)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 3:15–18 A third argument to support Paul’s position that salvation is not through the law but by promise (Gal 3:1–14) comes from legal practice and scriptural history. A legal agreement or human will, duly ratified, is unalterable (Gal 3:15). God’s covenant with Abraham and its repeated promises (Gn 12:2–3, 7; 13:15; 17:7–8; 22:16–18; 24:7) is not superseded by the law, which came much later, in the time of Moses. The inheritance (of the Spirit and the blessings) is by promise, not by law (Gal 3:18). Paul’s argument hinges on the fact that the same Greek word, diathēkē, can be rendered as will or testament (Gal 3:15) and as covenant (Gal 3:17).
- 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.
Galatians 3:15-17
New International Version
Galatians 3:15-17
New International Version
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers and sisters,(A) let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.(B) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”[a](C) meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years(D) later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
Footnotes
- Galatians 3:16 Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 24:7
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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