Galaten 5:12

Staten Vertaling

Och, of zij ook afgesneden werden, die u onrustig maken!

Parallel Translations

Gereviseerde Leidse Vertaling
Zij die u opstoken, mogen ze afgesneden worden!

Gereviseerde Lutherse Vertaling
Och dat zij ook afgesneden werden, die u verstoren!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cut: Galatians 5:10, Galatians 1:8, Galatians 1:9, Genesis 17:14, Exodus 12:15, Exodus 30:33, Leviticus 22:3, Joshua 7:12, Joshua 7:25, John 9:34, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:9, 1 Corinthians 5:13, Titus 3:10

trouble: Acts 15:1, Acts 15:2, Acts 15:24

Reciprocal: Genesis 30:34 - General 1 Samuel 26:19 - cursed Matthew 26:10 - Why Acts 15:19 - that Galatians 1:7 - but Galatians 2:4 - because Galatians 6:17 - let

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I would they were even cut off which trouble you. These words are a solemn wish of the apostle's with respect to the false teachers, or an imprecation of the judgment of God upon them; that they might be cut off out of the land of the living by the immediate hand of God, that they might do no more mischief to the churches of Christ: this he said not out of hatred to their persons, but from a concern for the glory of God, and the good of his people. The word here used answers to the Hebrew word קפח, and which is often made use of by the Jews in solemn imprecations; we read o of a righteous man, מקפח את בניו, "that cut off his children": the gloss upon it is,

"he used to say, when he made any imprecation, אקפח את בני, "may I cut off my children";''

that is, may they die, may they be cut off by the hand of God, and I bury them;

"says R. Tarphon p, may my children be "cut off", if these books of heretics come into my hands, that I will burn them;''

and says the same Rabbi q may I "cut off" my children, or may my children be cut off, if this sentence or constitution is cut off, or should perish. There is another use of this word, which may have a place here, for it sometimes signifies to confute a person, or refute his notion r.

"It is a tradition of the Rabbius, that after the departure of R. Meir, R. Judah said to his disciples, let not the disciples of R. Meir come in hither, for they are contentious; and not to learn the law do they come, but

לקפחני בהלכות, "to cut me off"; (i.e. as the gloss says, to show how sharp they are that none can stand against them;) to confute and overcome me, by their sentences, or constitutions.''

So the apostle here might wish that the mouths of these false teachers were stopped, their notions refuted, that they might give them no more trouble; to which agrees the Arabic version; "they that trouble you I wish they were dumb"; or that their mouths were stopped, as such vain talkers should be; see Titus 1:10 or the sense of the apostle is, that it was his will and desire that these men should be cut off from the communion of the church; with which views he mentions the proverbial expression in Galatians 5:9 with which compare 1 Corinthians 5:6 or that they would cut themselves off, by withdrawing from them, going out from among them, and leaving them as these men sometimes did.

o T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 85. 1. p T. Bab. Sabbat, fol, 116. 1. q T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 17. 1. Misn. Oholot, c. 16. sect. 1. & Maimon, in Bartenora in ib. r T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 52. 2. Nazir, fol. 49. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I would they were even cut off - That is, as I understand it, from the communion of the church. So far am I, says Paul, from agreeing with them, and preaching the necessity of circumcision as they do, that I sincerely wish they were excluded from the church as unworthy a place among the children of God. For a very singular and monstrous interpretation of this passage, though adopted by Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Jerome, Grotius, Rosenmuller, Koppe, and others, the learned reader may consult Koppe on this verse. To my amazement, I find that this interpretation has also been adopted by Robinson in his Lexicon, on the word ἀποκόπτω apokoptō. I will state the opinion in the words of Koppe. “Non modo circumcidant se, sed, si velint, etiam mutilant se - ipsa genitalia resecent.” The simple meaning is, I think, that Paul wished that the authors of these errors and disturbances were excluded from the church.

Which trouble you - Who pervert the true doctrines of salvation, and who thus introduce error into the church. Error always sooner or later causes trouble; compare the note at 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. — This saying has puzzled many, and different interpretations of the place have been proposed by learned men.

At first sight it seems as if the apostle was praying for the destruction of the false teachers who had perverted the Churches of Galatia. Mr. Wakefield thought οφελον αποκοψονται might be translated, I wish that they were made to weep; and in his translation of the New Testament the passage stands thus: "I wish that they who are unsettling you may lament it." I believe the apostle never meant any such thing. As the persons who were breeding all this confusion in the Churches of Galatia were members of that Church, the apostle appears to me to be simply expressing his desire that they might be cut off or excommunicated from the Church. Kypke has given an abundance of examples where the word is used to signify amputating; cutting off from society, office, c. excluding. In opposition to the notion of excommunication, it might be asked: "Why should the apostle wish these to be excommunicated when it was his own office to do it?" To this it may be answered: The apostle's authority was greatly weakened among that people by the influence of the false teachers, so that in all probability he could exercise no ecclesiastical function; he could therefore only express his wish. And the whole passage is so parallel to that, 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, that I think there can be no reasonable doubt of the apostle's meaning: Let those who are unsettling the Church of Christ in your district be excommunicated; this is my wish, that they should no longer have any place among you."