Galaten 5:15

Staten Vertaling

Maar indien gij elkander bijt en vereet, ziet toe, dat gij van elkander niet verteerd wordt.

Parallel Translations

Gereviseerde Leidse Vertaling
En indien gij elkander bijt en opeet past op dat gij niet door elkander tegrondegaat.

Gereviseerde Lutherse Vertaling
Maar indien gij elkander bijt en verslindt, zo ziet toe, dat gij niet onder elkander verteerd wordt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Galatians 5:26, 2 Samuel 2:26, 2 Samuel 2:27, Isaiah 9:20, Isaiah 9:21, Isaiah 11:5-9, Isaiah 11:13, 1 Corinthians 3:3, 1 Corinthians 6:6-8, 2 Corinthians 11:20, 2 Corinthians 12:20, James 3:14-18, James 4:1-3

Reciprocal: Judges 8:2 - What Judges 9:44 - rushed forward Judges 9:49 - put them Judges 12:6 - there fell 2 Samuel 19:43 - the words Psalms 14:4 - eat up Zechariah 11:14 - I cut Matthew 12:25 - Every kingdom Mark 3:25 - General Mark 9:50 - have peace Romans 13:13 - strife 1 Corinthians 1:11 - that there Philippians 2:3 - nothing Philippians 2:14 - disputings Philippians 3:2 - of dogs Colossians 3:8 - anger 1 Timothy 6:4 - words

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if ye bite and devour one another,.... Another reason inducing to love is taken from the pernicious consequences of a contrary spirit and conduct. The allusion is to beasts of prey falling upon and devouring one another: for wolves or dogs to worry sheep is not strange; but for sheep to distress one another is unnatural. The apostle does not say, if grievous wolves should enter in among you and not spare the flock; but suggests if they themselves should act the part of wolves to one another; having reference to their controversies about the law and circumcision, and the necessity thereof to justification and salvation; which were managed with great heat and bitterness, occasioned great contentions, and threatened them with divisions, parties, and factions; and were attended with envy and malice, with reproachful words, biting sarcasms, scandalous invectives, and injurious actions, which must be of bad consequence: hence he adds,

take heed that ye be not consumed one of another; that is, either beware lest each other's particular peace and comfort be destroyed, which is oftentimes done this way, though a person's state and condition God-ward may be safe; or lest their church state should be destroyed and come to nothing, since love is the cement of it, which being loosened, threatens a dissolution; for as no civil community, either public or private, divided against itself, can stand long, so no religious one; and for want of love the Lord threatens to remove, and sometimes does remove, the candlestick out of its place.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But if ye bite - The word used here (δάκνω daknō), means, properly, to bite, to sting; and here seems to be used in the sense of contending and striving - a metaphor not improbably taken from dogs and wild beasts.

And devour one another - As wild beasts do. The sense is, “if you contend with each other;” and the reference is, probably, to the strifes which would arise between the two parties in the churches - the Jewish and the Gentile converts.

Take heed that ye be not consumed ... - As wild beasts contend sometimes until both are slain. Thus, the idea is, in their contentions they would destroy the spirituality and happiness of each other; their characters would be ruined; and the church be overthrown. The readiest way to destroy the spirituality of a church, and to annihilate the influence of religion, is to excite a spirit of contention.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. If ye bite and devour one another — These Churches seem to have been in a state of great distraction; there were continual altercations among them. They had fallen from the grace of the Gospel; and, as Christ no longer dwelt in their hearts by faith, pride, anger, ill-will, and all unkind and uncharitable tempers, took possession of their souls, and they were in consequence alternately destroying each other. Nothing is so destructive to the peace of man, and to the peace of the soul, as religious disputes; where they prevail, religion in general has little place.