Galatians 2:6

THE MESSAGE

As for those who were considered important in the church, their reputation doesn't concern me. God isn't impressed with mere appearances, and neither am I. And of course these leaders were able to add nothing to the message I had been preaching. It was soon evident that God had entrusted me with the same message to the non-Jews as Peter had been preaching to the Jews. Recognizing that my calling had been given by God, James, Peter, and John—the pillars of the church—shook hands with me and Barnabas, assigning us to a ministry to the non-Jews, while they continued to be responsible for reaching out to the Jews. The only additional thing they asked was that we remember the poor, and I was already eager to do that.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.

Legacy Standard Bible
But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Even those cowboys who were running the outfit couldn't think of a single thing to add to what I'd been telling folks. (Not that it would have mattered if they were running things or not. God doesn't have favorites.)

Bible in Basic English
But from those who seemed to be important (whatever they were has no weight with me: God does not take man's person into account): those who seemed to be important gave nothing new to me;

Darby Translation
But from those who were conspicuous as being somewhat—whatsoever they were, it makes no difference to me: God does not accept man's person; for to me those who were conspicuous communicated nothing;

Christian Standard Bible®
Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me.

World English Bible
But from those who were reputed to be important (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn't show partiality to man) -- they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they who undoubtedly were something, (but whatsoever they were, it is no difference to me; God accepteth no man's person) they who undoubtedly were something in conference, added nothing to me.

Weymouth's New Testament
From those leaders I gained nothing new. Whether they were men of importance or not, matters nothing to me--God recognizes no external distinctions. To me, at any rate, the leaders imparted nothing new.

King James Version (1611)
But of these, who seemed to bee somewhat, (whatsoeuer they were, it maketh no matter to mee, God accepteth no mans person,) for they who seemed to be somewhat, in conference added nothing to me.

Literal Translation
But from those seeming to be something (of what kind they were then does not matter to me; God does not accept the face of man), for those seeming to be important conferred nothing to me;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As for the that semed to be greate, what they were in tyme passed, it maketh no matter to me. For God loketh not on the outwarde appearaunce of men. Neuertheles they which semed greate, taught me nothinge:

Mace New Testament (1729)
But as for those who were men of real eminency, how considerable soever they were heretofore, it does not any ways affect me; God accepts not the person of any man: for they who were of note, in conference with me, had nothing new to add.

Amplified Bible
But from those who were of high reputation (whatever they were—in terms of individual importance—makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality—He is not impressed with the positions that people hold nor does He recognize distinctions such as fame or power)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me [that is, they had nothing to add to my gospel message nor did they impose any new requirements on me].

American Standard Version
But from those who were reputed to be somewhat (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth not man's person)—they, I say, who were of repute imparted nothing to me:

Revised Standard Version
And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) --those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Of the which seme to be great (what they were in tyme passed it maketh no matter to me: God loketh on no mans person) neverthelesse they which seme great added nothynge to me.

Update Bible Version
But from those who were reputed to be somewhat-whatever they were, it makes no matter to me: God does not accept man's person-they, I say, who were of repute imparted nothing to me:

Webster's Bible Translation
But of these, who seemed to be somewhat, (whatever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed [to be somewhat], in conference added nothing to me:

Young's Literal Translation
And from those who were esteemed to be something -- whatever they were then, it maketh no difference to me -- the face of man God accepteth not, for -- to me those esteemed did add nothing,

New Century Version
Those leaders who seemed to be important did not change the Good News that I preach. (It doesn't matter to me if they were "important" or not. To God everyone is the same.)

New English Translation
But from those who were influential (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people)—those influential leaders added nothing to my message.

Berean Standard Bible
But as for the highly esteemed, whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism. For those men added nothing to my message.

Contemporary English Version
Some of them were supposed to be important leaders, but I didn't care who they were. God doesn't have any favorites! None of these so-called special leaders added anything to my message.

Complete Jewish Bible
Moreover, those who were the acknowledged leaders — what they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by outward appearances — these leaders added nothing to me.

English Standard Version
And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But by them which seemed to be great, I was not taught (whatsoeuer they were in time passed, I am nothing the better: God accepteth no mans person) for they that are the chiefe, did adde nothing to me aboue that I had.

George Lamsa Translation
Now those who were considered to be important (what they are makes no difference to me, for God does not discriminate among men), even these very persons did not contribute additional knowledge to me.

Hebrew Names Version
But from those who were reputed to be important (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn't show partiality to man) -- they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

International Standard Version
Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message.to me">[fn] (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.)Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; 2 Corinthians 12:11; Galatians 6:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But, they who were considered to be somewhat,---but what they were I care not, for Aloha accepteth not men?s faces,---they themselves added nothing unto me;

Murdock Translation
And they who were esteemed prominent, (what they were, I care not; for God regardeth not the persons of men,)even these persons added nothing to me.

New King James Version
But from those who seemed to be something--whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man--for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.

New Living Translation
And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.)

New Life Bible
Those who seemed to be important church leaders did not help me. They did not teach me anything new. What they were, I do not care. God looks on us all as being the same.

English Revised Version
But from those who were reputed to be somewhat (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth not man's person)—they, I say, who were of repute imparted nothing to me:

New Revised Standard
And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those leaders contributed nothing to me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Moreover, from them who were reputed to be something, - whatsoever at one time, they were, maketh no difference to me, God accepteth not a man's person, - unto me, in fact, they who were of repute added nothing further;

Douay-Rheims Bible
But of them who seemed to be some thing, (what they were some time it is nothing to me, God accepteth not the person of man): for to me they that seemed to be some thing added nothing.

King James Version
But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:

Lexham English Bible
But from those who were influential (whatever they were, it makes no difference to me, God does not show partiality)—for those who were influential added nothing to me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Of them which seemed to be somewhat (what they were in time passed, it maketh no matter to me, God accepteth no mans person) for they which seemed chiefe, added nothyng [to me.]

Easy-to-Read Version
Those men who were considered to be important did not change the Good News message I tell people. (It doesn't matter to me if they were "important" or not. To God everyone is the same.)

New American Standard Bible
But from those who were of considerable repute (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism)—well, those who were of repute contributed nothing to me.

Good News Translation
But those who seemed to be the leaders—I say this because it makes no difference to me what they were; God does not judge by outward appearances—those leaders, I say, made no new suggestions to me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But of these that semeden to be sumwhat; whiche thei weren sum tyme, it perteyneth not to me, for God takith not the persoone of man; for thei that semeden to be sumwhat, yauen me no thing.

Contextual Overview

¹Fourteen years after that first visit, Barnabas and I went up to Jerusalem and took Titus with us. I went to clarify with them what had been revealed to me. At that time I placed before them exactly what I was preaching to the non-Jews. I did this in private with the leaders, those held in esteem by the church, so that our concern would not become a controversial public issue, marred by ethnic tensions, exposing my years of work to denigration and endangering my present ministry. Significantly, Titus, non-Jewish though he was, was not required to be circumcised. While we were in conference we were infiltrated by spies pretending to be Christians, who slipped in to find out just how free true Christians are. Their ulterior motive was to reduce us to their brand of servitude. We didn't give them the time of day. We were determined to preserve the truth of the Message for you. ⁶As for those who were considered important in the church, their reputation doesn't concern me. God isn't impressed with mere appearances, and neither am I. And of course these leaders were able to add nothing to the message I had been preaching. It was soon evident that God had entrusted me with the same message to the non-Jews as Peter had been preaching to the Jews. Recognizing that my calling had been given by God, James, Peter, and John—the pillars of the church—shook hands with me and Barnabas, assigning us to a ministry to the non-Jews, while they continued to be responsible for reaching out to the Jews. The only additional thing they asked was that we remember the poor, and I was already eager to do that.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

these who: Galatians 2:2, Galatians 2:9, Galatians 6:3, 2 Corinthians 11:5, 2 Corinthians 11:21-23, 2 Corinthians 12:11, Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17

it maketh: Galatians 2:11-14, Job 32:6, Job 32:7, Job 32:17-22, Matthew 22:16, Mark 6:17-20, Mark 12:14, Luke 20:21, 2 Corinthians 5:16

God: Job 34:19, Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11, 1 Peter 1:17

in: Galatians 2:10, Acts 15:6-29, 2 Corinthians 12:11

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 10:17 - regardeth 1 Kings 15:13 - his mother 2 Chronicles 19:7 - respect of persons Psalms 82:2 - accept Malachi 2:9 - have been partial in John 2:4 - what Romans 16:7 - who Galatians 1:16 - immediately Galatians 5:10 - whosoever James 1:26 - seem

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But of these, who seemed to be somewhat,.... Not the false brethren, but the Apostles James, Cephas, and John, who were חשובים, "men of great esteem": high in the opinion of all good men; not that they were looked upon to be more than human, as Simon Magus gave out that he was "some great one", and his followers thought him to be "the great power of God"; for such an extravagant conceit of these men was never entertained; nor were they thought to be something when they were nothing, for they really were somewhat; they were ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of grace; they were the Lord's ambassadors, and the apostles of the Lamb. However, says the apostle,

whatsoever they were; ποτε, "formerly", some time ago, which our version does not so fully express,

it maketh no matter to me, God accepteth no man's person. This is said, not by way of slight or contempt, but in vindication of himself, whom the false teachers endeavoured to lessen, by giving high encomiums of the apostles at Jerusalem. It looks as if they had upbraided the apostle with being a persecutor of the church before his conversion, when nothing of such a nature could be laid to the charge of these men, and therefore he was not to be set upon a level with them: to which he may be thought to reply in such manner as this, that as for himself, it is true, he had been an injurious person to the saints; and he was ready to own it, for his own humiliation, and to illustrate the grace of God in his conversion; and as these excellent men, what they were before their conversion, it was no concern of his; though, perhaps, was he disposed to inquire into their characters then, some blemishes might be found therein, as well as in his; but it is not what he and they had been, but what they now were: he could have observed, that they were persons formerly of a very low figure in life, of mean occupations, fishermen by employment, and very illiterate persons, when he was bred a scholar at the feet of Gamaliel; but he chose not to make such observations, he knew that God was no respecter of persons, nor was he influenced by any such external circumstances, but chose whom he pleased to such an high office; and that he, who of fishermen made them apostles, of a persecutor had made him one also. Or these false teachers perhaps had objected to him, that these valuable men had been with Christ from the beginning, were eyewitnesses of his majesty, heard the doctrines of the Gospel from his lips, and saw his miracles, had had a similar conversation with him, when he was a preacher of much later date, and could not pretend to such advantages, and therefore ought not to be equalled to them: his answer is, that whatever privileges of this kind they had enjoyed, as could not be denied but they were considerable, yet this mattered not, nor did it make any great difference between him and them; he had seen Christ too, though as one born out of due time; had received an immediate commission from him to preach his Gospel, and was appointed an apostle by him as they were, without any respect of persons: and whereas it might have been urged, that these men had entertained different sentiments from him formerly, concerning the observance of the law, he signifies he had nothing to do with that, to their own master they stood, to whom they must give an account, who, without respect of persons, will render to every man according to his works: and, adds he,

for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me; whatever opinions they formerly gave into, in their conversation with him, when he communicated the Gospel he preached to them, they found no fault with it; they did not go about to correct it; nor did they make any addition to it; the scheme of truths he laid before them, which had been the subject of his ministry, was so complete and perfect, containing the whole counsel of God, that they had nothing to add unto it; which shows the agreement between them, that he did not receive his Gospel from them, the perfection of his ministry, and that he was not a whit behind them in knowledge and gifts.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But of those who seemed to be somewhat - See Galatians 2:2. This undoubtedly refers to those who were the most eminent among the apostles at Jerusalem. There is an apparent harshness in our common translation which is unnecessary. The word used here (δοκούντων dokountōn) denotes those who were thought to be, or who were of reputation; that is, men who were of note and influence among the apostles. The object of referring to them here is, to show that he had the concurrence and approbation of the most eminent of the apostles to the course which he had pursued.

Whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me - Tyndale renders this, “What they were in time passed, it maketh no matter to me.” The idea seems to be this. Paul means to say that whatever was their real rank and standing, it did not in the least affect his authority as an apostle, or his argument. While he rejoiced in their concurrence, and while he sought their approbation, yet he did not admit for a moment that he was inferior to them as an apostle, or dependent on them for the justness of his views What they were, or what they might be thought to be, was immaterial to his claims as an apostle, and immaterial to the authority of his own views as an apostle. He had derived his gospel from the Lord Jesus; and he had the fullest assurance that his views were just. Paul makes this remark evidently in keeping with all that he had said, that he did not regard himself as in any manner dependent on them for his authority. He did not treat them with disrespect; but he did not regard them as having a right to claim an authority over him.

God accepteth no man’s person - See the Acts 10:34 note; Romans 2:11 note. This is a general truth, that God is not influenced in His judgment by a regard to the rank, or wealth, or external condition of anyone. Its particular meaning here is, that the authority of the apostles was not to be measured by their external rank, or by the measure of reputation which they had among men. If, therefore, it were to be admitted that he himself were not in circumstances of so much external honor as the other apostles, or that they were esteemed to be of more elevated rank than he was, still he did not admit that this gave them a claim to any higher authority. God was not influenced in His judgment by any such consideration; and Paul therefore claimed that all the apostles were in fact on a level in regard to their authority.

In conference - When I conferred with them, Galatians 2:2. They did not then impose upon me any new obligations; they did not communicate anything to me of which I was previously ignorant.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Galatians 2:6. Those who seemed to be somewhat — των δοκουντων ειναι τι. Those who were of acknowledged reputation; so the words should be understood, see Galatians 2:2. The verb δοκειν, to seem, is repeatedly used by the best Greek writers, not to call the sense in question, or to lessen it, but to deepen and extend it. Luke 8:18. Perhaps this verse had best be translated thus, connecting διαφερει with απο των δοκουντων: But there is no difference between those who were of acknowledged reputation and myself; God accepts no man's person; but, in the conferences which I held with then, they added nothing to me-gave me no new light; did not attempt to impose on me any obligation, because they saw that God had appointed me my work, and that his counsel was with me.