Galatians 3:4

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Legacy Standard Bible
Did you suffer so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing?

Simplified Cowboy Version
Was everything you heard and saw a waste? I hope it wasn't all in vain.

Bible in Basic English
Did you undergo such a number of things to no purpose? if it is in fact to no purpose.

Darby Translation
Have ye suffered so many things in vain, if indeed also in vain?

Christian Standard Bible®
Did you suffer so much for nothing—if in fact it was for nothing?

World English Bible
Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Have ye suffered so many things in vain?

Weymouth's New Testament
Have you endured such sufferings to no purpose--if indeed it has been to no purpose?

King James Version (1611)
Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine? If it be yet in vaine.

Literal Translation
Did you suffer so much vainly, if indeed it also was vainly?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Haue ye suffred so moch in vayne? Yf it be els in vayne.

Mace New Testament (1729)
have you suffered so many things in vain?

Amplified Bible
Have you suffered so many things and experienced so much all for nothing—if indeed it was all for nothing?

American Standard Version
Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain.

Revised Standard Version
Did you experience so many things in vain? --if it really is in vain.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
So many thinges there ye have suffred in vayne if yt be vayne.

Update Bible Version
Did you suffer so many things in vain? if it is indeed in vain.

Webster's Bible Translation
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if [it is] yet in vain.

Young's Literal Translation
so many things did ye suffer in vain! if, indeed, even in vain.

New Century Version
Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not!

New English Translation
Have you suffered so many things for nothing?—if indeed it was for nothing.

Berean Standard Bible
Have you suffered so much for nothing, if it really was for nothing?

Contemporary English Version
Have you gone through all of this for nothing? Is it all really for nothing?

Complete Jewish Bible
Have you suffered so much for nothing? If that's the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing!

English Standard Version
Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Haue ye suffered so many things in vaine? if so be it be euen in vaine.

George Lamsa Translation
Have you believed all these things at random? I hope that it is to no purpose.

Hebrew Names Version
Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?

International Standard Version
Did you suffer so much for nothing? (If it really was for nothing!)Hebrews 10:35-36; 2 John 1:1:8;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And all these have you borne in vain? But would it be in vain? [fn]

Murdock Translation
And have ye borne all these things in vain? And I would, it were in vain !

New King James Version
Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?

New Living Translation
Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

New Life Bible
You suffered so much because of the Good News you received. Was this all of no use?

English Revised Version
Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain.

New Revised Standard
Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Such things, suffered ye, in vain, - if at least it is even in vain?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Have you suffered so great things in vain? If it be yet in vain.

King James Version
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

Lexham English Bible
Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed also it was for nothing?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Haue ye suffered so great thynges in vayne? Yf it be yet in vayne.

Easy-to-Read Version
You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope they were not wasted!

New American Standard Bible
Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Good News Translation
Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
So grete thingis ye han suffrid without cause, if it be withoute cause.

Contextual Overview

¹ You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it's obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough. ²Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up! ⁵Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don't these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: Ezekiel 18:24, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:32-39, 2 Peter 2:20-22, 2 John 1:8

so many: or, so great

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 2:26 - hast been Ezra 9:13 - after all Luke 8:13 - receive 1 Corinthians 15:2 - unless 2 Corinthians 6:1 - ye James 1:26 - this

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

2 Kings 1:6
They told him, "A man met us and said, ‘Turn around and go back to the king who sent you; tell him, God 's message: Is it because there's no God in Israel that you're running off to consult Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? You needn't bother. You're not going to get out of that bed you're in—you're as good as dead already.'"

2 Kings 1:16
Elijah told him, " God 's word: Because you sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, as if there were no God in Israel to whom you could pray, you'll never get out of that bed alive—already you're as good as dead."

2 Kings 8:10
Elisha answered, "Go and tell him, ‘Don't worry; you'll live.' The fact is, though— God showed me—that he's doomed to die." Elisha then stared hard at Hazael, reading his heart. Hazael felt exposed and dropped his eyes. Then the Holy Man wept.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Have ye suffered so many things in vain?.... These Galatians had suffered great reproach, many afflictions and persecutions for the sake of the Gospel, as all that embrace it must expect to do; and which to them that persevere in the faith of the Gospel will not be in vain, they will be followed with eternal life and glory; not that these things are meritorious of such happiness, or deserve such a reward; the reward of them is not of debt, but of grace. But, if such who have made a profession, and have suffered for it, should after all relinquish it, their sufferings for it are in vain; they will come short of that glory which is promised to them that suffer for righteousness sake: and this is another aggravation of the folly of these persons, that they should suffer so much persecution for the Gospel, which, if not true, they must have suffered in vain, and might as well have avoided it; and, if true, by relinquishing it not only sustain a great loss, but bring great hurt and damage to themselves:

if it be yet in vain; by which words the apostle does, as it were, correct himself, and expresses his hope of them, that they would see their mistake, revoke their error, and abide by the truth of the Gospel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? - Paul reminds them of what they had endured on account of their attachment to Christianity. He assures them, that if the opinions on account of which they had suffered were false, then their sufferings had been in vain. They were of no use to them - for what advantage was it to suffer for a false opinion? The opinions for which they had suffered had not been these which they now embraced. They were not those connected with the observance of the Jewish rites. They had suffered on account of their having embraced the gospel, the system of justification by a crucified Redeemer; and now, if those sentiments were wrong, why, their sufferings had been wholly in vain; see this argument pursued at much greater length in 1Co 15:18-19, 1 Corinthians 15:29-32. If it be yet in vain. That is, I trust it is not in vain. I hope you have not so far abandoned the gospel, that all your sufferings in its behalf have been of no avail. I believe the system is true; and if true, and you are sincere Christians, it will not he in vain that you have suffered in its behalf, though you have gone astray. I trust, that although your principles have been shaken, yet they have not been wholly overthrown, and that you will not reap the reward of your having suffered so much on account of the gospel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Galatians 3:4. Have ye suffered so many things in vain? — Have ye received and lost so much good? The verb πασχων, as compounded with ευ, well, or κακως, ill, and often without either, signifies to suffer pain or loss, or to possess and enjoy. In such a case the man is considered as the patient, and the good or ill acts upon him. Though it is possible that the Galatians had suffered some persecution for the truth of Christ, yet it is as likely that the apostle refers to the benefits which they had received. Ye have received faith, the pardon of your sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with it many extraordinary gifts and graces; and have ye suffered the loss of all these things? Have ye received all these in vain? if yet in vain-if it be credible that ye have sacrificed so many excellent benefits for an imaginary good.