Galatians 3:6

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Legacy Standard Bible
Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Think about it! Abraham believed in God. He and God were tight because of that, not because he was good at following rules. It was because of his faith.

Bible in Basic English
Even as Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

Darby Translation
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Christian Standard Bible®
Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,

World English Bible
Even as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
As Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Weymouth's New Testament
even as Abraham believed God, and his faith was placed to his account as righteousness?

King James Version (1611)
Euen as Abraham beleeued God, and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse.

Literal Translation
Even "as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," Gen 15:6

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Euen as Abraha beleued God, and it was counted vnto him for righteousnes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
As Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness:

Amplified Bible
Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS, [as conformity to God's will and purpose—so it is with you also].

American Standard Version
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.

Revised Standard Version
Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Even as Abraham beleved God and it was asscribed to him for rightewesnes.

Update Bible Version
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Young's Literal Translation
according as Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;

New Century Version
The Scriptures say the same thing about Abraham: "Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God."

New English Translation
Just as Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness ,

Berean Standard Bible
So also, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Contemporary English Version
The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith.

Complete Jewish Bible
It was the same with Avraham: "He trusted in God and was faithful to him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness."

English Standard Version
just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Yea rather as Abraham beleeued God, and it was imputed to him for righteousnes.

George Lamsa Translation
Just as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,

Hebrew Names Version
Even as Avraham "believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness."

International Standard Version
In the same way, Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."Genesis 15:6">[fn]Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3,9, 21-22; James 2:23;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
As Abraham believed Aloha, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, [fn]

Murdock Translation
In like manner Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

New King James Version
just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:6">[fn]

New Living Translation
In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."

New Life Bible
It was the same with Abraham. He put his trust in God. This made Abraham right with God.

English Revised Version
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.

New Revised Standard
Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even as Abraham - believed in God, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.

Douay-Rheims Bible
As it is written: Abraham believed God: and it was reputed to him unto justice.

King James Version
Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Lexham English Bible
Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Euen as Abraham beleued God, & it was ascribed to hym for righteousnesse.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Scriptures say the same thing about Abraham. "Abraham believed God, and because of this faith he was accepted as one who is right with God."

New American Standard Bible
Just as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Good News Translation
Consider the experience of Abraham; as the scripture says, "He believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
As it is writun, Abraham bileuede to God, and it was rettid to hym to riytfulnesse.

Contextual Overview

⁷Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed in you." ⁹So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: "Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law." ¹¹The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you. Habakkuk had it right: "The person who believes God, is set right by God—and that's the real life." Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: "The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them." ¹³Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it. ¹⁵Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say "to descendants," referring to everybody in general, but "to your descendant" (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith. If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti-promise, a negation of God's will for us? Not at all. Its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time. Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as: Galatians 3:9, Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3-6, Romans 4:9, Romans 4:10, Romans 4:21, Romans 4:22, Romans 9:32, Romans 9:33, James 2:23

accounted: or, imputed, Romans 4:6, Romans 4:11, Romans 4:22, Romans 4:24, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21

Reciprocal: Romans 3:22 - unto all Galatians 3:14 - the blessing

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: "Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?"

Genesis 3:2
The Woman said to the serpent, "Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It's only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don't eat from it; don't even touch it or you'll die.'"

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Genesis 3:14
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."

Genesis 3:17
He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

Genesis 39:7
After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them. As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day. Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master's wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, "Sleep with me."

2 Samuel 11:2
One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, "Isn't this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?" David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of "purification" following her period.) Then she returned home. Before long she realized she was pregnant. Later she sent word to David: "I'm pregnant."

Job 31:1
"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. So what can I expect from God? What do I deserve from God Almighty above? Isn't calamity reserved for the wicked? Isn't disaster supposed to strike those who do wrong? Isn't God looking, observing how I live? Doesn't he mark every step I take?

Ezekiel 24:25
"And you, son of man: The day I take away the people's refuge, their great joy, the delight of their life, what they've most longed for, along with all their children—on that very day a survivor will arrive and tell you what happened to the city. You'll break your silence and start talking again, talking to the survivor. Again, you'll be an example for them. And they'll recognize that I am God ."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Even as Abraham believed God,.... The apostle having observed, that the special grace and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit were received not through the preaching of the law, but through the doctrine of faith; by an easy transition, passes on to a further confirmation of the doctrine of justification by faith, by producing the instance of Abraham, what the Scripture says of him, and the promise made unto him; which is very appropriate to his purpose, since Abraham was certainly a righteous man, the first of the circumcision, and the head of the Jewish nation; and whom the false teachers much gloried in, and boasted of their being his seed, and of being circumcised as he was; and would fain have persuaded the Gentiles to the same practice, in imitation of him, and as necessary to their justification before God; whereas the apostle here shows, referring to Genesis 15:6 that Abraham was justified by faith, and not by any works whatever, much less by circumcision; for what he here refers to, was many years before his circumcision; and since therefore he was a justified person, declared to be so, before it and without it, it was not necessary to his justification, nor is it to any other person's: he

believed God. The object of faith is God, Father, Son, and Spirit; here Jehovah the Son seems principally intended, who in Genesis 15:1 is called the "Word of the Lord"; the essential Word, who was with God from everlasting, and was God, and in the fulness of time was made flesh and dwelt among men; and "Abraham's shield", the same the apostle in Ephesians 6:16 calls "the shield of faith"; meaning not the grace of faith, but Christ the object of faith; which faith lays hold on, and makes use of as a shield against the temptations of Satan: and also his "exceeding great reward"; his all in all, being made to him, as to all believers, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: him he believed, not only that he was God, but he believed his word of promise, and in his power and faithfulness to fulfil it; which regarded not only his natural offspring, and a numerous race, the enjoyment of the land of Canaan, and many temporal good things in it, but the Messiah, and spiritual blessings in him: he "believed in the Lord", Genesis 15:6 in Jehovah the Word, in him as his shield, and exceeding great reward, in him as the Lord his righteousness:

and it was accounted to him for righteousness; that is, by God, whom he believed; for the sense is, not that Abraham ascribed righteousness to God, and celebrated his justice and faithfulness, as some; nor, as others, that Abraham was accounted a righteous man by the world; but that something was accounted by God to Abraham as his righteousness, which could not be the act of his faith; for faith is not a man's righteousness, neither in whole nor in part; faith and righteousness are two distinct things, and are often distinguished one from another in Scripture: besides, that which was accounted to Abraham for righteousness, is imputed to others also; see Romans 4:23 which can never be true of the act of his faith; but is of the object of it, the word of the Lord, his shield and exceeding great reward, the Lord his righteousness and strength, who is made or accounted, as to him, so to others, righteousness. The righteousness of Christ, whom he believed in, was accounted to him as his justifying righteousness now for faith to be accounted for righteousness, is all one as to be justified by faith; that is, by Christ, or by his righteousness imputed and received by faith; and if Abraham was justified this way, as he was, the apostle has his argument against the false teachers.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Even as Abraham believed God ... - see this passage fully explained in the notes at Romans 4:3. The passage is introduced here by the apostle to show that the most eminent of the patriarchs was not saved by the deeds of the Law. He was saved by faith, and this fact showed that it was possible to be saved in that way, and that it was the design of God to save people in this manner. Abraham believed God, and was justified, before the Law of Moses was given. It could not, therefore, be pretended that the Law was necessary to justification; for if it had been, Abraham could not have been saved. But if not necessary in his case, it was in no other; and this instance demonstrated that the false teachers among the Galatians were wrong even according to the Old Testament.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Galatians 3:6. Abraham believed God — This is quoted from Genesis 15:6, where see the note; and St. Paul produces it, Romans 4:3-5, where also see the notes. Abraham, while even uncircumcised, believed in God, and his faith was reckoned to him for justification; and Abraham is called the father of the faithful, or, of believers. If, then, he was justified without the deeds of the law, he was justified by faith; and if he was justified by faith, long before the law was given then the law is not necessary to salvation.

It is remarkable that the Jews themselves maintained that Abraham was saved by faith. Mehilta, in Yalcut Simeoni, page 1, fol. 69, makes this assertion: "It is evident that Abraham could not obtain an inheritance either in this world or in the world to come, but by faith."