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Wednesday, November 27th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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THE MESSAGE

Galatians 4:17

Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Affections;   Love;   Zeal, Religious;   Thompson Chain Reference - Backsliding;   Deterioration-Development;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Affections, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Desire;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Galatians, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Galatians, Letter to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adoption;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Brotherly Love;   Envy;   Galatians Epistle to the;   Marks Stigmata;   Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Obsolete or obscure words in the english av bible;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Affect;   Galatians, Epistle to the;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Those people are working hard to persuade you, but this is not good for you. They want to persuade you to turn against us and work hard for them.
Revised Standard Version
They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
They are gelous over you amysse. Ye they intede to exclude you that ye shuld be feruet to them warde.
Hebrew Names Version
They zealously seek you in no good way. No, they desire to alienate you, that you may seek them.
New American Standard Bible
They eagerly seek you, not in a commendable way, but they want to shut you out so that you will seek them.
New Century Version
Those people are working hard to persuade you, but this is not good for you. They want to persuade you to turn against us and follow only them.
Update Bible Version
They zealously seek you in no good way; no, they desire to shut you out, that you may seek them.
Webster's Bible Translation
They zealously affect you, [but] not well; for, they would exclude you, that ye may affect them.
English Standard Version
They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
World English Bible
They zealously seek you in no good way. No, they desire to alienate you, that you may seek them.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
Weymouth's New Testament
These men pay court to you, but not with honourable motives. They want to exclude you, so that you may pay court to them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei louen not you wel, but thei wolen exclude you, that ye suen hem.
English Revised Version
They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, they desire to shut you out, that ye may seek them.
Berean Standard Bible
Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you will be zealous for them.
Contemporary English Version
Those people may be paying you a lot of attention, but it isn't for your good. They only want to keep you away from me, so you will pay them a lot of attention.
Amplified Bible
These men [the Judaizers] eagerly seek you [to entrap you with honeyed words and attention, to win you over to their philosophy], not honorably [for their purpose is not honorable or worthy of consideration]. They want to isolate you [from us who oppose them] so that you will seek them.
American Standard Version
They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, they desire to shut you out, that ye may seek them.
Bible in Basic English
Their interest in you is not good; but their desire is that you may be shut out, so that you may go after them.
Complete Jewish Bible
True, these teachers are zealous for you, but their motives are not good. They want to separate you from us so that you will become zealous for them.
Darby Translation
They are not rightly zealous after you, but desire to shut you out [from us], that ye may be zealous after them.
International Standard Version
These peopleThey">[fn] are devoted to you, but not in a good way. They want you to avoid me so that you will be devoted to them.Romans 10:2; 1 Corinthians 11:2;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
They are emulous of you not for good; but they would shut you in, that you might be emulous of them.
Murdock Translation
They are zealous towards you, yet not for good; but they wish to shut you up, that ye may be zealous towards them.
King James Version (1611)
They zelously affect you, but not well: yea, they would exclude you, that you might affect them.
New Living Translation
Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them.
New Life Bible
Those false teachers are trying to turn your eyes toward them. They do not want you to follow my teaching. What they are doing is not good.
New Revised Standard
They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you may make much of them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
They are ielous ouer you amisse: yea, they woulde exclude you, that ye shoulde altogether loue them.
George Lamsa Translation
These men do not envy you for good, but they would dominate you, so that you might envy them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They shew a zeal for you, not honourably, but wish, to shut you out, in order that ye may be zealous for, them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They are zealous in your regard not well: but they would exclude you, that you might be zealous for them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
They are gelouse ouer you amisse: Yea, they intende to exclude you, that ye shoulde be feruent to them warde.
Good News Translation
Those other people show a deep interest in you, but their intentions are not good. All they want is to separate you from me, so that you will have the same interest in them as they have in you.
Christian Standard Bible®
They court you eagerly, but not for good. They want to exclude you from me, so that you would pursue them.
King James Version
They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
Lexham English Bible
They zealously seek you, not commendably, but they want to exclude you, in order that you may seek them zealously.
Literal Translation
They are zealous for you, but not well; but they only desire to shut you out, that you be zealous to them.
Young's Literal Translation
they are zealous for you -- [yet] not well, but they wish to shut us out, that for them ye may be zealous;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They are gelous ouer you amysse. Yee they wolde make you to fall backe, that ye might be feruet to the warde.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they court your affection, but not in a fair way; for they design to exclude me, that you might have the greater esteem for them.
New English Translation
They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly.
New King James Version
They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Don't listen to those people. They are trying very hard to turn you away from riding for the brand. They want y'all to ride for them and work hard for them, not Jesus.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.
Legacy Standard Bible
They zealously seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will zealously seek them.

Contextual Overview

17 Those heretical teachers go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten. They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important. 18It is a good thing to be ardent in doing good, but not just when I am in your presence. Can't you continue the same concern for both my person and my message when I am away from you that you had when I was with you? Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ's life becomes visible in your lives? Like a mother in the pain of childbirth. Oh, I keep wishing that I was with you. Then I wouldn't be reduced to this blunt, letter-writing language out of sheer frustration.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

zealously: Galatians 6:12, Galatians 6:13, Matthew 23:15, Romans 10:2, Romans 16:18, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Philippians 2:21, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 2:18

exclude you: or, exclude us, 1 Corinthians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 4:18

Reciprocal: Joshua 22:12 - the whole 2 Samuel 21:2 - in his zeal Acts 22:3 - was 2 Corinthians 11:2 - jealous Galatians 1:7 - but Galatians 5:10 - but Titus 1:10 - specially

Cross-References

Genesis 5:18
When Jared was 162 years old, he had Enoch. After he had Enoch, he lived another 800 years, having more sons and daughters. Jared lived a total of 962 years. And he died.
Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth."
2 Samuel 18:18
While alive, Absalom had erected for himself a pillar in the Valley of the King, "because," he said, "I have no son to carry on my name." He inscribed the pillar with his own name. To this day it is called "The Absalom Memorial."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They zealously affect you,.... Or "are jealous of you"; meaning the false apostles, whose names, in contempt, he mentions not, being unworthy to be taken notice of, and their names to be transmitted to posterity. These were jealous of them, not with a godly jealousy, as the apostle was, lest their minds should be corrupted from the simplicity of the Gospel; but they were jealous, lest they should love the apostle more than they, and therefore represented him in a very bad light, and expressed great love and kindness for them themselves:

but not well; their zeal and affection were not hearty, and sincere, and without dissimulation, but were all feigned, were only in word and in tongue, not in deed, and in truth: this zealous affection neither proceeded from right principles, nor with right views; they sought themselves, and their own carnal worldly interest, their own pleasure and profit, and not the good and welfare of the souls of these Galatians:

yea, they would exclude you; that is, either from the apostle, from bearing any love unto, and having any respect for him. What they were wishing and seeking for was to draw off the minds and affections of these persons from him; or they were desirous of removing them from the Gospel of Christ unto another Gospel, and did all they could to hinder them from obeying the truth; and particularly were for shutting them out of their Christian liberty, and bringing them under the bondage of the law; yea, were for separating them from the churches, that they might set up themselves at the head of them. Some copies read "us", instead of "you"; and then the meaning is, that they were desirous of excluding the apostle from their company, and from having any share in their affections, which makes little alteration in the sense: and others, instead of "exclude", read "include"; and which is confirmed by the Syriac version, which renders the word למחבשכון, "but they would include you"; that is, either they would include, or imprison you under the law, and the bondage of it; or they would monopolize you, and engross all your love to themselves; and which is also the sense of the Arabic version:

that you might affect them; love them, show respect to them, be on their side, follow their directions, imbibe their doctrines, and give up yourselves wholly to their care, and be at their call and command.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They zealously affect you - See 1 Corinthians 12:31 (Greek); 1 Corinthians 14:39. The word used here (Ζηλόω Zēloō), means to be “zealous” toward, that is, for or against any person or thing; usually, in a good sense, to be eager for. Here it means, that the false teachers made a show of zeal toward the Galatians, or professed affection for them in order to gain them as their followers. They were full of ardor, and professed an extraordinary concern for their welfare - as people always do who are demagogues, or who seek to gain proselytes. The object of the apostle in this is, probably, to say, that it was not wholly owing to themselves that they had become alienated from the doctrines which he had taught. Great pains had been taken to do it; and there had been a show of zeal which would be likely to endanger any person.

But not well - Not with good motives, or with good designs.

Yea, they would exclude you - Margin, “Us.” A few printed editions of the New Testament have ἡμᾶς hēmas, “us,” instead of ὑμᾶς humas, “you” - Mill. The word “exclude” here probably means, that they endeavored to exclude the Galatians from the love and affection of Paul. They would shut them out from that, in order that they might secure them for their own purposes. If the reading in the margin, however, should be retained, the sense would be clearer. “They wish to exclude us, that is, me, the apostle, in order that they may have you wholly to themselves. If they can once get rid of your attachment to me, then they will have no difficulty in securing you for themselves.” This reading, says Rosenmuller, is found “in many of the best codices, and versions, and fathers.” It is adopted by Doddridge, Locke, and others. The main idea is clear: Paul stood in the way of their designs. The Galatians were truly attached to him, and it was necessary, in order to accomplish their ends, to withdraw their affections from him. When false teachers have designs on a people, they begin by alienating their confidence and affections from their pastors and teachers. They can hope for no success until this is done; and hence, the efforts of errorists, and of infidels, and of scorners, is to undermine the confidence of a people in the ministry, and when this is done there is little difficulty in drawing them over to their own purposes.

That ye might affect them - The same word as in the former part of the verse, “that ye might zealously affect them” - that is, that ye might show ardent attachment to them. Their first work is to manifest special interest for your welfare; their second, to alienate you from him who had first preached the gospel to you; their object, not your salvation, or your real good, but to secure your zealous love for themselves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. They zealously affect you, but not well — It is difficult for common readers to understand the meaning of these words: perhaps it would be better to translate Ζηλουσιν ὑμας ου καλως, these false teachers endeavour to conciliate your esteem, but not in honest or true principles; they work themselves into your good graces; they wish you to place all your affection upon themselves.

They would exclude you — They wish to shut you out from the affection of your apostle, that you might affect them, ἱνα αυτους ζηλουτε, that you might love them alone, hear them alone, abide by their directions only, and totally abandon him who called you into the grace of the Gospel of Christ. Some MSS. read ἡμας, us, instead of ὑμας, you; they wish to shut us entirely out from among you, that you may receive and believe them alone. The sense is nearly the same but the former appears to be the more authentic reading.


 
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