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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Galatians 5:12

I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   The Topic Concordance - Legalism;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Excommunication;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Discipline;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Excommunication;   Liberty;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Circumcision;   Excommunication;   Galatians, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Crimes and Punishments;   Galatians, Letter to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Galatians, Epistle to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Galatians Epistle to the;   Law;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Gala'tians, the Epistle to the,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Concision;   Cut;   Galatians, Epistle to the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 8;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
I wish those people who are bothering you would add castration to their circumcision.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
I wolde to God they were seperated from you which trouble you.
Hebrew Names Version
I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
New American Standard Bible
I wish that those who are troubling you would even emasculate themselves.
New Century Version
I wish the people who are bothering you would castrate themselves!
Update Bible Version
I would that those that unsettle you would even go beyond circumcision.
Webster's Bible Translation
I would they were even cut off who trouble you.
English Standard Version
I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!
World English Bible
I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off that trouble you.
Weymouth's New Testament
Would to God that those who are unsettling your faith would even mutilate themselves.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y wolde that thei weren cut awei, that disturblen you.
English Revised Version
I would that they which unsettle you would even cut themselves off.
Berean Standard Bible
As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!
Contemporary English Version
I wish that everyone who is upsetting you would not only get circumcised, but would cut off much more!
Amplified Bible
I wish that those who are troubling you [by teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation] would even [go all the way and] castrate themselves!
American Standard Version
I would that they that unsettle you would even go beyond circumcision.
Bible in Basic English
My desire is that they who give you trouble might even be cut off themselves.
Complete Jewish Bible
I wish the people who are bothering you would go the whole way and castrate themselves!
Darby Translation
I would that they would even cut themselves off who throw you into confusion.
International Standard Version
I wish that those who are unsettling you would castrate themselves!Joshua 7:25; Acts 15:1-2,24; 1 Corinthians 5:13; Galatians 1:8-9;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
But I would that they who disturb you were even cut off.
Murdock Translation
But I would, that they who disquiet you, were actually cut off.
King James Version (1611)
I would they were euen cut off which trouble you.
New Living Translation
I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves.
New Life Bible
I wish those who are so willing to cut your bodies would complete the job by cutting themselves off from you.
New Revised Standard
I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Would to God they were euen cut off, which doe disquiet you.
George Lamsa Translation
I wish those who are troubling you would be expelled.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Oh! that they would even leave off in dismay, who are unsettling you!
Douay-Rheims Bible
I would they were even cut off, who trouble you.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I woulde to God they were cut of which trouble you.
Good News Translation
I wish that the people who are upsetting you would go all the way; let them go on and castrate themselves!
Christian Standard Bible®
I wish those who are disturbing you might also let themselves be mutilated!
King James Version
I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
Lexham English Bible
I wish that the ones who are disturbing you would also castrate themselves!
Literal Translation
O that the ones causing you to doubt will sever themselves.
Young's Literal Translation
O that even they would cut themselves off who are unsettling you!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wolde God they were roted out fro amoge you, which trouble you.
Mace New Testament (1729)
I wish they who unsettle you were entirely circumcised.
New English Translation
I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!
New King James Version
I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
Simplified Cowboy Version
I wish these people who keep harassing you about circumcision would just try to be an example and go all the way. Why stop at the tip? Let 'em castrate themselves, too. Maybe then their lies wouldn't reproduce.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.
Legacy Standard Bible
I wish that those who are upsetting you would even mutilate themselves.

Contextual Overview

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 2 Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. 7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cut: Galatians 5:10, Galatians 1:8, Galatians 1:9, Genesis 17:14, Exodus 12:15, Exodus 30:33, Leviticus 22:3, Joshua 7:12, Joshua 7:25, John 9:34, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:9, 1 Corinthians 5:13, Titus 3:10

trouble: Acts 15:1, Acts 15:2, Acts 15:24

Reciprocal: Genesis 30:34 - General 1 Samuel 26:19 - cursed Matthew 26:10 - Why Acts 15:19 - that Galatians 1:7 - but Galatians 2:4 - because Galatians 6:17 - let

Cross-References

Luke 3:37
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Maha'lale-el, the son of Ca-i'nan,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I would they were even cut off which trouble you. These words are a solemn wish of the apostle's with respect to the false teachers, or an imprecation of the judgment of God upon them; that they might be cut off out of the land of the living by the immediate hand of God, that they might do no more mischief to the churches of Christ: this he said not out of hatred to their persons, but from a concern for the glory of God, and the good of his people. The word here used answers to the Hebrew word קפח, and which is often made use of by the Jews in solemn imprecations; we read o of a righteous man, מקפח את בניו, "that cut off his children": the gloss upon it is,

"he used to say, when he made any imprecation, אקפח את בני, "may I cut off my children";''

that is, may they die, may they be cut off by the hand of God, and I bury them;

"says R. Tarphon p, may my children be "cut off", if these books of heretics come into my hands, that I will burn them;''

and says the same Rabbi q may I "cut off" my children, or may my children be cut off, if this sentence or constitution is cut off, or should perish. There is another use of this word, which may have a place here, for it sometimes signifies to confute a person, or refute his notion r.

"It is a tradition of the Rabbius, that after the departure of R. Meir, R. Judah said to his disciples, let not the disciples of R. Meir come in hither, for they are contentious; and not to learn the law do they come, but

לקפחני בהלכות, "to cut me off"; (i.e. as the gloss says, to show how sharp they are that none can stand against them;) to confute and overcome me, by their sentences, or constitutions.''

So the apostle here might wish that the mouths of these false teachers were stopped, their notions refuted, that they might give them no more trouble; to which agrees the Arabic version; "they that trouble you I wish they were dumb"; or that their mouths were stopped, as such vain talkers should be; see Titus 1:10 or the sense of the apostle is, that it was his will and desire that these men should be cut off from the communion of the church; with which views he mentions the proverbial expression in Galatians 5:9 with which compare 1 Corinthians 5:6 or that they would cut themselves off, by withdrawing from them, going out from among them, and leaving them as these men sometimes did.

o T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 85. 1. p T. Bab. Sabbat, fol, 116. 1. q T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 17. 1. Misn. Oholot, c. 16. sect. 1. & Maimon, in Bartenora in ib. r T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol. 52. 2. Nazir, fol. 49. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I would they were even cut off - That is, as I understand it, from the communion of the church. So far am I, says Paul, from agreeing with them, and preaching the necessity of circumcision as they do, that I sincerely wish they were excluded from the church as unworthy a place among the children of God. For a very singular and monstrous interpretation of this passage, though adopted by Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, Jerome, Grotius, Rosenmuller, Koppe, and others, the learned reader may consult Koppe on this verse. To my amazement, I find that this interpretation has also been adopted by Robinson in his Lexicon, on the word ἀποκόπτω apokoptō. I will state the opinion in the words of Koppe. “Non modo circumcidant se, sed, si velint, etiam mutilant se - ipsa genitalia resecent.” The simple meaning is, I think, that Paul wished that the authors of these errors and disturbances were excluded from the church.

Which trouble you - Who pervert the true doctrines of salvation, and who thus introduce error into the church. Error always sooner or later causes trouble; compare the note at 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. — This saying has puzzled many, and different interpretations of the place have been proposed by learned men.

At first sight it seems as if the apostle was praying for the destruction of the false teachers who had perverted the Churches of Galatia. Mr. Wakefield thought οφελον αποκοψονται might be translated, I wish that they were made to weep; and in his translation of the New Testament the passage stands thus: "I wish that they who are unsettling you may lament it." I believe the apostle never meant any such thing. As the persons who were breeding all this confusion in the Churches of Galatia were members of that Church, the apostle appears to me to be simply expressing his desire that they might be cut off or excommunicated from the Church. Kypke has given an abundance of examples where the word is used to signify amputating; cutting off from society, office, c. excluding. In opposition to the notion of excommunication, it might be asked: "Why should the apostle wish these to be excommunicated when it was his own office to do it?" To this it may be answered: The apostle's authority was greatly weakened among that people by the influence of the false teachers, so that in all probability he could exercise no ecclesiastical function; he could therefore only express his wish. And the whole passage is so parallel to that, 1 Corinthians 5:6-7, that I think there can be no reasonable doubt of the apostle's meaning: Let those who are unsettling the Church of Christ in your district be excommunicated; this is my wish, that they should no longer have any place among you."


 
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