KJV: For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
YLT: for now men do I persuade, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if yet men I did please -- Christ's servant I should not be.
Darby: For do I now seek to satisfy men or God? or do I seek to please men? If I were yet pleasing men, I were not Christ's bondman.
ASV: For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.
| Ἄρτι | Presently |
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Parse: Adverb Root: ἄρτι Sense: just now, this moment. |
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| ἀνθρώπους | of men |
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Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: ἄνθρωπος Sense: a human being, whether male or female. |
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| πείθω | do I seek approval |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: ἐπισείω Sense: persuade. |
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| τὸν | - |
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Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| Θεόν | God |
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Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: θεός Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities. |
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| ζητῶ | do I seek |
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Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: ζητέω Sense: to seek in order to find. |
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| ἀνθρώποις | men |
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Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural Root: ἄνθρωπος Sense: a human being, whether male or female. |
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| ἀρέσκειν | to please |
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Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active Root: ἀρέσκω Sense: to please. |
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| εἰ | For if |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: εἰ Sense: if, whether. |
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| ἔτι | yet |
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Parse: Adverb Root: ἔτι Sense: yet, still. |
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| ἤρεσκον | I were pleasing |
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Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: ἀρέσκω Sense: to please. |
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| Χριστοῦ | of Christ |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular Root: Χριστός Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God. |
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| δοῦλος | a servant |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: δοῦλοσ1 Sense: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition. |
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| ἂν | - |
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Parse: Particle Root: ἄν Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV. |
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| ἤμην | I would be |
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Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle, 1st Person Singular Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present. |
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Greek Commentary for Galatians 1:10
Conative present, trying to persuade like ζητω αρεσκειν zētō areskein (seeking to please) where the effort is stated plainly. See note on 2 Corinthians 5:11. [source]
Conclusion of second class condition, determined as unfulfilled. Regular construction here About pleasing men see note on 1 Thessalonians 2:4. In Colossians 3:22; Ephesians 6:6 Paul uses the word “men-pleasers” (anthrōpareskoi). [source]
For introduces a justification of the severe language just used. The emphasis is on now, which answers to now in Galatians 1:9. I have been charged with conciliating men. Does this anathema of mine look like it? Is it a time for conciliatory words now, when Judaising emissaries are troubling you (Galatians 1:7) and persuading you to forsake the true gospel? Persuade signifies conciliate, seek to win over. [source]
Persuade or conciliate God is an awkward phrase; but the expression is condensed, and persuade is carried forward from the previous clause. This is not uncommon in Paul's style: See Philemon 1:5; Ephesians 1:15; Philemon 2:6, where μορφὴ formapplied to God, is probably the result of μορφὴν δούλου formof a servant (Galatians 1:7) on which the main stress of the thought lies. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Galatians 1:10
i.e., satisfy or appease. Compare Galatians 1:10. “Do I conciliate men or God?” [source]
Imperfect active of peithō either descriptive (were persuading) or conative (were trying to persuade). Paul had great powers of persuasion (Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8, Acts 19:26; Acts 26:28; Acts 28:23; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Galatians 1:10). These Jews “were beginning to understand for the first time the true meaning of their national history” (Furneaux), “the grace of God” to them. [source]
Of the worshipping proselytes described in Acts 13:16, Acts 13:25 as “those who fear God” (cf. Acts 16:14) employed usually of the uncircumcised Gentiles who yet attended the synagogue worship, but the word προσηλυτοι prosēlutoi Yet the rabbis used it also of proselytes of the gate who had not yet become circumcised, probably the idea here. In the N.T. the word occurs only in Matthew 23:15; Acts 2:10; Acts 6:5; Acts 13:43. Many (both Jews and proselytes) followed Imperfect active of peithō either descriptive (were persuading) or conative (were trying to persuade). Paul had great powers of persuasion (Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8, Acts 19:26; Acts 26:28; Acts 28:23; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Galatians 1:10). These Jews “were beginning to understand for the first time the true meaning of their national history” (Furneaux), “the grace of God” to them. [source]
Still indirect discourse (question) after επισταστε epistasthe (ye know) with ως hōs like πως pōs in Acts 20:18. First aorist middle of υποστελλω hupostellō old verb to draw under or back. It was so used of drawing back or down sails on a ship and, as Paul had so recently been on the sea, that may be the metaphor here. But it is not necessarily so as the direct middle here makes good sense and is frequent, to withdraw oneself, to cower, to shrink, to conceal, to dissemble as in Habakkuk 2:4 (Hebrews 10:38). Demosthenes so used it to shrink from declaring out of fear for others. This open candour of Paul is supported by his Epistles (1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Corinthians 4:2; Galatians 1:10). [source]
Lit., bond-servant or slave. Paul applies the term to himself, Galatians 1:10; Philemon 1:1; Titus 1:1; and frequently to express the relation of believers to Christ. The word involves the ideas of belonging to a master, and of service as a slave. The former is emphasized in Paul's use of the term, since Christian service, in his view, has no element of servility, but is the expression of love and of free choice. From this stand-point the idea of service coheres with those of freedom and of sonship. Compare 1 Corinthians 7:22; Galatians 4:7; Ephesians 6:6; Philemon 1:16. On the other hand, believers belong to Christ by purchase (1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18; Ephesians 1:7), and own Him as absolute Master. It is a question whether the word contains any reference to official position. In favor of this it may be said that when employed in connection with the names of individuals, it is always applied to those who have some special work as teachers or ministers, and that most of such instances occur in the opening salutations of the apostolic letters. The meaning, in any case, must not be limited to the official sense. [source]
Bond-slave of Jesus Christ (or Christ Jesus as some MSS. give it and as is the rule in the later Epistles) for the first time in the Epistles in the opening sentence, though the phrase already in Galatians 1:10. Recurs in Philemon 1:1 and desmios (bondsman) in Philemon 1:1. [source]
Roman name See note on Acts 13:9 for the origin of this name by the side of Saul. Servant (doulos). Bond-slave of Jesus Christ (or Christ Jesus as some MSS. give it and as is the rule in the later Epistles) for the first time in the Epistles in the opening sentence, though the phrase already in Galatians 1:10. Recurs in Philemon 1:1 and desmios (bondsman) in Philemon 1:1. Called to be an apostle An apostle by vocation (Denney) as in 1 Corinthians 1:1. In Galatians 1:1 δεσμιος klētos is not used, but the rest of the verse has the same idea. Separated (κλητος αποστολος aphōrismenos). Perfect passive participle of κλητος aphorizō for which verb see note on Galatians 1:15. Paul is a spiritual Pharisee (etymologically), separated not to the oral tradition, but to God‘s gospel, a chosen vessel (Acts 9:15). By man also (Acts 13:2). Many of Paul‘s characteristic words like απωρισμενος euaggelion have been already discussed in the previous Epistles that will call for little comment from now on. [source]
As being those who seek to please. Comp. Galatians 1:10, and ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι man-pleasers Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 3:22. Comp. lxx, Psalm 52:5: “God hath scattered the bones of men-pleasers.” The fourth Psalm of Solomon is entitled: Against the men-pleasers ( ἀνθρωπαρέσκοις ). [source]
First aorist passive infinitive of πιστευω pisteuō common verb for believing, from πιστις pistis (faith), but here to entrust rather than to trust. The accusative of the thing is retained in the passive according to regular Greek idiom as in 1 Corinthians 9:17; Galatians 2:7; Romans 3:2; 1 Timothy 1:11; Titus 1:3, though the active had the dative of the person. So we speak (ουτως λαλουμεν houtōs laloumen). Simple, yet confident claim of loyalty to God‘s call and message. Surely this should be the ambition of every preacher of the gospel of God. Not as pleasing men Dative case with αρεσκω areskō as in Galatians 1:10. Few temptations assail the preacher more strongly than this one to please men, even if God is not pleased, though with the dim hope that God will after all condone or overlook. Nothing but experience will convince some preachers how fickle is popular favour and how often it is at the cost of failure to please God. And yet the preacher wishes to win men to Christ. It is all as subtle as it is deceptive. God tests our hearts (the very verb δοκιμαζω dokimazō used in the beginning of this verse) and he is the only one whose approval matters in the end of the day (1 Corinthians 4:5). [source]
Dative case with αρεσκω areskō as in Galatians 1:10. Few temptations assail the preacher more strongly than this one to please men, even if God is not pleased, though with the dim hope that God will after all condone or overlook. Nothing but experience will convince some preachers how fickle is popular favour and how often it is at the cost of failure to please God. And yet the preacher wishes to win men to Christ. It is all as subtle as it is deceptive. God tests our hearts (the very verb δοκιμαζω dokimazō used in the beginning of this verse) and he is the only one whose approval matters in the end of the day (1 Corinthians 4:5). [source]
Rendering Christ himself a service by setting himself against ascetic errors. For διάκονος ministersee on 1 Timothy 3:8. Here in the general sense of servant, without any official meaning. Paul's more usual phrase is servant of God: servant ( διάκονος ) of Christ twice, and διάκονος Ἱησοῦ Χριστοῦ not at all. Paul uses δοῦλος bond-servantwith Jesus Christ. See 2 Corinthians 11:23; Colossians 1:7; and comp. Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philemon 1:1. [source]
The teacher or other special worker in the church. Comp. Titus 1:1; Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; Philemon 1:1, Colossians 4:12. Of any Christian, 1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:6. The phrase is often applied to the Old Testament prophets as a body: see Amos 3:7; Jeremiah 7:25; Ezra 9:11; Daniel 9:6. To Joshua, Judges 2:8; to David, Psalm 78:70. [source]