Galatians 1

12. Translate, "For not even did I myself (any more than the other apostles) receive it from man, nor was I taught it (by man)." "Received it," implies the absence of labor in acquiring it. "Taught it," implies the labor of learning.
by the revelation of Jesus Christ--Translate, "by revelation of [that is, from] Jesus Christ." By His revealing it to me. Probably this took place during the three years, in part of which he sojourned in Arabia ( Galatians 1:17 Galatians 1:18 ), in the vicinity of the scene of the giving of the law; a fit place for such a revelation of the Gospel of grace, which supersedes the ceremonial law ( Galatians 4:25 ). He, like other Pharisees who embraced Christianity, did not at first recognize its independence of the Mosaic law, but combined both together. Ananias, his first instructor, was universally esteemed for his legal piety and so was not likely to have taught him to sever Christianity from the law. This severance was partially recognized after the martyrdom of Stephen. But Paul received it by special revelation ( 1 Corinthians 11:23 , 15:3 , 1 Thessalonians 4:15 ). A vision of the Lord Jesus is mentioned ( Acts 22:18 ), at his first visit to Jerusalem ( Galatians 1:18 ); but this seems to have been subsequent to the revelation here meant (compare Galatians 1:15-18 ), and to have been confined to giving a particular command. The vision "fourteen years before" ( 2 Corinthians 12:1 ) was in A.D. 43, still later, six years after his conversion. Thus Paul is an independent witness to the Gospel. Though he had received no instruction from the apostles, but from the Holy Ghost, yet when he met them his Gospel exactly agreed with theirs.

13. heard--even before I came among you.
conversation--"my former way of life."
Jews' religion--The term, "Hebrew," expresses the language; "Jew," the nationality, as distinguished from the Gentiles; "Israelite," the highest title, the religious privileges, as a member of the theocracy.
the church--Here singular, marking its unity, though constituted of many particular churches, under the one Head, Christ.
of God--added to mark the greatness of his sinful alienation from God ( 1 Corinthians 15:19 ).
wasted--laid it waste: the opposite of "building it up."

14. profited--Greek, "I was becoming a proficient"; "I made progress."
above--beyond.
my equals--Greek, "Of mine own age, among my countrymen."
traditions of my fathers--namely, those of the Pharisees, Paul being "a Pharisee, and son of a Pharisee" ( Acts 23:6 , 26:5 ). "MY fathers," shows that it is not to be understood generally of the traditions of the nation.

15. separated--"set me apart": in the purposes of His electing love (compare Acts 9:15 , 22:14 ), in order to show in me His "pleasure," which is the farthest point that any can reach in inquiring the causes of his salvation. The actual "separating" or "setting apart" to the work marked out for him, is mentioned in Acts 13:2 , Romans 1:1 . There is an allusion, perhaps, in the way of contrast, to the derivation of Pharisee from Hebrew, "pharash," "separated." I was once a so-called Pharisee or Separatist, but God had separated me to something far better.
from . . . womb--Thus merit in me was out of the question, in assigning causes for His call from Acts 9:11 . Grace is the sole cause ( Psalms 22:9 , 71:6 , Isaiah 49:1 Isaiah 49:5 , Jeremiah 1:5 , Luke 1:15 ).
called me--on the way to Damascus ( Acts 9:3-8 ).

16. reveal his Son in me--within me, in my inmost soul, by the Holy Spirit ( Galatians 2:20 ). Compare 2 Corinthians 4:6 , "shined in our hearts." The revealing of His Son by me to the Gentiles (so translate for "heathen") was impossible, unless He had first revealed His Son in me; at first on my conversion, but especially at the subsequent revelation from Jesus Christ ( Galatians 1:12 ), whereby I learned the Gospel's independence of the Mosaic law.
that I might preach--the present in the Greek, which includes the idea "that I may preach Him," implying an office still continuing. This was the main commission. entrusted to him ( Galatians 2:7 Galatians 2:9 ).
immediately--connected chiefly with "I went into Arabia" ( Galatians 1:17 ). It denotes the sudden fitness of the apostle. So Acts 9:20 , "Straightway he preached Christ in the synagogue."
I conferred not--Greek, "I had not further (namely, in addition to revelation) recourse to . . . for the purpose of consulting." The divine revelation was sufficient for me [BENGEL].
flesh and blood--( Matthew 16:17 ).

17. went I up--Some of the oldest manuscripts read, "went away."
to Jerusalem--the seat of the apostles.
into Arabia--This journey (not recorded in Acts) was during the whole period of his stay at Damascus, called by Luke ( Acts 9:23 ), "many [Greek, a considerable number of] days." It is curiously confirmatory of the legitimacy of taking "many days" to stand for "three years," that the same phrase exactly occurs in the same sense in 1 Kings 2:38 1 Kings 2:39 . This was a country of the Gentiles; here doubtless he preached as he did before and after ( Acts 9:20 Acts 9:22 ) at Damascus: thus he shows the independence of his apostolic commission. He also here had that comparative retirement needed, after the first fervor of his conversion, to prepare him for the great work before him. Compare Moses ( Acts 7:29 Acts 7:30 ). His familiarity with the scene of the giving of the law, and the meditations and revelations which he had there, appear in Galatians 4:24 Galatians 4:25 , Hebrews 12:18 . on earth in the days of His flesh communed with the other apostles.
returned--Greek "returned back again."

18. after three years--dating from my conversion, as appears by the contrast to "immediately" ( Galatians 1:16 ). This is the same visit to Jerusalem as in Acts 9:26 , and at this visit occurred the vision ( Acts 22:17 Acts 22:18 ). The incident which led to his leaving Damascus ( Acts 9:25 , 2 Corinthians 11:33 ) was not the main cause of his going to Jerusalem. So that there is no discrepancy in the statement here that he went "to see Peter"; or rather, as Greek, "to make the acquaintance of"; "to become personally acquainted with." The two oldest manuscripts read, "Cephas," the name given Peter elsewhere in the Epistle, the Hebrew name; as Peter is the Greek ( John 1:42 ). Appropriate to the view of him here as the apostle especially of the Hebrews. It is remarkable that Peter himself, in his Epistles, uses the Greek name Peter, perhaps to mark his antagonism to the Judaizers who would cling to the Hebraic form. He was prominent among the apostles, though James, as bishop of Jerusalem, had the chief authority there ( Matthew 16:18 ).
abode--or "tarried" [ELLICOTT].
fifteen days--only fifteen days; contrasting with the long period of three years, during which, previously, he had exercised an independent commission in preaching: a fact proving on the face of it, how little he owed to Peter in regard to his apostolical authority or instruction. The Greek for "to see," at the same time implies visiting a person important to know, such as Peter was. The plots of the Jews prevented him staying longer ( Acts 9:29 ). Also, the vision directing him to depart to the Gentiles, for that the people of Jerusalem would not receive his testimony ( Acts 22:17 Acts 22:18 ).

19. Compare Acts 9:27 Acts 9:28 , wherein Luke, as an historian, describes more generally what Paul, the subject of the history, himself details more particularly. The history speaks of "apostles"; and Paul's mention of a second apostle, besides Peter, reconciles the Epistle and the history. At Stephen's martyrdom, and the consequent persecution, the other ten apostles, agreeably to Christ's directions, seem to have soon (though not immediately, Acts 8:14 ) left Jerusalem to preach elsewhere. James remained in charge of the mother church, as its bishop. Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, was present during Paul's fifteen days' stay; but he, too, presently after ( Acts 9:32 ), went on a circuit through Judea.
James, the Lord's brother--This designation, to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee, was appropriate while that apostle was alive. But before Paul's second visit to Jerusalem ( Galatians 2:1 , Acts 15:1-4 ), he had been beheaded by Herod ( Acts 12:2 ). Accordingly, in the subsequent mention of James here ( Galatians 2:9 Galatians 2:12 ), he is not designated by this distinctive epithet: a minute, undesigned coincidence, and proof of genuineness. James was the Lord's brother, not in our strict sense, but in the sense, "cousin," or "kinsman" ( Matthew 28:10 , John 20:17 ). His brethren are never called "sons of Joseph," which they would have been had they been the Lord's brothers strictly. However, compare Psalms 69:8 , "I am an alien to my mother's children." In John 7:3 John 7:5 , the "brethren" who believed not in Him may mean His near relations, not including the two of His brethren, that is, relatives (James and Jude) who were among the Twelve apostles. Acts 1:14 , "His brethren," refer to Simon and Joses, and others ( Matthew 13:55 ) of His kinsmen, who were not apostles. It is not likely there would be two pairs of brothers named alike, of such eminence as James and Jude; the likelihood is that the apostles James and Jude are also the writers of the Epistles, and the brethren of Jesus. James and Joses were sons of Alpheus and Mary, sister of the Virgin Mary.

20. Solemn asseveration that his statement is true that his visit was but for fifteen days and that he saw no apostle save Peter and James. Probably it had been reported by Judaizers that he had received a long course of instruction from the apostles in Jerusalem from the first; hence his earnestness in asserting the contrary facts.

21. I came into . . . Syria and Cilicia--"preaching the faith" ( Galatians 1:23 ), and so, no doubt, founding the churches in Syria and Cilicia, which he subsequently confirmed in the faith ( Acts 15:23 Acts 15:41 ). He probably went first to Cæsarea, the main seaport, and thence by sea to Tarsus of Cilicia, his native place ( Acts 9:30 ), and thence to Syria; Cilicia having its geographical affinities with Syria, rather than with Asia Minor, as the Tarsus mountains separate it from the latter. His placing "Syria" in the order of words before "Cilicia," is due to Antioch being a more important city than Tarsus, as also to his longer stay in the former city. Also "Syria and Cilicia," from their close geographical connection, became a generic geographical phrase, the more important district being placed first [CONYBEARE and HOWSON]. This sea journey accounts for his being "unknown by face to the churches of Judea" ( Galatians 1:22 ). He passes by in silence his second visit, with alms, to Judea and Jerusalem ( Acts 11:30 ); doubtless because it was for a limited and special object, and would occupy but a few days ( Acts 12:25 ), as there raged at Jerusalem at the time a persecution in which James, the brother of John, was martyred, and Peter was m prison, and James seems to have been the only apostle present ( Acts 12:17 ); so it was needless to mention this visit, seeing that he could not at such a time have received the instructions which the Galatians alleged he had derived from the primary fountains of authority, the apostles.

22. So far was I from being a disciple of the apostles, that I was even unknown in the churches of Judea (excepting Jerusalem, Acts 9:26-29 ), which were the chief scene of their labors.

23. Translate as Greek, "They were hearing": tidings were brought them from time to time [CONYBEARE and HOWSON].
he which persecuted us in times past--"our former persecutor" [ALFORD]. The designation by which he was known among Christians still better than by his name "Saul."
destroyed--Greek, "was destroying."

24. in me--"in my case." "Having understood the entire change, and that the former wolf is now acting the shepherd's part, they received occasion for joyful thanksgiving to God in respect to me" [THEODORET]. How different, he implies to the Galatians, their spirit from yours!