As we have said before, so now I say again:Paul emphasizes the importance of his message by repeating it, a common rhetorical device in ancient writings to stress urgency and importance. This repetition underscores the seriousness of the issue at hand, which is the distortion of the gospel. In the context of Galatians, Paul is addressing the influence of Judaizers who were teaching that Gentile converts must adhere to Jewish law. This repetition also reflects the oral tradition of teaching in the early church, where messages were often repeated for emphasis and clarity.
If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received:
The "gospel" refers to the good news of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection for the salvation of humanity, which Paul had originally preached to the Galatians. The phrase "contrary to the one you received" indicates that the Galatians had initially accepted the true gospel, but were now being swayed by false teachings. This highlights the early church's struggle with maintaining doctrinal purity amidst various interpretations and teachings. The reference to "anyone" includes not only outsiders but also those within the church who might distort the message, emphasizing the universal applicability of this warning.
let him be under a curse!
The term "curse" (Greek: anathema) is a strong denunciation, indicating that those who preach a false gospel are to be completely rejected and considered outside the community of faith. This reflects the seriousness with which Paul views the integrity of the gospel message. In the Old Testament, curses were often associated with disobedience to God's covenant (Deuteronomy 27-28), and here Paul uses similar language to stress the gravity of altering the gospel. This curse is not merely a personal wish but a declaration of divine judgment against those who pervert the truth of Christ.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Paul the ApostleThe author of the letter to the Galatians, Paul is addressing the churches in Galatia with a strong warning against false teachings.
2.
GalatiaA region in modern-day Turkey where Paul established several churches. The Galatians were being influenced by false teachers who were distorting the gospel.
3.
False TeachersIndividuals who were spreading a different gospel, likely adding Jewish legalistic requirements to the message of grace through faith in Christ.
4.
The GospelThe good news of Jesus Christ, emphasizing salvation by grace through faith, not by works of the law.
5.
Curse (Anathema)A strong term used by Paul to describe the divine judgment that should fall on anyone preaching a false gospel.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Gospel PurityThe gospel is the foundation of Christian faith. Any deviation from the true gospel undermines the entire message of salvation.
Discernment in TeachingBelievers must be discerning and test teachings against Scripture to ensure they align with the true gospel.
The Seriousness of False TeachingPaul’s use of "curse" (anathema) underscores the gravity of distorting the gospel. False teaching is not a minor issue but a serious offense against God.
Consistency in the MessagePaul’s repetition of his warning highlights the need for consistency in the message of the gospel. Believers should be wary of new or altered teachings.
Guarding the FaithChristians are called to guard the faith entrusted to them, ensuring that it is passed on in its pure form to future generations.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Galatians 1:9?
2.How can we discern if a gospel message is contrary to Galatians 1:9?
3.Why does Paul emphasize the curse for preaching a different gospel in Galatians 1:9?
4.How does Galatians 1:9 connect with Jesus' warnings about false prophets?
5.What steps can we take to guard against false teachings in our church?
6.How should Galatians 1:9 influence our response to modern-day false gospels?
7.What does Galatians 1:9 imply about the consequences of preaching a different gospel?
8.How does Galatians 1:9 define the true gospel message?
9.Why does Paul repeat his warning in Galatians 1:9?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Galatians 1?
11.What does 'anathema' mean in the Bible?
12.What does contextualization mean?
13.What is preaching a different gospel?
14.What is extrabiblical revelation?What Does Galatians 1:9 Mean
As we have said beforePaul has already issued this warning in the previous verse, and he reminds the Galatians that he is not introducing a new concern.
• Repetition shows gravity. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1).
• Sound teachers repeat essential truths for the congregation’s safety: “For me to write the same things to you is no trouble, and it is a safeguard for you” (Philippians 3:1).
• Peter used the same pattern: “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them” (2 Peter 1:12). Repetition guards doctrine and hearts.
so now I say againPaul immediately restates the warning to underscore its urgency.
• He is not waiting for another opportunity; the danger is present. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage” (2 Timothy 4:2).
• Repeated exhortations imitate Christ, who said, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).
• Multiple witnesses and repeated calls leave no excuse for ignoring the message (Deuteronomy 17:6).
If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you receivedThe spotlight is on the content of the message, not the status of the messenger.
• “Anyone” includes reputed leaders, apostles, or angels (cf.Galatians 1:8). Authority does not override truth.
• The “gospel…you received” is the unchanging good news: “Christ died for our sins…He was buried, and He was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
• Jude urges believers to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3); it is final, not fluid.
• Paul confronts counterfeit messages: “If someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed…you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:4). The Galatians must not do so.
let him be under a curse!This is the strongest possible denunciation—divine judgment, not personal irritation.
• “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse” (1 Corinthians 16:22). Paul applies the same standard here.
• Old-covenant precedent: false prophets were “to be put to death, because they urged rebellion against the LORD” (Deuteronomy 13:5).
• The final book repeats the warning: those who add or take away “God will add to him the plagues…God will take away his share in the tree of life” (Revelation 22:18-19).
• Protecting the flock sometimes requires firm lines: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house” (2John 10).
• The curse underscores that tampering with the gospel endangers souls; it is not a secondary issue.
summaryBy repeating himself, Paul highlights the unchanging nature of the gospel and the peril of altering it. Any person—regardless of rank—who preaches a different message stands under God’s curse. Believers safeguard their freedom and assurance by holding fast to the once-for-all gospel of Christ crucified and risen.
(9)
As we said before.--Probably, upon his last (
i.e., his second) visit, at the beginning of this, his third, great missionary journey (
Acts 18:23). The germs of the apostasy in the Galatian Church would be already visible.
Verse 9. -
As we said before, so say I now again (
ὡς προειρήκαμεν καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω);
as we have said before,
now also (or,
and as now)
I am saying again. The complexion of the sentence, especially in the Greek, a good deal resembles that in
2 Corinthians 13:2," I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand (
προείρηκα καὶ προλέγω), as when I was present the second time, so now being absent." In this latter passage, the perfect, "I have said beforehand," points to the time indicated in the words," as when I was present the second time." The resemblance between the two passages, notwithstanding the somewhat different senses in which the verb (
προλέγειν) is used in them, suggests the view that here likewise in the first clause the verb refers to some former occasion on which the apostle was personally present with those he is writing to. The Greek verb (
προλέγειν), "say before," is sometimes equivalent to "forewarn," as
1 Thessalonians 4:6;
Galatians 5:21; and
2 Corinthians 13:2 (twice). Sometimes it means "say on a former occasion," as
1 Corinthians 7:3, and most probably here. The first clause has by some been supposed to refer to the preceding verse. But recent critics generally agree in feeling that both the verb "we have said before" and the adverb "now" suggest the sense of a wider interval of time. The use of the verb in
2 Corinthians 7:3 has been cited on behalf of the other view. But even if the somewhat doubtful idea be admitted that
2 Corinthians 7:3 points back to the twelfth verso of the preceding chapter, it would still fail to furnish an adequate parallel. For not only is it parted from the earlier passage by the number of verses which intervene, but also by a succession of varying moods of feeling and diverse styles of address. Account has to be taken of the change of number between "we have said before" and "I am saying again." The only probable explanation is that the "we" recites the same persons as in the words "we preached" in ver. 8; whereas Paul, as now writing (probably) with his own hand, presents himself individually as reiterating that solemn affirmation. The words, "now also I am saying again," as marking a time contrasted with that earlier one referred to, contemplate the asseveration made in the eighth verso as well as in this. In the "now" the apostle indicates, not so much the moment of his writing, as the just then subsisting juncture of circumstances in Galatia, which called for the renewal of his commination. Its earlier utterance referred to may have occurred either in the second visit to Galatia, mentioned in
Acts 18:23, or in the first, mentioned in
Acts 16:6. When taking leave of his disciples on either occasion he may have been led to thus emphatically insist upon the sacred, inviolable character of the gospel, by his observation on the one hand of the fickleness and impressionableness which characterized this people, and on the other by the frequency with which perversions of Christian doctrine were already seen to be infesting the Churches. Compare also the apostle's warning to the Ephesians (
Acts 20:28-31).
If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (
εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ ο{ παρελάβετε,
ἀνάθεμα ἔστω);
if any man is preaching unto you a gospel other than that which ye received,
let him be anathema. The verbal variations in these words, as compared with those in ver. 8, are slight. One, however, deserves attention: "If any one
is preaching" compared with "If... an angel
should...
preach." By this change in the form of making the supposition, the denunciation seems to come down out of the region of bare hypothesis to that of, perhaps, present reality. If so, the thunder of the apostle's anathema would be felt by his readers approaching nearer and nearer to the head of seine particular individual among themselves, towards whom their eyes would at once be directed with the feeling that it was, perhaps,
his doom that the apostle was now pronouncing. The construction in the Greek of the verb "preach the gospel" (
εὐαγγελίζομαι), with the accusative of the person to whom the message is brought, is found also in
Acts 13:32;
Acts 14:21. In sense there seems to be no appreciable difference between this construction of the verb and that with the dative as found in the preceding verse and often.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Asὡς(hōs)Adverb
Strong's 5613:Probably adverb of comparative from hos; which how, i.e. In that manner.we have said before,προειρήκαμεν(proeirēkamen)Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 4302:To tell (say) beforehand, forewarn, declare, tell plainly. From pro and lego; to say beforehand, i.e. Predict, forewarn.soκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.nowἄρτι(arti)Adverb
Strong's 737:Now, just now, at this moment. Adverb from a derivative of airo through the idea of suspension; just now.I sayλέγω(legō)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004:(a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.again:πάλιν(palin)Adverb
Strong's 3825:Probably from the same as pale; anew, i.e. back, once more, or furthermore or on the other hand.Ifεἴ(ei)Conjunction
Strong's 1487:If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.anyoneτις(tis)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100:Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.is preaching to you a gospelεὐαγγελίζεται(euangelizetai)Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2097:From eu and aggelos; to announce good news especially the gospel.contrary toπαρ’(par’)Preposition
Strong's 3844:Gen: from; dat: beside, in the presence of; acc: alongside of.the oneὃ(ho)Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739:Who, which, what, that.you embraced,παρελάβετε(parelabete)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 3880:From para and lambano; to receive near, i.e. Associate with oneself; by analogy, to assume an office; figuratively, to learn.let him beἔστω(estō)Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.under a divine curse!ἀνάθεμα(anathema)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 331:A votive offering, a thing devoted to God; a curse, the thing cursed. From anatithemai; a ban or excommunicated.
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NT Letters: Galatians 1:9 As we have said before so (Gal. Ga) 
