Galatians 6:13

Verse

For the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

American Standard Version (1901)

For not even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep the law; but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Bible in Basic English

Because even those who undergo circumcision do not themselves keep the law; but they would have you undergo circumcision, so that they may have glory in your flesh.

Douay-Rheims 1899

For neither they themselves who are circumcised, keep the law; but they will have you to be circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Free Bible Version

Even those who are circumcised don't keep the law, but they want to have you circumcised so that they can boast about you and claim you as their followers.

Geneva Bible 1599

For they themselues which are circumcised keepe not the law, but desire to haue you circumcised, that they might reioyce in your flesh.

King James (Authorized) Version

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Plain English Version

But, you know, even the Jews don’t follow the Jewish law properly themselves. Those Jewish Christians only want you to get that operation, and be like Jews, so they can tell everybody that they got you to be Jewish. They want to use your bodies like that, to get the other Jews to say they are good.

Translation for Translators

The reason that I say that is that the ones who are insisting that you be circumcised {that someone circumcise you} do not themselves fully obey the laws that God gave to Moses. Instead, they desire that you let someone circumcise you in order that they might boast to those Jews who would ◄persecute them/cause them to suffer► that you did that because they insisted [MTY] that you do it.

Unlocked Literal Bible

For not even those who circumcised themselves keep the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.

Noah Webster Bible

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

World English Bible

For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, so that they may boast in your flesh.

Young's Literal Translation

for neither do those circumcised themselves keep the law, but they wish you to be circumcised, that in your flesh they may glory.

Context

Final Warnings and Blessings

¹²Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.¹³For the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

Sermons

Two Safety Reminders: Rejoice and Beware by James Jennings

James Malachi Jennings

584

The Spiritual Conflict

J.C. Philpot

Day 54, Acts 15

David Servant

Summary

In Galatians 6:13, Paul warns against those who advocate circumcision for the Galatian believers, not out of genuine concern for the law, but to avoid persecution for preaching the cross of Christ. He exposes their hypocrisy in seeking to boast about the external act of circumcision while disregarding the true transformation that comes through faith in Christ. Paul emphasizes that true believers are those who have been crucified to the world and the world to them, finding their identity and salvation solely in the cross of Jesus Christ.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Neither they themselves who are circumcised - They receive circumcision and profess Judaism, not from a desire to be conformed to the will of God; but Judaism was popular, and the more converts the false teachers could make; the more occasion of glorying they had, and they wished to get those Christian converts, who had been before proselytes of the gate, to receive circumcision, that they might glory in their flesh. Behold my converts! Thus they gloried, or boasted, not that the people were converted to God, hut that they were circumcised.

John Gill Bible Commentary

But God forbid that I should glory,.... The apostle, on the contrary, expresses his aversion to glorying in anything these men did; not in his outward carnal privileges, as a Jew; nor in his moral, civil, and legal righteousness; nor in his gifts and attainments; nor in his labours and success, as of himself; nor in the flesh of others, or in any outward corporeal subjection to any ordinance, legal or evangelical; his glorying and rejoicing were rather in the spirituality, the faith, hope, love, patience, order, and steadfastness of the saints, than in anything in the flesh, either his own or others: and indeed he chose not to glory in any thing, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; meaning either the infirmities, reproaches, tribulations, and persecutions, which he endured for the sake of Christ, and the preaching of his Gospel; or the Gospel, the doctrine of the cross of Christ, and salvation by it: or rather a crucified Christ himself, whom he preached; though counted foolishness by some, and was a stumbling to others: he gloried in him, and determined to know, and make known, none but him, in the business of salvation; he gloried in him as crucified, and in his cross; not in the wood of the cross, but in the effects of his crucifixion; in the peace, pardon, righteousness, life, salvation, and eternal glory, which come through the death of the cross; he gloried in Christ as his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: by whom the world is crucified to me: so that he feared not the worst men, and things in it, any more than he would one that was fastened to a cross, or dead; since Christ, by his crucifixion and death, had overcome the world, the prince of it, the men and malice of it, the sin that was in it, and had made him more than a conqueror also; his faith in a crucified Christ overcame the world likewise; so that he looked upon it as the Israelites saw the Egyptians, dead on the sea shore; nor did he affect and love, but trampled upon and despised, as crucified persons generally are, those things in it which are the most alluring to the flesh, the lusts of it; the doctrine of grace, of a crucified Christ, taught him to deny the riches, honours, pleasures, profits, and applause of the world; which were to him as dross, in comparison of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord: the ceremonial law also, the elements of the world, were dead unto him, being nailed to the cross of Christ, to be of no further use and service unto men: and I unto the world; that is, am crucified to the world, as the Syriac and Arabic versions express it; that is, he was despised by the world for the sake of a crucified Christ, as the world was by him, in comparison of him; the world had no affection for him, as he had none for the world; and as the ceremonial law was dead to him, so he was dead to that, through the body of Christ, and had nothing to do with these beggarly elements, nor they with him, which sense is confirmed by the following words.

Galatians 6:13

Final Warnings and Blessings

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

For the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

American Standard Version (1901)

For not even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep the law; but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Bible in Basic English

Because even those who undergo circumcision do not themselves keep the law; but they would have you undergo circumcision, so that they may have glory in your flesh.

Douay-Rheims 1899

For neither they themselves who are circumcised, keep the law; but they will have you to be circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Free Bible Version

Even those who are circumcised don't keep the law, but they want to have you circumcised so that they can boast about you and claim you as their followers.

Geneva Bible 1599

For they themselues which are circumcised keepe not the law, but desire to haue you circumcised, that they might reioyce in your flesh.

King James (Authorized) Version

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

Plain English Version

Translation for Translators

Unlocked Literal Bible

For not even those who circumcised themselves keep the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.

Noah Webster Bible

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

World English Bible

For even they who receive circumcision don’t keep the law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, so that they may boast in your flesh.

Young's Literal Translation

for neither do those circumcised themselves keep the law, but they wish you to be circumcised, that in your flesh they may glory.

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Galatians 6:13

Verse

Context

Final Warnings and Blessings

Sermons

Summary

Commentary

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Galatians 6:13

Final Warnings and Blessings

Two Safety Reminders: Rejoice and Beware by James Jennings

The Spiritual Conflict

Day 54, Acts 15

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary