complete verse (Galatians 5:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Galatians 5:7:

  • Uma: “Long ago, your following the Good News was good. So why do you no longer follow the true teaching? Who are they who are misleading you?” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Before/formerly the true teaching about Isa Almasihin was really followed by you. But now who is the one stopping/forbidding you that’s why you no longer follow/obey?” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Long ago you thoroughly followed the true way. Why did you permit that someone hold you back so that you might not believe the true teaching?” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Back then, your following of Cristo was good. What/Who perhaps led-you-astray so that you don’t/won’t believe the truth?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “In the past your following/obeying the trail/way of truth was indeed good. Well then who has piled-up-a-barrier across this trail, that you are now going-off-the-trail?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “At the first you walked good. Who is it that spoiled your hearts so that you are separating from the true word?” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Galatians 5:7

You were doing so well! is literally “you were running well.” The figure of running a race is one of Paul’s favorites when talking of moral efforts. Most translations keep the metaphor, but Good News Translation drops it in favor of a simple statement of its meaning (also Phillips “you were making splendid progress”). It may be useful in this particular context to indicate that the progress the believers were making was in their relationship to Christ, for example, “You were progressing so well in your relationship to Christ,” or “… in the way in which you trusted Christ.”

The verb translated made you stop has the primary meaning of “to hinder” (Revised Standard Version). It is tempting to continue the metaphor of the race track and to interpret the verb as “put you off the course” (Phillips) or “diverted you from the path of truth” (New American Bible). But perhaps it is better to assume that Paul is mixing metaphors, since the verb here is used in military operations and signifies breaking up a road to render it impassable.

The tense of the verb (aorist) indicates that the work of the false teachers has already been done and that in some way the Galatians have stopped obeying the truth. Truth here is the message which Paul had proclaimed to the Galatians. Who made you stop obeying the truth? may be rendered as “who caused you to stop obeying the true words?”, or even “… the true words about God?” In some languages it is simply impossible to speak of “truth” without indicating what is true. One may therefore have “true words,” “true words about God,” or “the true Good News.” This could be an indirect reference to the initial presentation of the gospel in chapter 1.6-9.

The question How did he persuade you? really belongs to verse 8; it is an expansion of a nominal form of the verb “to persuade.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Galatians 5:7

Paragraph 5:7–10

In this paragraph, Paul warned the Galatians about the false teachers. They were dangerous. But God would judge them.

5:7a

You were running so well: This clause is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Paul compared the Galatians’ life of faith in Christ to running a race. They are similar in that both had been done well. They had started well. Paul implied that the Galatians were no longer living the Christian life well.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

You were running the race so well. (New Living Translation (2004))

• Make the topic explicit. For example:

You were running well in your life with Christ.

• Make the topic explicit and change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

You were following Christ well in the same way that a person runs a race well.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

You were obeying Christ well.
-or-
You were doing so well! (Good News Translation)
-or-
You were progressing so well.

5:7b

Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?: This is a rhetorical question. Paul used this rhetorical question to rebuke the Galatians. He stated that they were no longer living according to the truth of the gospel.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Who stopped you from following the true way? (New Century Version)
-or-
Why did you permit someone to hinder you from obeying the truth?

• As an exclamation. For example:

You should not have stopped obeying the truth!

• As a statement. For example:

until someone made you turn from the truth (Contemporary English Version)

has obstructed you: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as obstructed means “prevent” or “stop someone.” In this metaphor of a race, it refers to someone getting in front of a runner and blocking his way. Some versions translate this verb in such a way as to reflect the racing idiom. For example:

cut in on you (New International Version)

Some other ways to translate this verb are:

stopped you (New Century Version)
-or-
prevented you (NET Bible)
-or-
interfered and held you back

the truth: The phrase the truth refers to the true gospel that Paul preached.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

the true gospel
-or-
the true message from God

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