You know that it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
Parallel translations
- WEB but you know that because of weakness of the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time.
- KJV Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
- NKJV You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first.
- NASB but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time;
- NLT Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul first preached the gospel to them because of a bodily weakness or illness. God used even his frailty as the occasion for their hearing the Good News.
Overview
Paul recalls that some physical ailment led to his initial ministry among the Galatians. The exact nature of this weakness is unknown and debated, and Paul leaves it unspecified. The point is that despite his unimpressive condition, they welcomed both him and his message, a contrast he uses to shame their present coldness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Cor 2:3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
- 2 Cor 12:7–10or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
- 2 Cor 11:30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
- 2 Cor 10:10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”
- 2 Cor 11:6Although I am not a polished speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way possible.
- 2 Cor 13:4For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. And though we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you.
- Gal 1:6I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
- Acts 16:6After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia, they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia.
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Christ at the center
Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse, that we might receive the Spirit and be sons — justified by faith in him, not by works.
How Galatians 4:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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