The law given through angels (3:19)

Says “It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred” (Gal 3:19). “It was administered through angels by a mediator” (διαταγεὶς δι’ ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ μεσίτου, “by the hand of a mediator”). Stephen speaks of those “who received the law ordained by angels” (Acts 7:53), and Hebrews of “the message spoken by angels” (Heb 2:2). Moses blesses Israel saying that the Lord “came from Sinai” and “came with myriads of holy ones” (Deut 33:2).

Ramsay sums up the giving of the law: “It was conveyed from God by angels”. Who the mediator is, is set out in the early readings of the chapter and weighed in the exegetical notes.

Implies Because Acts 7:53 and Heb 2:2 also speak of the law as given through angels, the text of 3:19 states what other Scripture states, not a private claim of Paul’s.

Uncertain Whether Deut 33:2 lies behind the angels of 3:19, and what part the angels had at Sinai, are open; this background does not fix the meaning of the text.