language · Gal 3:15; Gal 3:16; Gal 3:17; Gal 3:18 · ✓ Approved

Covenant, seed and inheritance (3:15–18)

Says In 3:15 a ratified διαθήκην no one ἀθετεῖ ἢ ἐπιδιατάσσεται (athetei ē epidiatassetai). Abbott-Smith cites this verse for διαθήκη both as “a disposition, testament, will” and as “a convention, arrangement, covenant”; ἐπιδιατάσσομαι is “to add provisions to a document”.

Says In 3:16 the promises went τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ: οὐ λέγει· Καὶ τοῖς σπέρμασιν, ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἐφ’ ἑνός (ou legei Kai tois spermasin hōs epi pollōn all’ hōs eph’ henos), “as of one,” the BSB’s “meaning One”, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστός.

Uncertain Calvin (p. 94) writes that Paul “calls attention to the singular number as denoting some particular seed”; Chrysostom (p. 28): “his seed according to the flesh is Christ”; Lightfoot, in paraphrase (p. 140): “This person is Christ.” Ramsay writes “The true ‘seed of Abraham’ is ‘the Christ’” (p. 376) and “‘The Christ’ is the whole body of true Christians.” (p. 377); Lightfoot (p. 143), more guardedly, says that at 3:28–29 Paul “connects together the two senses of the ‘seed of Abraham,’ dwelling once more on the unity of the seed”. No lean is taken here.

Says In 3:17 the law οὐκ ἀκυροῖ (ouk akyroi) (ἀκυρόω, “to revoke, invalidate”) a covenant προκεκυρωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. In 3:18 the Greek order is τῷ δὲ Ἀβραὰμ δι’ ἐπαγγελίας κεχάρισται ὁ θεός, Abraham first and God last; the BSB reorders it as “God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise”.

Claims

SaysGalatians 3:15 says no one sets aside or adds to a ratified diatheke; 3:16 says the promise was to his seed, as of one, who is Christ.
UncertainCalvin, Chrysostom, Lightfoot in paraphrase and Ramsay read the seed as Christ; Ramsay also as the whole body of Christians, and Lightfoot guardedly joins the two senses at 3:28–29; no lean is taken.
SaysGalatians 3:17 says the later law does not revoke a covenant ratified by God; in 3:18 the Greek names Abraham before God, while the BSB puts God first.

Citations

BSB public domain Gal 3:15–18
SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Gal 3:15–18
Calvin, Galatians (Pringle) public domain Calvin, Commentaries on Galatians and Ephesians (Pringle, CTS 1854), on Gal 3:16, p. 94 (leaf n107); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Chrysostom, Galatians (NPNF1 13) public domain Chrysostom, Commentary on Galatians (NPNF¹ 13, Oxford translation rev. Gross Alexander, 1889), on Gal 3:16, p. 28 (leaf n49); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Lightfoot, Galatians public domain Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (Macmillan, 1914 printing), on Gal 3:16, p. 140 (leaf n159), p. 143 (leaf n162); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Ramsay, Galatians public domain Ramsay, A Historical Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians (1899), on Gal 3:16, 29, p. 376 (leaf n393), p. 377 (leaf n394); checked against the printed page (scan); quoted, otherwise paraphrased
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. διαθήκη (G1242) — a disposition, testament, will
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. διαθήκη (G1242) — a convention, arrangement, covenant
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. ἐπιδιατάσσομαι (G1928) — to add provisions to a document
Abbott-Smith public domain s.v. ἀκυρόω (G208) — to revoke, invalidate

Sources BSB public domain SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Calvin, Galatians (Pringle) public domain Chrysostom, Galatians (NPNF1 13) public domain Lightfoot, Galatians public domain Ramsay, Galatians public domain Abbott-Smith public domain Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0

2026-11-13

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