Galatians 4:14

"but you know that because of weakness in the flesh I preached the Good News to you the first time."

Key Reflection

Paul explains to the Galatian believers that when he first preached the Gospel among them, it was done out of his own human weakness and vulnerability. This means that Paul had to rely on his own frailty and limitations rather than his own strength, highlighting his genuine and humble approach in spreading the message of Christianity. The original audience would have understood this as a reminder of how Paul's preaching came from a place of personal struggle and dependence on God, rather than boasting in his own abilities.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 14. And my temptations. My trial; the thing which was to me a trial and calamity. The meaning is, that he was afflicted with various calamities and infirmities, but that this did not hinder their receiving him as an angel from heaven. There is, however, a considerable variety in the Mss. on this verse. Many Mss., instead of "my temptation" read "your temptation;" and Mill maintains that this is the true reading. Griesbach hesitates between the two. But it is not very important to determine which is the true reading. If it should be "your," then it means that they were tempted by his infirmities to reject him; and so it amounts to about the same thing.

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