Galatians 1:9

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An Exegetical Study of Galatians 1:9: The Accusative Case with εὐαγγελίζεσθαι

This exegetical study of An Exegetical Study of Galatians 1:9: The Accusative Case with εὐαγγελίζεσθαι is based on a b-greek discussion from Mon Jun 8 18:14:27 1998. The initial inquiry from the b-greek discussion raises a question about the adjective ἁμαρτωλός in Luke 7:37, which modifies γυνή. It notes that this adjective, while referring to a woman, may take a form sometimes associated with masculine usage, leading to questions about its historical semantic range and grammatical formation, particularly the implication that it might have originally referred only to males.

The primary exegetical issue addressed in this study, however, stems from the clause εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ’ ὃ παρελάβετε found in Galatians 1:9. The central problem lies in ascertaining the precise grammatical function of the pronoun ὑμᾶς (you, accusative case) in relation to the verb εὐαγγελίζεται (proclaims good news). This inquiry seeks to determine whether ὑμᾶς functions as a direct object or an indirect object, a distinction that carries significant implications for understanding Paul’s emphatic warning against theological deviation and for accurate translation.

Greek text (Nestle 1904):

Ὡς προειρήκαμεν, καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω· εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ’ ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω.

• Key differences with SBLGNT (2010): No significant textual variants affect the wording of Galatians 1:9 between the Nestle 1904 and SBLGNT 2010 editions.

Textual criticism of Galatians 1:9, as evidenced by editions such as NA28, reveals a consistent transmission of the clause εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ’ ὃ παρελάβετε. There are no notable variants that alter the grammatical construction under investigation. Lexical notes concerning the verb εὐαγγελίζομαι (euangelizomai, “to proclaim good news” or “to preach the gospel”) are particularly illuminating. While the Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich Lexicon (BDAG) confirms that the dative case is frequently employed for the recipient of the proclamation (e.g., “to preach good news to someone“), it explicitly documents the usage of the accusative case for the recipient, a development observed particularly in Hellenistic Greek. This is exemplified in numerous New Testament passages, including Luke 3:18, Acts 16:10, and 1 Peter 1:12, as well as in various extra-biblical Hellenistic authors such as Eusebius, Justin Martyr, Alciphron, Heliodorus, Polycarp, and the author of the Petruskerygma. Thayer’s Lexicon further notes that this construction—where the accusative denotes the person to whom the good news is preached—was “unknown to the earlier Grks.,” indicating a discernible evolution in Greek syntax. Blass-Debrunner-Funk (BDF §152) corroborates this, explaining that the accusative “alternating with or supplanting classical dative is found in the NT with… εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τινα (probably following the pattern of εὐλογεῖν, etc.),” thereby differentiating it from the classical Attic construction with a dative of person and accusative of thing. This body of evidence collectively suggests a linguistic shift where the recipient of the message is treated as a direct object of the verb’s action, rather than an indirect one.

Translation Variants

The grammatical analysis of Galatians 1:9, specifically the function of ὑμᾶς, gives rise to two principal interpretive and translational approaches.

The predominant approach, supported by the weight of lexical and grammatical scholarship on Hellenistic Greek, interprets ὑμᾶς as a direct object of εὐαγγελίζεται. In this understanding, the Galatians themselves are the direct recipients and targets of the verb’s action—they are “gospel-ed” or “preached good news.” This construction directly reflects the documented Hellenistic usage of εὐαγγελίζομαι, where the person becomes the direct object of the proclamation, as opposed to the more classical construction where the message itself is the direct object and the person is an indirect object in the dative case. Rhetorically, by positioning ὑμᾶς as a direct object, Paul intensifies the personal address and underscores the direct impact that both the true and any alternative gospel have upon the Galatian community. This grammatical choice emphasizes the direct agency of the one proclaiming and the direct receptivity of the audience, thus amplifying the urgency and the severity of the warning against accepting a deviation from the received truth.

An alternative, though less substantiated, interpretation considers ὑμᾶς as an indirect object, positing an implied direct object such as “the Gospel.” In this view, the verb would mean “to preach the Gospel to you,” with the implied direct object serving as the antecedent for the relative pronoun ὃ in the subsequent phrase παρ’ ὃ παρελάβετε (“beyond what you received”). While this dative-for-recipient construction is characteristic of classical Greek for verbs of communication, the extensive evidence for the accusative-of-recipient with εὐαγγελίζομαι in the New Testament and contemporary Hellenistic literature mitigates against this interpretation for Galatians 1:9. Adopting such an approach would necessitate overlooking the documented linguistic evolution and the specific usage patterns prevalent during the time of the New Testament, thereby potentially misrepresenting the nuance of Paul’s original intent.

Conclusions and Translation Suggestions

In conclusion, based on the comprehensive analysis of lexical and grammatical evidence from Hellenistic Greek, ὑμᾶς in Galatians 1:9 functions as a direct object of the verb εὐαγγελίζεται. This construction, a feature of New Testament Greek, directly implicates the Galatian community as the object of the gospel proclamation. Paul’s use of the direct accusative effectively magnifies the personal responsibility of the Galatians in adhering to the authentic message and the dire consequences of accepting any alternative.

1. Therefore, as we have said before, and now I say again: If anyone preaches a gospel to you contrary to what you received, let him be accursed.
   This translation prioritizes clarity in English, using a common phrasal verb “preaches a gospel to you” that effectively conveys the direct object sense of “you” as the recipient of the message.
2. As we have previously stated, and now I reiterate: If anyone evangelizes you in a manner contrary to what you have accepted, let that person be condemned.
   This option uses the more direct verb “evangelizes” with “you” as its direct object, closely mirroring the Greek grammatical structure and emphasizing the direct action upon the recipients.
3. Even as we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone brings good news to you beyond what you received, let him be anathema.
   This translation uses “brings good news to you,” which, while more descriptive, maintains the “you” as the direct recipient of the “good news,” capturing the essence of the Greek verb and its direct object.

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