Galatians 1:21 Commentary

Navigator

Galatians 1:21

Comments

Paul had dwelt in Syria and Cilicia, which Reymond calls ‘one united imperial province’. This agrees entirely with Luke who says that because Paul on this visit spoke boldly in Jerusalem and disputed with the Grecians, obviously getting the better of them despite their hatred for the things he taught, that they plotted to kill him. This servant of the Lord seems to face death everywhere he goes! He also refers to a vision from the Lord at this time while he was praying in the temple. The Lord tells him to hurry to leave Jerusalem and that the Jews will not receive his testimony concerning Christ (Acts 22:18). The brethren in Jerusalem also act to remove him from the city and bring him first to Caesarea and then send him to Tarsus in Cilicia, his native town (Acts 9:29-30), from where Barnabas later recalls him (Acts 11:25-26) and brings him to Antioch in Syria. In neither of these two places does he have further contact with the apostles, or with the churches that they founded in Judea. During this period Paul preached so effectively that his preaching was reported to the churches in Judea as a remarkable instance of the power of grace to reverse the whole course of a man’s life (Galatians 1:23). Christ had said to him ‘I will send you to the Gentiles’ both at his conversion (Acts 26:17) and in the vision in the temple on his first return to Jerusalem (Acts 22:21), and this is where he began to work.

Application

Questions

What did Paul do in Syria and Cilicia and how long did he remain there? Reymond suggests that he could have been there for as long as nine or ten years. This is based on the eleven year gap between the first and second visit to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18; 2:1), minus the full year in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The first missionary journey took place at the end of this year originating from Antioch. It was after all of these events that Paul made his further visit to Jerusalem reported in Galatians 2:1 which came about in response to Judaizers who came from Jerusalem to Antioch. This interpretation relies on understanding Galatians 2:1 to refer to what was, strictly speaking, Paul’s third visit to Jerusalem (see notes on Galatians 2:1 below), and to pass over the famine visit. Others, while admitting the gap between the two mentioned Jerusalem visits to be 11 years, have Paul spending longer in Antioch and correspondingly shorter in Cilicia.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Galatians 1:21 Commentary and Bible Study