Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Galatians 1:20
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
20. Considering that the vital question of St Paul’s credentials was at stake, we need not wonder at this solemn asseveration and appeal to the judgment of God.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold, before God I lie not – This is an oath, or a solemn appeal to God; see the note at Rom 9:1. The design of this oath here is to prevent all suspicion of falsehood, It may seem to be remarkable that Paul should make this solemn appeal to God in this argument, and in the narrative of a plain fact, when his statement could hardly be called in question by anyone. But we may remark:
(1) That the oath here refers not only to the fact that he was with Peter and James only fifteen days, but to the entire group of facts to which he had referred in this chapter. The things which I wrote unto you. It included, therefore, the narrative about his conversion, and the direct revelation which he had from the Lord Jesus.
(2) There were no radios which he could appeal to in this case, and he could, therefore, only appeal to God. It was probably not practicable for him to appeal to Peter or James, since neither of them were in Galatia, and a considerable part of the transactions here referred to occurred where there were no witnesses. It pertained to the direct revelation of truth from the Lord Jesus. The only way, therefore, was for Paul to appeal directly to God for the truth of what he said.
(3) The importance of the truth here affirmed was such as to justify this solemn appeal to God. It was an extraordinary and miraculous revelation of the truth by Jesus Christ himself. He received information of the truth of Christianity from no human being. He had consulted no one in regard to its nature. That fact was so extraordinary, and it was so remarkable that the system thus communicated to him should harmonize so entirely with that taught by the other apostles with whom he had had no contact, that it was not improper to appeal to God in this solemn manner. It was, therefore, no trifling matter in which Paul appealed to God; and a solemn appeal of the same nature and in the same circumstances can never be improper.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Gal 1:20
I lie not.
Truthfulness; its violation
Untruthfulness is something more than direct and deliberate misstatement, e.g., by the practice of making excuses for faults in conduct which do not fairly admit of them; by exaggeration, which from carelessness or vanity overstates the case; by equivocation, in which the words may be true, but the impression conveyed false; by dissimulation, which by silence or some assumed attitude allows a false impression of our position to go abroad; by the breaking of promises, whether from inability to fulfil a promise rashly made, or from neglect to fulfil one to which we have the power of giving effect; and by falsehood in act, such as is exemplified in schools in copying or prompting. To inspire even a moderate love of this virtue, it is necessary to set the highest value of it before the child; the teacher must therefore be on the alert to check all its violations.
Truthfulness excites trust
Talent is by no means rare in the world; nor is even genius. But can talent be trusted, or even genius? Not unless based on truthfulness. It is this quality more than any other that commands the esteem and respect, and secures the confidence of others. Truthfulness is at the foundation of all personal excellence. (S. Smiles, LL. D.)
The truth-teller–his reward and work
Honour to the truthful man! Hail to the people with whom veracity prevails! Joy to mankind, when this daughter of light wins the victory over falsehood, and thrusts her back to that kingdom of darkness whence she sprang. (De Wette.)
A solemn declaration of the truth
I. Paul asseverates the truth of definite statements.
II. His declaration of truth was comprehensive.
III. His truthfulness commended itself to the judgment of men, and to the approval of God.
1. Men were invited to witness it. Behold.
2. God was the witness of the truth. It had been spoken, and acted in His sight. All things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Lessons:
1. The best of men are sometimes suspected of wrong-doing, and are liable to misrepresentation.
2. Every Christian man should speak and act as in the presence of God.
3. Very solemn avowals, as oaths, ought to be used only under constraint. (R. Nicholls.)
Perfect truthfulness necessary
Concave mirrors magnify the features nearest to them into undue and monstrous propertions; and in common mirrors that are ill cast, and of uneven surface, the most beautiful face is distorted into deformity. So there are many minds of this description: they distort or magnify, diminish or discolour, almost every gospel truth which they reflect. (Dr. Guthrie.)
Galeazius, a gentleman of great wealth, who suffered martyrdom at St. Angelo in Italy, being much entreated by his friends to recant, replied, Death is much sweeter to me with the testimony of truth than life with its least denial.
Lying scorned
The minister of the seminary at Clermont, France, having been siezed at Autun by the populace, the mayor, who wished to save him, advised him not to take the oath, but to allow him to tell the people that he had taken it. I would myself make known your falsehood to the people replied the clergyman: it is not permitted me to ransom my life by a lie. The God who prohibits my taking this oath will not allow me to make it believed that I have taken it. The mayor was silent, and the minister was martyred. (Foster.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. Before God I lie not.] This he speaks in reference to having seen only Peter and James at Jerusalem; and consequently to prove that he had not learned the Gospel from the assembly of the apostles at Jerusalem, nor consequently received his commission from them.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Whether those words, before God, make this sentence an oath, is not material to determine; they are either an oath, or a very serious asseveration. If the apostle designed to call God for a witness, to the correspondence of his words with the truth of the things he had spoken, they make up an assertory oath, which was lawful enough (though privately taken) in so serious a matter as this, where the apostle is vindicating his apostleship from some acts, of which probably he had no witnesses at hand to produce; but they may be understood (by the supplement of, I speak, or, I say this) only as a form of serious assertion, to confirm the truth of what he asserted. He minds them, that he was sensible of Gods presence in all places, and particular taking notice of the things spoken; as being spoken before him, who knew that what he spake was truth.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. Solemn asseveration that hisstatement is true that his visit was but for fifteen days and that hesaw no apostle save Peter and James. Probably it had been reported byJudaizers that he had received a long course of instruction from theapostles in Jerusalem from the first; hence his earnestness inasserting the contrary facts.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now the things which I write unto you,…. Concerning his education, his religion, his principles and practices before conversion; concerning his call by the grace of God, the revelation of Christ in him, and his preaching of him among the Heathen; concerning his travels to several places for this purpose, and especially concerning his not receiving the Gospel from men, not from any of the apostles; and how that upon his conversion he did not go up to Jerusalem to any of them, to be taught and sent forth by them; and that it was not till three years after that he wept thither to see Peter, with whom he stayed but fifteen days, and saw no other apostle, but James the Lord’s brother. Now this being a matter of moment, and what he had been charged with by the false teachers, that the Gospel he preached he had received from men, in order to disqualify him and bring him into contempt as an apostle, and which they had insinuated to the Galatians; he therefore not only wrote these things, but for the confirmation of them solemnly appeals to God the searcher of hearts for the truth of them;
behold, before God I lie not; which is not only a strong asseveration, but a formal oath; it is swearing by the God of truth, calling him to be witness of the things that he had written; whence it is manifest that an oath upon proper occasions, where there is a necessity for it, and a good end to be answered by it, may be lawfully made.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
I lie not ( ). So important does he deem the point that he takes solemn oath about it.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
I lie not. Comp. Rom 9:1; 2Co 11:31; 1Ti 2:7.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Now the things which I write unto you,” (ha de rapho humin) “Now what things I write to you all,” especially regarding, in context of this setting, the fact that he had a supernatural call and message from God to bear to the Gentiles.
2) “Behold, before God,” (idou enopion tou theou) “Behold, before (in the face of) God;” a solemn affirmation of Paul regarding his Divine Credentials to the gospel, missionary ministry to the Gentiles.
3) “I lie not,” (hoti ou pseudomai) “that I do not lie; Rom 9:1 is a similar affirmation of Paul’s open conscience of stated truth, with God the Holy Spirit called as his witness, as a witness in legal court is to tell “the truth, whole truth, nothing but the truth.”
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
20. Now the things which I write to you. This affirmation extends to the whole narrative. The vast earnestness of Paul on this subject is evinced by his resorting to an oath, which cannot lawfully be employed but on great and weighty occasions. Nor is it wonderful that he insists with so much earnestness on this point; for we have already seen to what expedients the impostors had recourse in order to take from him the name and credit of an apostle. Now the modes of swearing used by good men deserve our attention; for we learn from them that an oath must be viewed simply as an appeal to the judgment-seat of God for the integrity and truth of our words and actions; and such a transaction ought to be guided by religion and the fear of God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
Gal. 1:24. They glorified God in me.He does not say, adds Chrysostom, they marvelled at me, they praised me, they were struck with admiration of me, but he attributes all to grace. They glorified God in me. How different, he implies to the Galatians, their spirit from yours.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gal. 1:20-24
God glorified in His Servant
I. By the undoubted truthfulness of his statements.Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not (Gal. 1:20). The assertions of the apostle flatly contradicted the allegations of his enemies. They insinuated that Paul was but a messenger of the authorities of the Church at Jerusalem, and that all he knew of the gospel had been learned from the twelve. So far from this being the case it is evident that for several years he had been preaching the gospel, and had not seen any of the twelve, except Peter and James, and that only for a fortnight at Jerusalem about three years after his conversion. In the present case, remarks Professor Jowett, it is a matter of life and death to the apostle to prove his independence of the twelve. Having said all he can to substantiate his point, he concludes by a solemn appeal to God as to his veracity: Behold, before God, I lie not. The apostle never makes an appeal like this lightly, but only in support of a vital truth he is specially anxious to enforce (Rom. 9:1; 2Co. 1:17-18; 2Co. 1:23; 1Th. 2:5).
When fiction rises pleasing to the eye,
Men will believe, because they love the lie;
But truth herself, if clouded with a frown,
Must have some solemn proof to pass her down.
Churchill.
The vigorous and faithful maintenance of the truth brings glory to God.
II. By his evangelistic activity.Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia (Gal. 1:21). During this tour very probably the Churches were founded, referred to in Act. 15:23; Act. 15:41. A mans work, says George Macdonald, does not fall upon him by chance, but it is given him to do; and everything well done belongs to Gods kingdom, and everything ill done to the kingdom of darkness. God is the sublime end of all human activity, and our powers can never be more nobly employed than in expounding His will, unfolding His gracious character, advancing the interests of His kingdom, and striving to promote His glory among the children of men. Man is never so great, so luminous, so grand as when he is doing work for God with the light and help of God; and all such work is a revelation of the character and purposes of God open to the eyes of all who will see.
III. By the reputation of his changed life.And was unknown by face unto the Churches: they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preached the faith which once he destroyed (Gal. 1:22-23). The conversion of Saul of Tarsus was one of the most striking events in the early history of the Church. It was a marvel to all who had known his previous life. It was an unanswerable testimony to the power of the gospel, and an argument that has been used in all ages to illustrate the possibility of the salvation of the worst of sinners. It is said the Duke of Burgundy was born terrible. He would indulge in such paroxysms of rage that those who were standing by would tremble for his life. He was hard-hearted, passionate, incapable of bearing the least opposition to his wishes, fond of gambling, violent hunting, the gratifications of the table, abandoned to his pleasures, barbarous, and born to cruelty. With this was united a genius of the most extraordinary kind; quickness of humour, depth and justice of thought, versatility and acuteness of mind. The prodigy was, that in a short space of time the grace of God made him a new man. He became a prince, affable, gentle, moderate, patient, modest, humble, austere only to himself, attentive to his duties, and sensible of their extent. If we could lay a hand on the fly-wheel of the Scotch express, running fifty or sixty miles an hour, and stop it, we should perform an astounding miracle. But this is what God does in His miracles of conversion. He laid His mighty hand on the fly-wheel of Pauls life, and not only stopped its mad career, but turned it right round in the opposite direction. The persecutor becomes a preacher.
IV. By the recognition of His divine call.And they glorified God in me (Gal. 1:24). The attempt to disparage the authority of Paul was the work of a few malcontents, who sought to ruin his influence in order to extend their own. The Churches of Jerusalem and Judea, though many of them had not seen the apostle, acknowledged and praised God for the divine work done in him and by him. A few false teachers may work much mischief, but they cannot overturn the work of God, nor prevent its full recognition. The faithful servant may safely leave his reputation in the hands of God. It lifts humanity, especially Christianised humanity, into special dignity, when it is discovered that God is glorified in man.
Lessons.
1. The gospel elevates man by transforming him.
2. The conscientious worker has God on his side.
3. God is glorified by obedient toil.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
Gal. 1:20. Self-conscious Truth.
1. The choicest servants of Christ may be looked upon as liars and unworthy to be trusted, even by those to whom they are sent, and yet they must not give over to preach as knowing that the word spoken by them doth still get credit from some, and will beget trust to itself from others, and for the rest it will seal up their condemnation and make them inexcusable.
2. It is not unlawful for Christians to take an oath, providing it be with these conditions:
(1) That the thing we swear be truth.
(2) That there be weighty reasons for taking an oath.
(3) That we swear only by the name of God, and not by the creatures, seeing none but God can bear witness to the secrets of the heart.Fergusson.
Gal. 1:21-24. The Self-evidencing Proof of a divinely commissioned Messenger.
1. Seen in disinterested labours and travels (Gal. 1:21-22).
2. Seen in a remarkable change of character and conduct (Gal. 1:23).
3. Seen in that the glory of his work is ascribed to God (Gal. 1:24).
Practical Proofs of Apostleship.
I. Paul went from Jerusalem into Syria and Cilicia.
1. Because he was ordained specially to be the apostle of the Gentiles.
2. Because Cilicia was his own country, and his love to his country was great. If any apostle above the rest be the pastor and universal bishop of the Church over the whole world, it is Paul and not Peter.
II. Paul was known to the Christian Jews only by hearsay, because it is the office of an apostle not to build on the foundation of another or to succeed any man in his labour, but to plant and found the Church of the New Testament.
III. Seeing the intent of the devil and wicked men is to destroy the faith, we must have a special care of our faith.
1. We must look that our faith be a true faith.
2. We must keep and lock up our faith in some safe and sure placein the storehouse or treasury of a good conscience.
3. Our care must be to increase in faith that our hearts may be rooted and grounded in the love of God.
IV. Our duty is to sanctify and glorify the name of God in every work of His.Neglect in glorifying and praising God is a great sin.Perkins.
Gal. 1:24. God glorified in Good Men.We are taught to honour God in man and man in God. We are taught to avoid, on the one hand, all creature idolatry, and, on the other, that cynical severity, or ungrateful indifference to the Author of all good in man, which undervalues or neglects the excellencies which ought to be held up to admiration that they may be imitated by ourselves and others. Each of these extremes robs God of His just revenue of grateful praise. In what does creature idolatry consist but in honouring and trusting in the natural and acquired excellencies of creatures to the exclusion of God? But is there then no wisdom, no might, no excellence, in man? As it were absurd to deny this, it would be affectation to pretend to overlook it. Admire and deny not this wisdom, acknowledge this efficiency, and affect not to lower its estimate; only glorify God who worketh all in all. If He has chosen any of them to be more eminently His instruments for the furtherance of His purposes of mercy to mankind, He does it by virtue of His sovereignty. If he continues their useful lives, whilst you have their light rejoice in the light and glorify Him from whom it comes as its original and source; and when He chooses to quench these stars of His right hand in the darkness of death, still glorify Him. As to us, this is to remind us of our dependence on Him, who appointed their orbit and invested them with their different degrees of glory; and as to them, though their lustre fades from these visible skies, it is that it may be rekindled in superior glory in the kingdom of their Father.R. Watson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(20) A solemn asseveration of the truth of these statements as to the extent of the Apostles relation with the elder disciples.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Before God This earnest reminder that we speak as in God’s presence has the solemnity of an oath, but not its profanity.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Now concerning the things about which I am writing to you, behold, before God I am not lying.’
He is so concerned that they believe the truth of what he is saying that he confirms his complete honesty ‘before God’. It was important that they recognised that his teaching came from God. This semi-oath applies to all he is saying and about to say. ‘Before God I am not lying’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gal 1:20. Before God, I lie not. A revelation of the facts and doctrines of Christianity immediately from Jesus Christ himself, without the assistance of any human teacher, so wonderfully agreeing in all its branches with that which the Lord Jesus Christ had taught on earth, both before and after his resurrection, was so extraordinary an event, and of so great importance to those whom St. Paul visited, and to whom he wrote, that one cannot wonder he should think proper to assert it in so solemn a manner. We have great reason, while we read the attestation which he has given to the truth of what he says, to acknowledge, that it is of a piece with the many signs and wonders attending both his conversion and his ministry.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gal 1:20 . Not a parenthesis, but, at the conclusion of what Paul has just related of that first sojourn of his at Jerusalem after his conversion (namely, that he had travelled thither to make the acquaintance of Cephas, had remained with him fifteen days, and had seen none of the other apostles besides, only James the brother of the Lord), an affirmation by oath that in this he had spoken the pure truth. The importance of the facts he had just related for his object to prove his apostolic independence induced him to make this sacred assurance. For if Paul had ever been a disciple of the apostles, he must have become so then , when he was with the apostles at Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion; but not only had he been there with another object in view, and for so few days, but he had also met with James only, besides Peter. The reference to all that had been said from Gal 1:12 (Calvin, Koppe, Winer, Matthies), or at least to Gal 1:15-19 (Hofmann), is precluded by the fact that in Gal 1:18 begins a fresh section of the report (comp. Gal 1:21 ; Gal 2:1 ), beyond which there is no reason to go back.
The sentence is so constructed that stands emphatically by itself as an anacoluthon; and before , that , we have again to supply , But what I write to you behold in the sight of God I write, that I lie not; that is, in respect to what I write to you, I write, I assure you before the face of God ( , so that I have God present as witness), that I lie not. Comp. Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 338. Schott takes as since, “coram Deo scribo, siquidem non mentior,” whereby . . does not appear as an anacoluthon. But this siquidem non mentior would be very flat; whereas the anacoluthon of the prefixed relative sentence is precisely in keeping with the fervency of the language (comp. Mat 10:14 ; Luk 21:6 , and the note thereon). The completely parallel protestation also, (2Co 11:31 ; comp. Rom 1:9 ; 2Co 1:23 ), is quite unfavourable to the explanation of as siquidem. To supply with Bengel, Paulus, and Rckert (comp. Jerome), an after ( , that), does not make the construction easier (Rckert); on the contrary, it is arbitrary, and yields an unprecedented mode of expression.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
Ver. 20. Behold, before God, I lie not ] This he solemnly sweareth for their satisfaction. An oath may be lawfully taken to help the truth in necessity, and not otherwise. Hence the Hebrew word Nishbang is a passive, and signifieth “to be sworn,” rather than to swear.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
20 .] This asseveration (cf. 2Co 11:31 ) applies most naturally to the important fact just asserted his short visit to Jerusalem, and his having seen only Peter and James, rather than to the whole subject of the chapter. If a report had been spread in Galatia that after his conversion he spent years at Jerusalem and received regular institution in Christianity at the hands of the Apostles, this last fact would naturally cause amazement, and need a strong confirmatory asseveration.
As regards the construction, stands alone, ( with regard to ) the things which I am writing to you , and the word necessary to be supplied to carry on the sense from . . to , lies under the , which here answers to such words as , 1Ti 5:21 ; 2Ti 2:14 ; 2Ti 4:1 , , 1Ti 6:13 . Meyer would supply , which seems harsh: others take as ‘ for ,’ which is worse still (cf. 2Co 11:21 , ), and this too, understanding after (Bengel).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Gal 1:20 . The solemnity of this appeal to God in attestation of His truth marks at once the importance which Paul attached to his independence of human teachers, and the persistency of the misrepresentation to which he had been exposed. . This imperative is always used interjectionally in Scriptures: the subsequent depends on . , which has the force of an attestation.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
behold. Greek. idou. App-193.:
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
20.] This asseveration (cf. 2Co 11:31) applies most naturally to the important fact just asserted-his short visit to Jerusalem, and his having seen only Peter and James, rather than to the whole subject of the chapter. If a report had been spread in Galatia that after his conversion he spent years at Jerusalem and received regular institution in Christianity at the hands of the Apostles, this last fact would naturally cause amazement, and need a strong confirmatory asseveration.
As regards the construction, stands alone, (with regard to) the things which I am writing to you,-and the word necessary to be supplied to carry on the sense from . . to , lies under the , which here answers to such words as , 1Ti 5:21; 2Ti 2:14; 2Ti 4:1,-, 1Ti 6:13. Meyer would supply , which seems harsh: others take as for, which is worse still (cf. 2Co 11:21, ),-and this too, understanding after (Bengel).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Gal 1:20. , behold) viz. , it is; for means that.[6]
[6] It is the case before God, that, etc.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Gal 1:20
Gal 1:20
Now touching the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.-He avers with earnestness that the things in these matters are true. Sometimes we wonder at the earnestness of Paul in these seemingly unimportant details as to his movements. But the point made against him was that he was not an apostle, but had received what he knew and taught from the twelve. He is showing that he had no opportunity to learn from them, that he had only a few days interview with Peter during the eighteen or twenty years of his early labors, but was entirely under the immediate direction of the Lord who sent him.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
behold: Rom 9:1, 2Co 11:10, 2Co 11:11, 2Co 11:31
Reciprocal: Rom 1:9 – God 2Co 1:23 – I call Phi 1:8 – God 1Th 2:5 – God 1Ti 2:7 – I speak
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gal 1:20. -but as to the things which I am writing to you,-the reference being to the assertions just made-his visit to Jerusalem, and his brief residence with Peter, and that during that fortnight he saw only him and the Lord’s brother. Some, as Calvin, Winer, Matthies, refer the declaration to the whole paragraph from Gal 1:12, or from Gal 1:15 (Estius and Hofmann), some of the elements of which were not, however, matter of dispute. The apostle becomes fervent in his affirmation, and calls God to witness:
-behold before God that I lie not. The construction is broken. Schott denies it, being supplied-quae vobis scribo, ecce coram Deo scribo, siquidem non mentior. So generally Jerome and Ambrose. The ellipse is striking, and . . is a virtual oath. , as Lightfoot remarks, is never used as a verb, so that here it cannot govern . The word to be supplied to resolve the ellipse has been variously taken: by Meyer; by De Wette, Olshausen, and Bisping; by Usteri; by Hilgenfeld; and by Rckert and Bengel-i.e. it is before God that I lie not. In 2Co 11:31 we have . . . . . . . In 1Ti 5:21, occurs with . . with in 2Ti 2:14; similarly 2Ti 4:2. This verb might therefore be the most natural supplement, if any supplement be really necessary. But the ellipse, abrupt, terse, and idiomatic, needs not to be so diluted, and probably no supplementary term was in the apostle’s mind at all as it suddenly threw out this solemn adjuration. Besides, a similar construction occurs in the Sept.: , Psa 119:159; , Lam 1:20. Behold before God is equivalent to saying, I call God to witness that, (Lightfoot). There might be no human proof, but there was divine attestation. Augustine, in loc., enters into the question of the lawfulness of swearing. One can scarcely suppose that the apostle would have used this solemn adjuration, unless the statement had been liable to be questioned, or a different account of his early Christian history had been in circulation. It would seem that a totally different account of his visits to Jerusalem after his conversion, and of the relation he sustained to the elder apostles, had been in use among the Judaists, to undermine his independent authority and neutralize his teaching. And because what he now tells would contradict received opinion as to his earlier actings and journeys, he confirms what he says by a virtual oath, though the phrase as in Hebrew, , is not formally always used of oaths.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Gal 1:20. Paul’s apostleship had been questioned by some Judaizers, and his account contained in the preceding several verses is given as factual evidence of his authority. The statement before God I lie not is added to show that he is conscientious and serious, for he knows that God understands his heart.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Gal 1:20. This solemn asseveration refers to the statement Gal 1:18-19. Judaizing opponents had probably spread the report in Galatia that Paul spent a much longer time in Jerusalem, and was instructed by the Jewish Apostles, especially by Peter, consequently dependent on them.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe, here, that St. Paul, having to do with the false apostles and the seduced Galatians, whom, he had just cause to suspect, would not (as they ought) give much credit to his word; he asserts the truth of what he affirmed, upon oath, appealing to the all-knowing and heart-searching God, as witness and judge of the truth of what he said: Behold before God, I lie not.
Where, note, 1. That it is no new thing for the faithfulest and ablest ministers and servants of Christ to be looked upon as liars, unworthy to be trusted, and to have the truth of what they deliver, though in God’s name, questioned and suspected. Our apostle’s purging of himself here from lying, doth import, that some did suspect him for a liar. And if an inspired apostle be, what private minister may not be, suspected!
Note, 2. The mean which St. Paul makes use of, for purging himself from the imputation of falsehood; it was, by taking an oath in a solemn manner.
Learn thence, that though rash swearing, false swearing, and upon every light occasion to take or multiply oaths, be a very great sin; yet to swear, and bear witness to the truth, and to take an oath upon due consideration, and for weighty reasons, and to swear by the name of God, is certainly a lawful, and sometimes a very necessary and important duty.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Gal 1:20-24. Now the things which I write unto you With respect to all these circumstances of them; I lie not As I affirm before God, who searcheth the heart, and from whom nothing is hid. Afterward Departing from Jerusalem; I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia To exercise my ministry there, and, if possible, to bring those among whom I was born and brought up, to the knowledge of Christ and his gospel. It appears from Act 9:30, that some of the brethren in Jerusalem, who advised him to depart, kindly accompanied him to Cesarea, a well known sea-port town on the Mediterranean, from whence it seems he intended to go by sea to Tarsus. But, as he here says that he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, it is probable, that after embarking at Cesarea, contrary winds forced him into some of the ports of Syria; so that, altering his plan, he went through that country preaching the gospel, and from thence proceeded to Cilicia by land. And was personally unknown to the churches in Judea Except to that of Jerusalem. In travelling from Damascus to Jerusalem, after his return from Arabia, it seems by this, that he did not preach or make himself known to any of the Christians in the cities of Judea through which he passed. But they had heard only This wonderful account in general, which would doubtless spread rapidly through all the land; that he which persecuted us in times past To imprisonment and death, was become a convert to the religion of Jesus; so that he now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed That is, the great truths of the gospel, which he once laboured with all his might to extirpate from the minds of men, and from the face of the earth; and they glorified God in me That is, on my account, as they well might, beholding in me so wonderful an instance of the power and grace of God. This the apostle mentions, because it implied that the Christians in Judea believed him to be a sincere convert, and were persuaded that his conversion would be an additional proof of the divine original of the gospel.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Now touching the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
A clear declaration of his honesty as he lays groundwork for the authority of what he had been teaching and what he was going to teach.
Picture this for a moment – standing before God Himself, the One that is truth, the One that lies not, the One that cannot lie, the One against which all knowledge is compared for truth — what kind of idiot would lie in such a situation 🙂 and Paul declares that even in that situation he would tell the truth. I would have added, especially in that situation I would not lie.
In a sense he is swearing before God that he speaks the truth.
Oh, that all Christians would have this attitude toward truth. Many today lie at the drop of a hat – they lie as if it was an integrated part of their nature. I have seen believers lie when the truth would have been a better course.
The term “behold” calls a special attention to what he is going to say. He really wants them to get this message and get it as clearly as possible.
Let that phrase ring loudly in your ears the next time you are tempted to lie, tempted to deceive another person, or even God.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, {o} before God, I lie not.
(o) This is a type of an oath.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Paul may have added this verse to help the Galatians realize not only that he was telling the truth but that he really had received his gospel by divine revelation. The truth of the gospel, as he preached it, was at stake in the truthfulness of what he said, as was the error of what the false teachers were proclaiming. [Note: Cf. J. P. Sampley, "’Before God, I do not lie’ (Gal. i.20): Paul’s Self-Defence in the Light of Roman Legal Praxis," New Testament Studies 23 (1976-77):481-82.]