Galatians 1:18

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. AFTER THREE YEARS - from my conversion; as appears by the contrast to "immediately" (Galatians 1:16). These three years of Paul's direction by God alone answer to the three years (about) of the contact of the twelve with Jesus. This is the visit to Jerusalem (Acts 9:26) at which occurred the vision, Acts 22:17. The incident which led to his leaving Damascus (Acts 9:25; 2 Corinthians 11:33) was not the main c...

18._Then after three years_. It was not till three years after he had begun to discharge the apostolic office, that he _went up to Jerusalem_. Thus, he did not, at the outset, receive the calling of men. But lest it should be supposed that he had separate interests from theirs, and was desirous to avoid their society, he tells us that he went up for the express purpose_to see _(31) _Peter. _(32) Although he had not waited for their sanction before undertaking the office, yet it was not against their will, but with their full consent and approbation, that he held the rank of an apostle. He is desirous to shew that at no period was he at variance with the apostles, and that even now he is in full harmony with all their views. By mentioning the short time that he remained there, he shews that he had come, not with a view to learn, but solely for mutual intercours

15-24 St. Paul was wonderfully brought to the knowledge and faith of Christ. All who are savingly converted, are called by the grace of God; their conversion is wrought by his power and grace working in them. It will but little avail us to have Christ revealed to us, if he is not also revealed in us. He instantly prepared to obey, without hesitating as to his worldly interest, credit, ease, or life itself. And what matter of thanksgiving and joy is it to the churches of Christ, when they hear of such instances to the praise of the glory of his grace, whether they have ever seen them or not! They glorify God for his power and mercy in saving such persons, and for all the service to his people and cause that is done, and may be further expected from them....

Verse 18. _AFTER THREE YEARS I WENT UP TO JERUSALEM TO SEE_ _Peter_] These three years may be reckoned either from the departure of Paul from Jerusalem, or from his return from Arabia to Damascus. _To see Peter_ - Ιστορησαι Πετρον, to become _personally acquainted_ with Peter; for this is the proper import of the verb ιστορειν, from which we have the word ιστορια, _history_, which signifies a _relation of things from personal knowledge_ and _actual_ _acquaintance_. How far this is, _now_, from the sense in which we must take the word, _ninety-nine_ of every _hundred_ of our _histories_ sufficiently show. They are any thing but _true_ relations of _facts_ and _persons_. _AND ABODE WITH HIM FIFTEEN DAYS._] It was not, therefore, to get religious knowledge from him that he paid him this visit. He knew as much of the _Jewish religion_ as Peter did,

THEN AFTER THREE YEARS - Probably three years after his departure from Jerusalem to Damascus, not after his return to Arabia. So most commentators have understood it. WENT UP TO JERUSALEM - More correctly, as in the margin, returned. TO SEE PETER - Peter was the oldest and most distinguished of the apostles. In Galatians 2:9, he, with James and John, is called a pillar. But why Paul went particularly to see him is not known. It was probably, however, from the celebrity and distinction which he knew Peter had among the apostles that he wished to become particularly acquainted with him. The word which is here rendered “to see” (ἱστορῆσαι historēsai) is by no means that which is commonly employed to denote that idea. It o

EXPOSITION GALATIANS 1:1 _The_ _introductory greeting. _The style of this greeting, compared with those found in St. Paul's other Epistles, gives indications of his having addressed himself to the composition of the letter under strong perturbation of feeling. This transpires in the abruptness with which, at the very outset, he at once sweeps aside, as it were, out of his path, a slur east upon his apostolic commission, in protesting that he was "apostle, not from man nor through a man." It appears again in that impetuous negligence of exact precision of language, with which the mention of "God the Father" is conjoined with that of "Jesus Christ" under the one preposition "through," as the _medium _through which his apostleship had been conferred upon him. We cannot help receiving the impression that the apostle had only just bef

THEN AFTER THREE YEARS I WENT UP TO JERUSALEM,.... Not three years after his return to Damascus, but after his conversion; and now it was that he moved to become a member of the church at Jerusalem; but they did not care to admit him, fearing that he was not a disciple, till such time that Barnabas took him, and brought him to the Apostles Peter and James, and related his conversion and his boldness in preaching the Gospel at Damascus: his view in going up to Jerusalem at this time was partly his own safety, being obliged to fly from Damascus, but chiefly TO SEE PETER. The Alexandrian copy, and another, read "Cephas", and so does the Ethiopic version, the same with Peter: not to see what sort of a man he was, but to pay him a Christian visit; to converse with him about spiritual things; to know how the work of God went on under him, as the minister of the circumcision; and to relate to...

Galatians 1:1. _Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)_ Paul begins this Epistle by stating his commission as an apostle. In Galatia, he had been subjected to the great sorrow of having his apostle-ship called in question. Does he, therefore, give up his claim to the office, and retire from the work? No, not for a moment; but he begins his letter to the Galatians by declaring himself to be «an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ.» His enemies had said, «Paul was never one of the Saviour's twelve apostles; he is not like those who were trained and educated by Christ himself. No doubt he has borrowed his doctrine from them, and he is only a retailer of other men's goods». No, no,» says Paul, «I am an apostle as truly as any other of the twelve; ‘not of men, neither by man, but by Je

GALATIANS 1:18 Khfa/n The Textus Receptus, following ac D F G K L P and most minuscules, substitutes the more familiar Greek name Pe,tron. The Aramaic name Khfa/n is supported by î46, 51 a* A B 33 424c 467 823 920 1739 1912 syrp, hmg, pal copsa, bo eth. (See also the comments on 2.9, 11, and 14.)...

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. THE TESTIMONY OF PAUL CONCERNING HIS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY AND THE GOSPEL CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Introduction. (Galatians 1:1)_ 2. The Rebuke. (Galatians 1:6) 3. Paul's Gospel Given by Revelation. (Galatians 1:11) 4. How Paul became an Apostle Independent of Jerusalem. (Galatians 1:13) The introductory words of this Epistle are brief and of deep significance. He speaks of himself as an apostle not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. His apostleship had been called in question and the gospel he preached branded as lacki