Galatians 3 · Verse 24

Galatians 3:24

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24, King James Version

Galatians 3:24 in other translations

BSBSo the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
WEBSo that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
ASVSo that the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
YLTso that the law became our child-conductor--to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous,
DARBYSo that the law has been our tutor up to Christ, that we might be justified on the principle of faith.
BBESo the law has been a servant to take us to Christ, so that we might have righteousness by faith.
WebsterWherefore the law was our school-master to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

What does Galatians 3:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
24. "So that the law hath been (that is, hath turned out to be) our schoolmaster (or "tutor," literally, "pedagogue": this term, among the Greeks, meant a faithful servant entrusted with the care of the boy from childhood to puberty, to keep him from evil, physical and moral, and accompany him to his amusements and studies) to guide us unto Christ," with whom we are no longer "shut up" in bondage, but are freemen. "Children" (literally, infants) need such tutoring (Ga 4:3). might be--rather, "that we may be justified by faith"; which we could not be till Christ, the object of faith, had come. Meanwhile the law, by outwardly checking the sinful propensity which was constantly giving fresh proof of its refractoriness--as thus the consciousness of the power of the sinful principle became more vivid, and hence the sense of need both of forgiveness of sin and freedom from its bondage was awakened--the law became a "schoolmaster to guide us unto Christ" [Neander]. The moral law shows us what we ought to do, and so we learn our inability to do it. In the ceremonial law we seek, by animal sacrifices, to answer for our not having done it, but find dead victims no satisfaction for the sins of living men, and that outward purifying will not cleanse the soul; and that therefore we need an infinitely better Sacrifice, the antitype of all the legal sacrifices. Thus delivered up to the judicial law, we see how awful is the doom we deserve: thus the law at last leads us to Christ, with whom we find righteousness and peace. "Sin, sin! is the word heard again and again in the Old Testament. Had it not there for centuries rung in the ear, and fastened on the conscience, the joyful sound, "grace for grace," would not have been the watchword of the New Testament. This was the end of the whole system of sacrifices" [Tholuck].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 24. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster. The word rendered schoolmaster, παιδαγωγος, whence the word pedagogue, referred originally to a slave or freedman, to whose care boys were committed, and who accompanied them to the public schools. The idea here is not that, of instructor, but there is reference to the office and duty of the paedagogus among the ancients. The office was usually intrusted to slaves or freedmen. It is true, that when the paedagogus was properly qualified, he assisted the children committed to his care in preparing their lessons. But still his main duty was not instruction, but it was to watch over the boys; to restrain them from evil and temptation; and to conduct them to the schools, where they might receive instruction. See, for illustrations of this, Wetstein, Bloomfield, etc. In the passage before us, the proper notion of pedagogue is retained. In our sense of the word schoolmaster, Christ is the schoolmaster, and not the law. The law performs the office of the ancient pedagogue, to lead us to the teacher or the instructor. That teacher or instructor is Christ. The ways in which the law does this may be the following:

(1.) It restrains us and rebukes us, and keeps us as the ancient pedagogue did his boys.

(2.) The whole law was designed to be introductory to Christ. The sacrifices and offerings were designed to shadow forth the Messiah, and to introduce him to the world.

(3.) The moral law--the law of God--shows men their sin and danger, and thus leads them to the Saviour. It condemns them, and thus prepares them to welcome the offer of pardon through a Redeemer.

(4.) It still does this. The whole economy of the Jews was designed to do this; and under the preaching of the gospel it is still done. Men see that they are condemned; they are convinced by the law that they cannot save themselves, and thus they are led to the Redeemer. The effect of the preached gospel is to showy men their sins, and thus to be preparatory, to the embracing of the offer of pardon. Hence the importance of preaching the law still; and hence it is needful that men should be made to feel that they are sinners, in order that they may be prepared to embrace the offers of mercy. Comp. Rom 10:4.

(e) "the law" Col 2:17, Heb 9:9,10 (*) "schoolmaster" "Guide"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 24 The law was our schoolmaster - Ὁ νομος παιδαγωγος ἡμων γεγονεν εις Χριστον· The law was our pedagogue unto Christ. The παιδαγωγος, pedagogue, is not the schoolmaster, but the servant who had the care of the children to lead them to and bring them back from school, and had the care of them out of school hours. Thus the law did not teach us the living, saving knowledge; but, by its rites and ceremonies, and especially by its sacrifices, it directed us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. This is a beautiful metaphor, and highly illustrative of the apostle's doctrine. See the note on Rom 10:4, where this figure is farther explained.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Galatians 3:23-25

The law did not teach a living, saving knowledge; but, by its rites and ceremonies, especially by its sacrifices, it pointed to Christ, that they might be justified by faith. And thus it was, as the word properly signifies, a servant, to lead to Christ, as children are led to school by servants who have the care of them, that they might be more fully taught by Him the true way of justification and salvation, which…

Read the full comment on Galatians 3:23-25 →

Galatians 3:24 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὥστεhōsteso thatG5620
ὁhotheG3588
νόμοςnomosLawG3551
παιδαγωγὸςpaidagōgostrainerG3807
ἡμῶνhēmōnof usG3165
γέγονενgegonenhas becomeG1096
εἰςeisuntoG1519
Χριστόν,ChristonChrist,G5547
ἵναinaso thatG2443
ἐκekbyG1537
πίστεωςpisteōsfaithG4102
δικαιωθῶμεν·dikaiōthōmenwe may be justified;G1344

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Galatians 3:24

  • Romans 10:4

    For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

  • Acts 13:38-39

    Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

  • Hebrews 10:1-14

    For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. …

  • Romans 7:24-25

    O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

  • Matthew 5:17-18

    Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

  • Galatians 2:16

    Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

  • Colossians 2:17

    Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

  • Galatians 2:19

    For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

  • Hebrews 7:18-19

    For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

  • Galatians 3:25

    But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

  • Galatians 4:2-3

    But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

  • Romans 7:7-9

    What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the law.
25; 2:19; 4:2,3; Mt 5:17,18; Ac 13:38,39; Ro 3:20-22; 7:7-9,24,25
Ro 10:4; Col 2:17; Heb 7:18,19; 9:8-16; 10:1-14
justified.
2:16; Ac 13:39

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Galatians 3:23

    But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

  • Galatians 3:24

    Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

  • Galatians 3:25

    But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Read all of Galatians 3

Galatians 3:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		De manera que la ley nuestro ayo fué para llevarnos á Cristo, para que fuésemos justificados por la fe.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		de sorte que la loi a été notre conducteur jusqu’à Christ, afin que nous soyons justifiés sur le principe de la foi;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Also ist das Gesetz unser Zuchtmeister gewesen auf Christum hin, auf daß wir aus Glauben gerechtfertigt würden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Itaque lex pædagogus noster fuit in Christo, ut ex fide justificemur.