Galatians 3 · Verse 8

Galatians 3:8

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Galatians 3:8, King James Version

Galatians 3:8 in other translations

BSB	The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
WEB	The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”
ASV	And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.
YLT	and the Writing having foreseen that by faith God doth declare righteous the nations did proclaim before the good news to Abraham--
DARBY	and the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations on the principle of faith, announced beforehand the glad tidings to Abraham: In thee all the nations shall be blessed.
BBE	And the holy Writings, seeing before the event that God would give the Gentiles righteousness by faith, gave the good news before to Abraham, saying, In you will all the nations have a blessing.
Webster	And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

What does Galatians 3:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

8. And--Greek, "Moreover." foreseeing--One great excellency of Scripture is, that in it all points liable ever to be controverted, are, with prescient wisdom, decided in the most appropriate language. would justify--rather, "justifieth." Present indicative. It is now, and at all times, God's one way of justification. the heathen--rather, "the Gentiles"; or "the nations," as the same Greek is translated at the end of the verse. God justifieth the Jews, too, "by faith, not by works." But he specifies the Gentiles in particular here, as it was their case that was in question, the Galatians being Gentiles. preached before the gospel--"announced beforehand the Gospel." For the "promise" was substantially the Gospel by anticipation. Compare Joh 8:56; He 4:2. A proof that "the old fathers did not look only for transitory promises" [Article VII, Church of England]. Thus the Gospel, in its essential germ, is older than the law though the full development of the former is subsequent to the latter. In thee--not "in thy seed," which is a point not here raised; but strictly "in thee," as followers of thy faith, it having first shown the way to justification before God [Alford]; or "in thee," as Father of the promised seed, namely, Christ (Ga 3:16), who is the Object of faith (Ge 22:18; Psa 72:17), and imitating thy faith (see on Ga 3:9). all nations--or as above, "all the Gentiles" (Ge 12:3; 18:18; 22:18). be blessed--an act of grace, not something earned by works. The blessing of justification was to Abraham by faith in the promise, not by works. So to those who follow Abraham, the father of the faithful, the blessing, that is, justification, comes purely by faith in Him who is the subject of the promise.

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 8. And the Scripture. The word Scripture refers to the Old Testament. Jn 5:39. It is here personified, or spoken of as foreseeing. The idea is, that he by whom the Scriptures were inspired foresaw that. It is agreeable, the meaning is, to the account on the subject in the Old Testament. The Syriac renders this, "Since God foreknew that the Gentiles would be justified by faith, he before announced to Abraham, as the Scripture saith, In thee shall all nations be blessed."

Foreseeing. That is, this doctrine is contained in the Old Testament. It was foreseen and predicted that the heathen would be justified by faith, and not by the works of the law.

That God would justify the heathen. Greek, The nations- ταεθνη --the Gentiles. The fact that the heathen, or the Gentiles, would be admitted to the privileges of the true religion, and be interested in the benefits of the coming of the Messiah, is a fact which is everywhere abundantly predicted in the Old Testament. As an instance, see Isa 49:6,22,23 Isa 40. I do not know that it is anywhere distinctly foretold that the heathen would be justified by faith, nor does the argument of the apostle require us to believe this. He says that the Scriptures, that is, he who inspired the Scriptures, foresaw that fact, and that the Scriptures were written as if with the knowledge of that fact; but it is not directly affirmed. The whole structure and frame of the Old Testament, however, proceeds on the supposition that it would be so; and this is all that the declaration of the apostle requires us to understand.

Preached before the gospel. This translation does not convey quite the idea to us which the language of Paul, in the original, would to the people to whom he addressed it. We have affixed a technical sense to the phrase, "to preach the gospel." It is applied to the formal and public annunciation of the truths of religion, especially the "good news" of a Saviour's birth, and of redemption by his blood. But we are not required by the language used here to suppose that this was done to Abraham, or that "the gospel" was preached to him in the sense in which we all now use that phrase. The expression in Greek προευηγγελισατο means, merely, "the joyful news was announced beforehand to Abraham;" scil, that in him should all the nations of the earth be blessed. It was implied, indeed, that it would be by the Messiah; but the distinct point of the "good news" was not the "gospel" as we understand it, but it was that somehow through him all the nations of the earth would be made happy. Tindal has well translated it, "Showed beforehand glad tidings unto Abraham." This translation should have been adopted in our common version.

In thee shall all nations be blessed. Acts 3:25; Rom 4:13. All nations should be made happy in him, or through him. The sense is, that the Messiah was to be descended from him; and the religion of the Messiah, producing peace and salvation, was to be extended to all the nations of the earth. See Gen 12:3. Comp. Gal 3:16 of this chapter.

(d) "would justify" Gal 3:22 (e) "saying" Gen 12:3, 22:18, Acts 3:25

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 The Scripture, foreseeing - See the notes on Rom 4:3-16 (note). As God intended to justify the heathen through faith, he preached the Gospel that contains the grand display of the doctrine of salvation by faith, before, to Abraham, while he was in his heathen state; and thus he is called the father of believers: therefore it must refer to them who shall believe the same Gospel among the Gentiles; and, as the door of faith was open to all the Gentiles, consequently the promise was fulfilled: In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Galatians 3:6-14

The apostle proves the doctrine he had blamed the Galatians for rejecting; namely, that of justification by faith without the works of the law. This he does from the example of Abraham, whose faith fastened upon the word and promise of God, and upon his believing he was owned and accepted of God as a righteous man. The Scripture is said to foresee, because the Holy Spirit that indited the Scripture did foresee…

Read the full comment on Galatians 3:6-14 →

Galatians 3:8 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.

προϊδοῦσαproidousaHaving foreseenG4308

δὲdethenG1161

ἡhētheG3588

γραφὴgraphēScriptureG1124

ὅτιhotithatG3754

ἐκekbyG1537

πίστεωςpisteōsfaithG4102

δικαιοῖdikaioijustifiesG1344

τὰtatheG3588

ἔθνηethnēGentilesG1484

ὁho<the>G3588

θεός,theosGod,G2316

προευηγγελίσατοproeuēngelisatoforetold the gospelG4283

τῷtō<the>G3588

ἈβραὰμAbraamto AbrahamG11

ὅτιhotithatG3754

ἐνευλογηθήσονταιeneulogēthēsontaiWill be blessedG1757

ἐνeninG1722

σοὶsoiyouG4771

πάνταpantaallG3956

τὰtatheG3588

ἔθνη.ethnēnations.G1484

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

Cross references for Galatians 3:8

Genesis 12:3
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 22:18
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Genesis 28:14
And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 18:18
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
Genesis 26:4
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Romans 3:28-30
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Galatians 3:22
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
John 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Galatians 3:16
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Acts 15:15-18
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the scripture.
22; 4:30; Joh 7:38,42; 19:37; Ro 9:17; 2Ti 3:15-17
foreseeing.
Ac 15:15-18
God.
Ro 3:28-30; 9:30
preached.
Heb 4:2
In.
16; Ge 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10; Ps 72:7; Isa 6:13; 65:9
Ac 2:25,26,35; Re 11:15

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

Context

Galatians 3:7
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Galatians 3:8
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Galatians 3:9
So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Read all of Galatians 3

Galatians 3:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y viendo antes la Escritura que Dios por la fe había de justificar á los Gentiles, evangelizó antes á Abraham, diciendo: En ti serán benditas todas las naciones.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Or l’écriture, prévoyant que Dieu justifierait les nations sur le principe de la foi, a d’avance annoncé la bonne nouvelle à Abraham: « En toi toutes les nations seront bénies ».
German Elberfelder 1871	Die Schrift aber, voraussehend, daß Gott die Nationen aus Glauben rechtfertigen würde, verkündigte dem Abraham die gute Botschaft zuvor: "In dir werden gesegnet werden alle Nationen".
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Providens autem Scriptura quia ex fide justificat gentes Deus, prænuntiavit Abrahæ: Quia benedicentur in te omnes gentes.