Galatians 5 · Verse 9

Galatians 5:9

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Galatians 5:9, King James Version

Galatians 5:9 in other translations

BSBA little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.
WEBA little yeast grows through the whole lump.
ASVA little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
YLTa little leaven the whole lump doth leaven;
DARBYA little leaven leavens the whole lump.
BBEA little leaven makes a change in all the mass.
WebsterA little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

What does Galatians 5:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. A little leaven--the false teaching of the Judaizers. A small portion of legalism, if it be mixed with the Gospel, corrupts its purity. To add legal ordinances and works in the least degree to justification by faith, is to undermine "the whole." So "leaven" is used of false doctrine (Mt 16:12: compare Mt 13:33). In 1Co 5:6 it means the corrupting influence of one bad person; so Bengel understands it here to refer to the person (Ga 5:7, 8, 10) who misled them. Ec 9:18, "One sinner destroyeth much good" (1Co 15:33). I prefer to refer it to false doctrine, answering to "persuasion" (Ga 5:8).

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 9. A little leaven, etc. This is evidently a proverbial expression. See it explained 1Cor 5:6. Its meaning here is, that the embracing of the errors which they had adopted was to be traced to some influence existing among themselves, and acting like leaven. It may either mean that there was existing among them from the first a slight tendency to conform to rites and customs, and that this had now like leaven pervaded the mass; or it may mean that the false teachers there might be compared to leaven, whose doctrines, though they were few in number, had pervaded the mass of Christians; or it may mean, as many have supposed, that any conformity to the Jewish law was like leaven. If they practised circumcision, it would not stop there. The tendency to conform to Jewish rites would spread from that, until it would infect all the doctrines of religion, and they would fall into the observance of all the rites of the Jewish law. It seems to me that the second interpretation referred to above is the correct one; and that the apostle means to say, that the influence which had brought this change about was at first small and unimportant; that there might have been but a few teachers of that kind, and it might have not been deemed worthy of particular attention or alarm; but that the doctrines thus infused into the churches, had spread like leaven, until the whole mass had become affected.

(g) "little leaven" 1Thes 1:3, Jas 2:18-22

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump - A proverbial expression, see 1Cor 5:6, very aptly applied to those who receive the smallest tincture of false doctrine, relative to the things essential to salvation, which soon influences the whole conduct, so that the man becomes totally perverted. They might have argued, "It is a small thing, and should not be made a subject of serious controversy, whether we be circumcised or not." Granted, that in itself it is a small matter; but, as every man who is circumcised is a debtor to do the whole law, Gal 5:3, then your circumcision leads necessarily to your total perversion; as the little portion of leaven, mixed with the batch, soon leavens the whole lump.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Galatians 5:7-12

The life of a Christian is a race, wherein he must run, and hold on, if he would obtain the prize. It is not enough that we profess Christianity, but we must run well, by living up to that profession. Many who set out fairly in religion, are hindered in their progress, or turn out of the way. It concerns those who begin to turn out of the way, or to tire in it, seriously to inquire what hinders them. The opinion or…

Read the full comment on Galatians 5:7-12 →

Galatians 5:9 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.

μικρὰmikraA littleG3398
ζύμηzumēleavenG2219
ὅλονholonwholeG3650
τὸtotheG3588
φύραμαphuramalumpG5445
ζυμοῖ.zumoileavens.G2220

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

Cross references for Galatians 5:9

  • 1 Corinthians 15:33

    Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

  • Mark 8:15

    And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

  • 1 Corinthians 5:6-7

    Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

  • Luke 12:1

    In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

  • Luke 13:21

    It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

  • Matthew 16:6-12

    Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? …

  • 2 Timothy 2:17

    And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus;

  • Matthew 23:33

    Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Mt 23:33; 16:6-12; Mr 8:15; Lu 12:1; 13:21; 1Co 5:6,7; 15:33
2Ti 2:17

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

Context

  • Galatians 5:8

    This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

  • Galatians 5:9

    A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

  • Galatians 5:10

    I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

Read all of Galatians 5

Galatians 5:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Un poco de levadura leuda toda la masa.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Un peu de levain fait lever la pâte tout entière.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ein wenig Sauerteig durchsäuert den ganzen Teig.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Modicum fermentum totam massam corrumpit.