Galatians 1:23
New International Version
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

New Living Translation
All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!”

English Standard Version
They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

Berean Standard Bible
They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

Berean Literal Bible
But they were only hearing that "the one formerly persecuting us now is preaching the faith which once he was destroying."

King James Bible
But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

New King James Version
But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

New American Standard Bible
but they only kept hearing, “The man who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

NASB 1995
but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

NASB 1977
but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Legacy Standard Bible
but only, they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

Amplified Bible
they only kept hearing, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the [good news of the] faith which he once was trying to destroy.”

Christian Standard Bible
They simply kept hearing, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
they simply kept hearing: “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he once tried to destroy.”

American Standard Version
but they only heard say, He that once persecuted us now preacheth the faith of which he once made havoc;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But they had heard only this: “He who from the first persecuted us, now, behold, he preaches that faith which from earlier times he had overthrown.”

Contemporary English Version
They had only heard that the one who had been cruel to them was now preaching the message that he had once tried to destroy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they had heard only: He, who persecuted us in times past, doth now preach the faith which once he impugned:

English Revised Version
but they only heard say, He that once persecuted us now preacheth the faith of which he once made havock;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The only thing they had heard was this: "The man who persecuted us is now spreading the faith that he once tried to destroy."

Good News Translation
They knew only what others were saying: "The man who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith that he once tried to destroy!"

International Standard Version
The only thing they kept hearing was this: "The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!"

Literal Standard Version
and they were only hearing that “he who is persecuting us then, now proclaims good news—the faith that he was then destroying”;

Majority Standard Bible
They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

New American Bible
they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”

NET Bible
They were only hearing, "The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news of the faith he once tried to destroy."

New Revised Standard Version
they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.”

New Heart English Bible
but they only heard: "He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy."

Webster's Bible Translation
But they had heard only, That he who persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

Weymouth New Testament
They only heard it said, "He who was once our persecutor is now telling the Good News of the faith of which he formerly made havoc."

World English Bible
but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.”

Young's Literal Translation
and only they were hearing, that 'he who is persecuting us then, doth now proclaim good news -- the faith that then he was wasting;'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul Preaches the Gospel
22I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.…

Cross References
Acts 6:7
So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 9:21
All who heard him were astounded and asked, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?"

Acts 19:13
Now there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits. They would say, "I bind you by Jesus, whom Paul proclaims."

Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.


Treasury of Scripture

But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preaches the faith which once he destroyed.

he which.

Acts 9:13,20,26
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: …

1 Corinthians 15:8-10
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time…

1 Timothy 1:13-16
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief…

Jump to Previous
Announces Attacked Cruel Destroy Destroyed Ears Faith Formerly Glad Good Havoc Heard Hearing Kept News Once Past Persecuted Persecuting Persecutor Preaches Preacheth Preaching Proclaim Ravaged Report Telling Tidings Time Times Tried Wasting
Jump to Next
Announces Attacked Cruel Destroy Destroyed Ears Faith Formerly Glad Good Havoc Heard Hearing Kept News Once Past Persecuted Persecuting Persecutor Preaches Preacheth Preaching Proclaim Ravaged Report Telling Tidings Time Times Tried Wasting
Galatians 1
1. Paul's greeting to the Galatians;
6. He wonders why they have so soon left him and the gospel;
8. and accurses those who preach any other gospel than he did.
11. He learned the gospel not from men, but from God;
14. and shows what he was before his calling;
17. and what he did immediately after it.














(23) Had heard.--Rather, were hearing.

The faith.--Not quite, as yet, "the body of Christian doctrine," which was in process of forming rather than already formed, but the one cardinal doctrine of faith in Christ. (Comp. Romans 1:5, and Note there.)

Verse 23. - But they had heard only (μόνον δὲ ἀκούοντες η΅σαν); and they only from time to time heard say. They did not see him in person, but only heard about him. The dilated imperfect, ἀκούοντες η΅σαν, applying to the whole space of time here referred to, suggests the insertion in the translation of the words, "from time to time." The ὅτι is inserted after the Greek idiom in introducing the very words spoken in oratio directa, as in Matthew 7:23; Mark 2:1; John 1:40; John 4:1, etc. That he which persecuted us in times past (ὅτι ὅ διώκων ἡμᾶς ποτε); he that once was persecuting us. The διώκων is in the procter-imperfect participle, of which we have examples in Τυφλὸς ὤν ἄρτι βλέπω, John 9:25; Οἵ ποτε ὄντες Ephesians 2:13; Τὸ πρότερον ὅντα βλάσφημον, 1 Timothy 1:13. Now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed (νῦν εὐαγγελίζεται τὴν πίστιν ἥν ποτε ἐπόρθει); now preacheth the faith which once he was making havoc of. The use of the term "faith" is the same as in Acts 6:7, "Were obedient to the faith," which is equivalent to the "obeying the gospel" mentioned Romans 10:16. The object to the verb εὐαγγελίζομαι is always something which is announced, never a thing which is required (cf. e.g. Luke 2:10; Acts 5:42; Acts 10:36; Ephesians 2:17; Ephesians 3:8); so that "faith" here cannot mean the faith which men are to render to Jesus, but the doctrine which they are to believe, to wit, that Jesus is Christ the Saviour. We have here the early beginnings of that objective sense in which afterwards the word got to be so commonly used in the Church to denote the Christian doctrine (see Bishop Lightfoot's essay 'Galatians,' pp. 154-158). In the second clause, "which he was sometime making havoc of," the "faith" is identified with the Church which held it (comp. ver. 13). We may heartily accept Estius's comment, cited by Meyer, "Quia Christi fidelibus fidem extorquere nitebatur," while we still think it intolerably harsh to understand "faith," as Meyer does, in a subjective sense.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
They
ἦσαν (ēsan)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

only
μόνον (monon)
Adverb
Strong's 3440: Alone, but, only. Neuter of monos as adverb; merely.

heard
ἀκούοντες (akouontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

the account:
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

“The [man who]
(Ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

formerly
ποτε (pote)
Particle
Strong's 4218: At one time or other, at some time, formerly. From the base of pou and te; indefinite adverb, at some time, ever.

persecuted
διώκων (diōkōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1377: To pursue, hence: I persecute. A prolonged form of a primary verb dio; to pursue; by implication, to persecute.

us
ἡμᾶς (hēmas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Plural
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

{is} now
νῦν (nyn)
Adverb
Strong's 3568: A primary particle of present time; 'now'; also as noun or adjective present or immediate.

preaching
εὐαγγελίζεται (euangelizetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2097: From eu and aggelos; to announce good news especially the gospel.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

faith
πίστιν (pistin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4102: Faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.

{he} once
ποτε (pote)
Particle
Strong's 4218: At one time or other, at some time, formerly. From the base of pou and te; indefinite adverb, at some time, ever.

tried to destroy.”
ἐπόρθει (eporthei)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4199: To lay waste, destroy, ravage, harass. Prolongation from pertho; to ravage.


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NT Letters: Galatians 1:23 But they only heard: He who once (Gal. Ga)
Galatians 1:22
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