Galatians 4:11
New International Version
I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.

New Living Translation
I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.

English Standard Version
I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

Berean Standard Bible
I fear for you, that my efforts for you may have been in vain.

Berean Literal Bible
I fear for you, lest perhaps I have toiled for you in vain.

King James Bible
I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

New King James Version
I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

New American Standard Bible
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

NASB 1995
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

NASB 1977
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

Legacy Standard Bible
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you for nothing.

Amplified Bible
I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [to the point of exhaustion] over you in vain.

Christian Standard Bible
I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted.

American Standard Version
I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain.

Contemporary English Version
I am afraid I have wasted my time working with you.

English Revised Version
I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labour upon you in vain.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I'm afraid for you. Maybe the hard work I spent on you has been wasted.

Good News Translation
I am worried about you! Can it be that all my work for you has been for nothing?

International Standard Version
I am afraid for you! I don't want my work for you to have been wasted!

Majority Standard Bible
I fear for you, you that my efforts for may have been in vain.

NET Bible
I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

New Heart English Bible
I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you.

Webster's Bible Translation
I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.

Weymouth New Testament
I am alarmed about you, and am afraid that I have perhaps bestowed labour upon you to no purpose.

World English Bible
I am afraid for you, that I might have wasted my labor for you.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I am afraid for you, lest I labored in vain for you.

Berean Literal Bible
I fear for you, lest perhaps I have toiled for you in vain.

Young's Literal Translation
I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.

Smith's Literal Translation
I am afraid of you, lest I have been wearied for you in vain.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I am afraid of you, lest perhaps I have laboured in vain among you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I am afraid for you, lest perhaps I may have labored in vain among you.

New American Bible
I am afraid on your account that perhaps I have labored for you in vain.

New Revised Standard Version
I am afraid that my work for you may have been wasted.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I am afraid that perhaps I have labored among you in vain.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I fear lest I have labored among you for nothing.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
I fear for you, lest I have bestowed labor upon you in vain.

Godbey New Testament
I fear lest I have labored unto you in vain.

Haweis New Testament
I am afraid for you, lest haply I have bestowed on you labour in vain.

Mace New Testament
you make me apprehensive, that the labour I have bestowed upon you will be all in vain.

Weymouth New Testament
I am alarmed about you, and am afraid that I have perhaps bestowed labour upon you to no purpose.

Worrell New Testament
I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have toiled for you in vain.

Worsley New Testament
so that I am afraid for you, least I have indeed bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Fears for the Galatians
10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that my efforts for you may have been in vain. 12I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.…

Cross References
1 Corinthians 15:2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Philippians 2:16
as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:1
As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

1 Thessalonians 3:5
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and that our labor might have been in vain.

Hebrews 4:1
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.

2 John 1:8
Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. / For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. / If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ...

2 Corinthians 12:20-21
For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. / I am afraid that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.

Romans 11:21-22
For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either. / Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Colossians 1:23
if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Hebrews 12:15
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Isaiah 49:4
But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength in futility and vanity; yet My vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.”

Jeremiah 8:8-9
How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception? / The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?


Treasury of Scripture

I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed on you labor in vain.

am.

Galatians 4:20
I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

2 Corinthians 11:2,3
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ…

2 Corinthians 12:20,21
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: …

lest.

Galatians 2:2
And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

Galatians 5:2-4
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing…

Isaiah 49:4
Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

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Galatians 4
1. We were under the law till Christ came, as the heir is under the guardian till he be of age.
5. But Christ freed us from the law;
7. therefore we are servants no longer to it.
14. Paul remembers the Galatians' good will to him, and his to them;
22. and shows that we are the sons of Abraham by the freewoman.














I am afraid for you
This phrase reveals the deep pastoral concern Paul has for the Galatian believers. The Greek word for "afraid" is "φοβοῦμαι" (phoboumai), which conveys a sense of fear or anxiety. Paul is not expressing a personal fear for his own safety or reputation, but rather a fear for the spiritual well-being of the Galatians. Historically, this reflects the intense emotional investment Paul had in the churches he planted. His fear is rooted in the possibility that the Galatians might abandon the true gospel for a false one, which would have eternal consequences.

that my efforts for you
The word "efforts" is translated from the Greek "κόπος" (kopos), which implies laborious toil and hard work. Paul’s missionary journeys were fraught with physical and spiritual challenges, and his efforts were not merely human endeavors but were empowered by the Holy Spirit. This phrase underscores the apostolic dedication and the sacrifices made to establish the Galatian church. It also serves as a reminder of the spiritual warfare involved in spreading the gospel, as Paul’s work was not just physical but deeply spiritual.

may have been in vain
The phrase "in vain" comes from the Greek "εἰκῇ" (eikē), meaning without purpose or result. Paul is concerned that the Galatians' potential return to legalism and the Judaizers' teachings would nullify the grace of God they received through faith in Christ. This reflects a broader biblical theme where human efforts, apart from God’s grace, are ultimately futile. Historically, this concern is rooted in the early church's struggle to define the relationship between the Law of Moses and the new covenant in Christ. Paul’s fear is that the Galatians might forsake the freedom they have in Christ for the bondage of the law, rendering his labor among them fruitless.

Verse 11. - I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain (φοβοῦμαι ὑμᾶς μήπῶς εἰκῆ κεποπίακα εἰς ὑμᾶς I am afraid of you, lest by any means 1 have bestowed labour upon you in vain. That is, this behaviour of yours makes me fear whether I may not have bestowed labour upon you fruitlessly. A similar construction of μή πως with an indicative occurs in 1 Thessalonians 3:5, Μή πως ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων, "Fearing, whether the tempter may not have tempted you;" followed by the subjunctive, Καὶ εἰς κένον γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν, "And lest our labour should [in the as yet future result] prove to be for no good." This passage in the Thessalonians serves to illustrate the nature of the mischief, which, in the present case, the apostle feared might result. For one thing, there was the hurt, the perhaps fatal hurt, which the Galatian believers might themselves receive from that virtual renouncement of their spiritual inheritance which they now seemed to be foolishly making. But there was also the disappointment which would accrue to himself through the failure of his work among them: "For what," as he wrote to the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, "is our hope, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?" The same anticipated joy he speaks of in writing to the Philippians, as about to accrue to himself from the steadfastness of his converts: "That I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain, neither labour in vain." This anticipation was a joy which he would fain not have wrested from him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
I fear
φοβοῦμαι (phoboumai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 5399: From phobos; to frighten, i.e. to be alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of, i.e. Revere.

for you,
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

[that]
μή (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

my efforts
κεκοπίακα (kekopiaka)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2872: From a derivative of kopos; to feel fatigue; by implication, to work hard.

for
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

you
ὑμᾶς (hymas)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

may have been
πως (pōs)
Adverb
Strong's 4459: Adverb from the base of pou; an interrogative particle of manner; in what way?; also as exclamation, how much!

in vain.
εἰκῇ (eikē)
Adverb
Strong's 1500: Without a cause, purpose; purposelessly, in vain, for nothing. Probably from eiko; idly, i.e. Without reason.


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NT Letters: Galatians 4:11 I am afraid for you that (Gal. Ga)
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