Passage

Galatians 3.11

Book: Galatians · ASV

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"9. So then they that are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them."

"11. Now that no man is justified by the law before God, is evident: for, The righteous shall live by faith;"

"12. and the law is not of faith; but, He that doeth them shall live in them. 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" (Galatians 3:9-13, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"9. So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”"

"11. Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”"

"12. The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.” 13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”" (Galatians 3:9-13, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

"11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

"12. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" (Galatians 3:9-13, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"9. 'Blessed in thee shall be all the nations;' so that those of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham, 10. for as many as are of works of law are under a curse, for it hath been written, 'Cursed [is] every one who is not remaining in all things that have been written in the Book of the Law, to do them,'"

"11. and that in law no one is declared righteous with God, is evident, because 'The righteous by faith shall live;'"

"12. and the law is not by faith, but, 'The man who did them shall live in them.' 13. Christ did redeem us from the curse of the law, having become for us a curse, for it hath been written, 'Cursed is every one who is hanging on a tree,'" (Galatians 3:9-13, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul
Audience: the Galatian churches, threatened by Judaizing teachers
Location: uncertain (Ephesus, Antioch, or Corinth, depending on dating)
Time period: c. AD 48-55

Theological reading

Galatians 3:11 is the second of Paul's three NT deployments of Hab 2:4 ("the righteous shall live by faith"), here marshaled against the Judaizing claim that Gentile believers must be justified by Torah-observance. Paul's argument: the law cannot justify (because no one keeps it perfectly, v. 10), so the OT itself must be teaching another mechanism, and Hab 2:4 supplies it. The verse is Paul's polemical-soteriological centerpiece in Galatians, anchoring the doctrine that justification is by [[H0530 - emunah|emunah]] / [[G4102 - pistis|pistis]] alone. The Reformation's sola fide takes its OT-anchor from Hab 2:4 via Gal 3:11 and Rom 1:17. The verse's argumentative role is decisive for the entire epistle: if justification is by faith (Gal 3:11), then the Judaizers' Torah-righteousness program is not only unnecessary but actively cuts believers off from grace (Gal 5:4).

Key words

G4102 - pistis, pistis, OT-rooted in emunah
G1342 - dikaios, dikaios, "the righteous" one

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.