Passage

Galatians 5.17

Book: Galatians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"15. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

"17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would."

"18. But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness," (Galatians 5:15-19, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"15. But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another. 16. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh."

"17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire."

"18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19. Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness," (Galatians 5:15-19, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"15. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ^{ye: or, fulfil not}"

"17. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

"18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness," (Galatians 5:15-19, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"15. and if one another ye do bite and devour, see, that ye may not by one another be consumed. 16. And I say: In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete;"

"17. for the flesh doth desire contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit contrary to the flesh, and these are opposed one to another, that the things that ye may will, these ye may not do;"

"18. and if by the Spirit ye are led, ye are not under law. 19. And manifest also are the works of the flesh, which are: Adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, lasciviousness," (Galatians 5:15-19, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Paul the Apostle
Audience: Christian believers in Galatia (Jewish-Christian-influenced)
Location: composed in Antioch or Ephesus; addressed to Galatia
Time period: composed c. AD 49 (South-Galatian) or c. AD 53-57 (North-Galatian)

Theological reading

Key words

G4151 - pneuma, pneuma (Strong's G4151). Also appears in: Matthew 1.18, Matthew 1.20, Matthew 3.16.
G4561 - sarx, sarx (Strong's G4561). Also appears in: Matthew 19, Matthew 26.41, Mark 14.

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.