Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary
The Faithfulness of Messiah
"22 But the Scripture has confined everyone under sin's penalty, so that the promise might be given from the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to those faithfully trusting. 23 But before this faithfulness came we were guarded by a norm, being shut away with respect to the faithfulness about to be revealed. 24 Thus the norm became our disciplinary guide to Messiah, so that by faithfulness justice might be done. 25 Now that faithfulness has come we are no longer under a disciplinary guide." (DLT: torahtimes.org, Gal. 3:22-25).
Comment: vs. 22. The word sin αμαρτια, is used according to the Hebrew חטאת to means sin's penalty or power (cf. BDB and BDAG, def. 3). On the "faithfulness of Yeshua" compare the NET Bible (bible.org "faithfulness of Jesus". The Greek means Messiah's faithfulness or commitment to the cross to make the payment for sin. vs. 23. "Faithfulness" once again refers to Messiah's faithfulness, actively expressed at the cross. The "norm" (or customary) here refers to the penalty that applies for sin. Before, the cross even Israel was subject to the norm, though God passed over the transgressions in mercy by way of anticipation of Messiah's coming payment for them. vs. 24.1 The παιδαγωγος was a servant whose job it was to make sure young boys made it to school. The penalty of sin teaches us that we need Messiah's payment. Again "faithfulness" refers to Messiah's commitment to the cross where justice was done for us. The word δικαιωθωμεν "justice might be done" is the subjunctive passive of the verb δικαιοω. In the normal Greek of the day it meant "to do justice to" or "to do justice for" someone (cf. lexical entries:
torahtimes.org/Greek_database/greek_words_index.htm#dikaioo). The justice being done in this case is Messiah's satisfaction of the divine penalty. 24.2 In a secondary sense "faithfulness" refers to our faithfulness that is supposed to result from Messiah's faithfulness, and the verb δικαιωθωμεν may be taken in the Jewish Greek sense of "we might be made righteous", being informed by the Hebrew הצדיק. We cannot translate this ambiguity into English, hence this commentary to explain both senses. Aramaic speaking Jews would have had trouble with it, but not the Greek speaking ones. What should be noticed is that the time sense of the subjunctive varies in the two senses. In the first sense it is used such that we might come to Messiah to have justice done for us, a thing which is immediate for the believer but only potential for the unbeliever. In the second sense it is a future probability or contingency for the believer, since it requires obedience to be faithful. (DLC: torahtimes.org)
composed: 5/10/09.
Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary: (http://www.torahtimes.org/translation/gal0322.html)
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