Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary
The Renewed Covenant by Daniel Gregg
"Galatians 5:6 For in Messiah Yeshua neither circumcision anyone helps nor uncircumcision unless faithfulness through love working" (DLT: torahtimes.org).
comment1: When is circumcision faithfulness working through love? When it is not combined with a false doctrine of acquittal and when observed in the land of Israel before partaking of the Passover or before receiving an inheritance in the land. Or in the dispersion to circumcise one's son's on the eighth day. Anytime that circumcision fulfills the commandment is faithfulness except when it is said to be for the purpose of an helping toward an acquittal. We don't have to look far to find people who think doing various things makes them good enough to justly deserve God's mercy. They are all around us. And it should not be forgotten that Paul's having Timothy circumcised was an example of faithfulness working through love. Gentiles in the dispersion have a dispensation to remain uncircumcised for the time being, even though they are joined with the house of Israel, a dispensation that will be ended when the kingdom comes.
unless : αλλα = ει μη = אלא = unless, except. (cf. BLASS, §448). The sense is explained in the Greek by Thayer, "ουκ ...αλλα sometimes is logically equivalent to not so much ... as "; Liddell and Scott, "used adversatively to limit ...clauses". The word means "unless" or "except": Mt. 20:23, '...is not mine to give, unless for whom it is prepared of my Father"; Mt. 22:32, "Not he is the God of the dead unless of the living". The conjunction limits the first clause, i.e. "He is not the God of the dead" (which standing alone would be a false statement) to "He is not the God of the dead [only], except [also] of the living". John 3:13, "no man hath ascended up to heaven, unless he that came down from heaven". This usage is very important since the Semitic Apologetical Method, likes to introduce a statement with a seeming "untruth" only to qualify it in the next clause to make it true. It's a rhetorical teaching method that gets the attention of the audience. It is needed to understand a lot of biblical arguments like the classic "God is not the God of the dead, unless of the living" for proof of the resurrection. The point is that God is not the God of the persons who are just to be dead unless he plans to raise them. For why would they have him as God when only to be dead, or why would God be their God for them to be only dead.
faithfulness : πιστεως. The Greek word πιστις in the very best Greek Lexicon means "1a. faithfulness, reliability, fidelity, commitment" (BDAG, 3rd Edition, pg. 818). It reflects the meaning of its Hebrew equivalent אמונה. Paul interprets Habakkuk 2:4 to refer to both Messiah's faithfulness and our faithfulness in response. (DLC: torahtimes.org)
Daniel's Literal Translation and Commentary: (http://www.torahtimes.org/translation/gal0506.html)
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