SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:6
Pero de aquellos que parecían ser algo (cuales hayan sido en algn tiempo, no tengo que ver; Dios no acepta apariencia de hombre), a mí ciertamente los que parecían ser algo, nada me dieron.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 2:6
Verse 6. Those who seemed to be somewhat] twn dokountwn einai ti? Those who were of acknowledged reputation; so the words should be understood, see ver. 2. The verb dokein, to seem, is repeatedly used by the best Greek writers, not to call the sense in question, or to lessen it, but to deepen and extend it. See the note on Luke viii. 18. Perhaps this verse had best be translated thus, connecting diaferei with apo twn dokountwn: But there is no difference between those who were of acknowledged reputation and myself; God accepts no man's person; but, in the conferences which I held with then, they added nothing to me-gave me no new light; did not attempt to impose on me any obligation, because they saw that God had appointed me my work, and that his counsel was with me.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 6. But of these, who seemed to be somewhat , etc..] Not the false brethren, but the Apostles James, Cephas, and John, who were ybwj , men of great esteem: high in the opinion of all good men; not that they were looked upon to be more than human, as Simon Magus gave out that he was some great one, and his followers thought him to be the great power of God; for such an extravagant conceit of these men was never entertained; nor were they thought to be something when they were nothing, for they really were somewhat; they were ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of grace; they were the Lord's ambassadors, and the apostles of the Lamb. However, says the apostle, whatsoever they were ; pote , formerly, some time ago, which our version does not so fully express, it maketh no matter to me, God accepteth no man's person . This is said, not by way of slight or contempt, but in vindication of himself, whom the false teachers endeavoured to lessen, by giving high encomiums of the apostles at Jerusalem. It looks as if they had upbraided the apostle with being a persecutor of the church before his conversion, when nothing of such a nature could be laid to the charge of these men, and therefore he was not to be set upon a level with them: to which he may be thought to reply in such manner as this, that as for himself, it is true, he had been an injurious person to the saints; and he was ready to own it, for his own humiliation, and to illustrate the grace of God in his conversion; and as these excellent men, what they were before their conversion, it was no concern of his; though, perhaps, was he disposed to inquire into their characters then, some blemishes might be found therein, as well as in his; but it is not what he and they had been, but what they now were: he could have observed, that they were persons formerly of a very low figure in life, of mean occupations, fishermen by employment, and very illiterate persons, when he was bred a scholar at the feet of Gamaliel; but he chose not to make such observations, he knew that God was no respecter of persons, nor was he influenced by any such external circumstances, but chose whom he pleased to such an high office; and that he, who of fishermen made them apostles, of a persecutor had made him one also. Or these false teachers perhaps had objected to him, that these valuable men had been with Christ from the beginning, were eyewitnesses of his majesty, heard the doctrines of the Gospel from his lips, and saw his miracles, had had a similar conversation with him, when he was a preacher of much later date, and could not pretend to such advantages, and therefore ought not to be equalled to them: his answer is, that whatever privileges of this kind they had enjoyed, as could not be denied but they were considerable, yet this mattered not, nor did it make any great difference between him and them; he had seen Christ too, though as one born out of due time; had received an immediate commission from him to preach his Gospel, and was appointed an apostle by him as they were, without any respect of persons: and whereas it might have been urged, that these men had entertained different sentiments from him formerly, concerning the observance of the law, he signifies he had nothing to do with that, to their own master they stood, to whom they must give an account, who, without respect of persons, will render to every man according to his works: and, adds he, for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me ; whatever opinions they formerly gave into, in their conversation with him, when he communicated the Gospel he preached to them, they found no fault with it; they did not go about to correct it; nor did they make any addition to it; the scheme of truths he laid before them, which had been the subject of his ministry, was so complete and perfect, containing the whole counsel of God, that they had nothing to add unto it; which shows the agreement between them, that he did not receive his Gospel from them, the perfection of his ministry, and that he was not a whit behind them in knowledge and gifts.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - Observe the apostle's faithfulness in giving a full account of the doctrine he had preached among the Gentiles, and was still resolved to preach, that of Christianity, free from all mixture of Judaism. Thi doctrine would be ungrateful to many, yet he was not afraid to own it His care was, lest the success of his past labours should be lessened or his future usefulness be hindered. While we simply depend upon God for success to our labours, we should use every proper caution to remove mistakes, and against opposers. There are things which ma lawfully be complied with, yet, when they cannot be done withou betraying the truth, they ought to be refused. We must not give plac to any conduct, whereby the truth of the gospel would be reflecte upon. Though Paul conversed with the other apostles, yet he did no receive any addition to his knowledge, or authority, from them Perceiving the grace given to him, they gave unto him and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, whereby they acknowledged that he wa designed to the honour and office of an apostle as well as themselves They agreed that these two should go to the heathen, while the continued to preach to the Jews; judging it agreeable to the mind of Christ, so to divide their work. Here we learn that the gospel is no ours, but God's; and that men are but the keepers of it; for this we are to praise God. The apostle showed his charitable disposition, an how ready he was to own the Jewish converts as brethren, though man would scarcely allow the like favour to the converted Gentiles; but mere difference of opinion was no reason to him why he should not hel them. Herein is a pattern of Christian charity, which we should exten to all the disciples of Christ.
Greek Textus Receptus
απο 575 δε 1161 των 3588 δοκουντων 1380 5723 ειναι 1511 5750 τι 5100 οποιοι 3697 ποτε 4218 ησαν 2258 5713 ουδεν 3762 μοι 3427 διαφερει 1308 5719 προσωπον 4383 θεος 2316 ανθρωπου 444 ου 3756 λαμβανει 2983 5719 εμοι 1698 γαρ 1063 οι 3588 δοκουντες 1380 5723 ουδεν 3762 προσανεθεντο 4323 5639
Vincent's NT Word Studies
6. Render the passage as follows: "But to be something from (at the hands of) those who were of repute, whatever they were, matters nothing to me (God accepteth not man's person), for those who were of repute imparted nothing to me."
To be something (einai ti). Comp. chapter xi. 3; Acts v. 36; 2 Corinthians xii. 11. To be in good standing as an evangelist or apostle, approved and commissioned by high authorities.
From those who were of repute (apo twn dokountwn). From, at the hands of; as receiving my indorsement or commission from them. Comp. chapter i. 1. Of repute, see on verse 2.
Whatsoever they were (opoioi pote hsan). Pote in N.T. is invariably temporal, and points here to the preeminence which these apostles had formerly, up to the time of Paul's visit, enjoyed, because of their personal connection with Jesus. 46 Maketh no matter to me (ouden moi diaferei). Paul does not say, as A.V. and Rev., that the standing and repute of the apostles were matters of indifference to him, but that he was indifferent about receiving his commission from them as recognized dignitaries of the church. The construction is: "To be something (einai ti) at the hands of (apo) those who were of repute matters nothing to me."
God accepteth no man's person. Or more strictly, accepteth not the person of man. Parenthitical. Lambanein proswpon to receive or accept the face is a Hebraism. See on Jas. ii. 1. In O.T. both in a good and a bad sense; to be gracious, and to show favor from personal or partisan motives. In N.T. only here and Luke xx. 21, both in a bad sense. Similar Hebraistic expressions are blepein eijv proswpon to look at the face, Matt. xxii. 16: qaumazein proswpa to admire the countenances, Jude xvi. kaucasqai ejn proswpw to glory in the face, 2 Cor. v. 12. For - to me. Explaining the previous statement. To be of consequence because commissioned by those in repute matters nothing to me (God accepteth not man's person), for although they might have asserted their high repute and authority to others, to me they did not, as shown by their imposing on me no new requirements.
In conference added nothing (ouden prosaneqento). In conference is an attempt to conform the sense to chapter i. 16. The verb without the accusative, as there, means to confer with. Here, with the accusative, the meaning is laid upon or imposed on. Rend. therefore, imposed nothing on me. They imposed on me no new (prov additional) requirements; no conditions or limitations of my missionary work. 47
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:6 {Somewhat} (ti). Something, not somebody. Paul refers to the Big Three (Cephas, James, and John). He seems a bit embarrassed in the reference. He means no disrespect, but he asserts his independence sharply in a tangled sentence with two parentheses (dashes in Westcott and Hort). {Whatever they were} (hopoioi pote esan). Literally, "What sort they once were." {Hopoioi} is a qualitative word (#1Th 1:9; 1Co 3:13; Jas 1:24). Lightfoot thinks that these three leaders were the ones who suggested the compromise about Titus. That is a possible, but not the natural, interpretation of this involved sentence. The use of de (but) in verse #6 seems to make a contrast between the three leaders and the pleaders for compromise in verses #4f. {They, I say, imparted nothing to me} (emoi gar ouden prosaneqento). He starts over again after the two parentheses and drops the construction apo twn dokountwn and changes the construction (anacoluthon) to hoi dokountes (nominative case), the men of reputation and influences whom he names in verses #8f. See the same verb in #1:16. They added nothing in the conference to me. The compromisers tried to win them, but they finally came over to my view. Paul won his point, when he persuaded Peter, James, and John to agree with him and Barnabas in their contention for freedom for the Gentile Christians from the bondage of the Mosaic ceremonial law.
