SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:20
Y el Mediador no es de uno solo , pero Dios es uno.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 3:20
Verse 20. A mediator is not a mediator of one] As a mediator, mesithv, signifies a middle person, there must necessarily be two parties, between whom he stands, and acts in reference to both, as he is supposed to have the interests of both equally at heart. This verse is allowed to be both obscure and difficult; and it is certain that there is little consent among learned men and critics in their opinions concerning it. Rosenmuller thinks that the opinion of Nosselt is to be preferred to all others.
He first translates the words o de mesithv enov ouk estin thus: But he (viz. Moses) is not the mediator of that one race of Abraham, viz. the Christians; for enov relates to the sperma w ephggeltai, the seed that should come, ver. 19, of which he said, wv efÆ enov, as of one, ver. 16. If Paul had written o de mesithv tou enov ekeinou ouk esti, he is not the mediator of one, no person would have had any doubt that spermatov, seed, ought to be supplied after enov, of one, ver. 19-20. The same mode of speaking Paul uses, Rom. v. 17; o de, but he, o for autov, Matt. xii. 3, 11, 39, o de eipen, but he said. Though Moses was the Mediator between God and the Israelites, yet he was not the mediator between God and that one seed which was to come; viz. the Gentiles who should believe in Christ.
But God is one.] He is the one God, who is the Father of the spirits of all flesh; the God of the Gentiles as well as the God of the Jews. That this is St. Paul's meaning is evident from his use of the same words in other places, 1 Tim. ii. 5: eiv gar qeov, &c., for there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, that is, there is only one God and one mediator for the whole human race; Eph. iv. 5, 6: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, eiv qeov kai pathr pantwn, ONE GOD and Father of ALL.
The sense of the whole is: Moses was the mediator of one part of Abraham's seed, viz. the Israelites; but of the other seed, the Gentiles, he was certainly not the mediator; for the mediator of that seed, according to the promise of God, and covenant made with Abraham, is Christ.
Though Nosselt has got great credit for this interpretation, it was given in substance long before him by Dr. Whitby, as may be seen in the following words: "But this mediator (Moses) was only the mediator of the Jews, and so was only the mediator of one party, to whom belonged the blessings of Abraham, ver. 8, 14. But GOD, who made the promise that in one should all the families of the earth be blessed, IS ONE; the God of the other party, the Gentiles, as well as of the Jews, epeiper eiv o qeov, seeing he is ONE GOD, who will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith, Rom. iii. 30." This exposition is so plain, and so well supported by the different scriptures already quoted, that there can be but small, if any, doubt of its propriety. The clause has been translated thus: "Now a mediator supposes two parties, of which God is but one."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 20. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one , etc..] A mediator supposes two parties he stands between, and these at a distance from, or disagreeing with each other; where there is but one party, there can be no need of, nor any reason for, a mediator; so Christ is the Mediator between God and men, the daysman, ( Job 9:33), that lays his hands upon them both; and Moses, he was the mediator between God and the Israelites: but God is one ; not in person, for there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one, in nature and essence; so that though there are three persons, there is but one God, and who is the God both of Jews and Gentiles; who is of one mind concerning them, and has taken them into one and the same covenant, and makes use of one and the same method in the justification of them: but the true sense of the phrase here is, that whereas a mediator supposes two parties at variance, “God is one of the two”; as the Ethiopic version reads the words; he is a party offended, that stands off, and at a distance, which the law given by angels in the hand of a mediator shows; so that that is rather a sign of disagreement and alienation, and consequently that justification is not to be expected by it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 19-22 - If that promise was enough for salvation, wherefore then serveth the law? The Israelites, though chosen to be God's peculiar people, wer sinners as well as others. The law was not intended to discover a wa of justification, different from that made known by the promise, but to lead men to see their need of the promise, by showing the sinfulness of sin, and to point to Christ, through whom alone they could be pardone and justified. The promise was given by God himself; the law was give by the ministry of angels, and the hand of a mediator, even Moses Hence the law could not be designed to set aside the promise. mediator, as the very term signifies, is a friend that comes betwee two parties, and is not to act merely with and for one of them. The great design of the law was, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those that believe; that, being convinced of their guilt, and the insufficiency of the law to effect a righteousness for them, they might be persuaded to believe on Christ, and so obtain the benefit of the promise. And it is not possible that the holy, just, an good law of God, the standard of duty to all, should be contrary to the gospel of Christ. It tends every way to promote it.
Greek Textus Receptus
ο 3588 δε 1161 μεσιτης 3316 ενος 1520 ουκ 3756 εστιν 2076 5748 ο 3588 δε 1161 θεος 2316 εις 1520 εστιν 2076 5748
Vincent's NT Word Studies
20. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one (o de mesithv enov ouk estin). Observe,
1. De is explanatory, not antithetic. The verse illustrates the conception of mediator.
2. The article, the mediator, has a generic force: the mediator according to the general and proper conception of his function. Comp. the apostle (2 Cor. xii. 12); the shepherd, the good (John x. 11).
3. Enov of one, is to be explained by the following ei=v, so that it is masculine and personal.
We are not to supply party or law. The meaning is: the conception of mediator does not belong to an individual considered singly. One is not a mediator of his single self, but he is a mediator between two contracting parties; in this case between God and the people of Israel, as Leviticus xxvi. 46; thus differing from Christ, who is called the mediator of a new covenant (Hebrew viii. 6; ix. 15; xii. 24). The new covenant, the gospel, was not a contract. Accordingly verse 20 serves to define the true conception of a mediator, and through this definition to make clearer the difference between the law, which required a mediator, and the promise, which is the simple expression of God's will. The very idea of mediation supposes two parties. The law is of the nature of a contract between God and the Jewish people. The validity of the contract depends on its fulfillment by both parties. Hence it is contingent, not absolute.
But God is one (o de qeov eiv astin). God does not need a mediator to make his promise valid. His promise is not of the nature of a contract between two parties. His promise depends on his own individual decree. He dealt with Abraham singly and directly, without a mediator. The dignity of the law is thus inferior to that of the promise.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:20 {Is not a mediator of one} (henos ouk estin). That is, a middleman comes in between two. The law is in the nature of a contract between God and the Jewish people with Moses as the mediator or middleman. {But God is one} (ho de qeos heis estin). There was no middleman between God and Abraham. He made the promise directly to Abraham. Over 400 interpretations of this verse have been made!
