SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:14
y no desechasteis ni menospreciasteis mi afliccin que estaba en mi carne; antes me recibisteis como a un ngel de Dios, como al mismo Cristo Jess.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 4:14
Verse 14. And my temptation which was in my flesh] On this verse there are a great many various readings, as there are various opinions. Instead of mou, MY temptation, ABC*D*FG, some others, with the Coptic, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the primitive fathers, have umwn, YOUR temptation.
The word peirasmon, which we translate temptation, signifies trial of any kind. The verse therefore may be read, "Ye despised not the trial which was in my flesh;" or, "Ye despised not your trial, which was in my flesh:" i.e. what my flesh suffered on your account, the afflictions I passed through in consequence of my severe labours on your account. You did not consider me less an apostle of God on account of my sinking for a time under the weight of my work. Had they been disaffected towards him at that time, they would have used this to the prejudice of his apostolic mission. "What! do you pretend to be an extraordinary messenger from God, and yet are suffered to fall into sickness under the severity of your labour? If God sent you, would he not sustain you?" This would have been quite natural, had they not been well affected toward him. But, on the contrary, notwithstanding these afflictions, they received him as an angel of God - as a messenger from heaven, and as Jesus Christ himself. This appears to me to be the simple meaning of the apostle, and that he neither alludes to a bodily nor mental infirmity, which generally or periodically afflicted him, as some have imagined. Nor does he appear at all to speak of the same case as that mentioned 2 Cor. xii. 7, where I wish the reader to consult the notes. That St. Paul had frequent and severe afflictions, in consequence of his constant and severe exertions in the Gospel ministry, we may readily believe, and of this his own words bear sufficient testimony. See his affecting account, 2 Cor. xi. 23-29, and the notes there.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. And my temptation which was in my flesh , etc..] The same with the infirmity of his flesh, and which was a trial of his faith and patience, and every other grace, as the afflictions of the saints be. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, your temptation in my flesh; that which was a trial of them, whether they would receive him or not. This ye despised not ; nor the apostle on the account of it, nor his ministry; they thought never the worse of him, nor of the Gospel he preached, because of this: nor rejected ; him, nor the counsel of God declared by him, but received me ; as they did, into their cities and places of worship, into their houses, and into their hearts and affections: and that as an angel of God ; with all that reverence and respect, that high esteem, veneration, and affection, as if one of the celestial inhabitants had been sent down from heaven to bring them the good tidings of the Gospel: or as a messenger of God, as the phrase may be rendered: as one that had his mission and commission from God, which was not at all disputed by them: but they looked upon him under that character, and regarded him as such, even as Christ Jesus ; as his ambassador, as representing him, as being in his stead; yea, if he had been personally present as man among them, they could not have shown greater respect to him as such, than they did to the apostle; for as for any religious worship and adoration, that they did not offer to him; and had they, he would have addressed them in like manner he did the inhabitants of Lystra, ( Acts 14:14,15). Now since they showed him so much respect, notwithstanding all his infirmities, temptations, and afflictions, when he first preached the Gospel; what should hinder that they should not pay the same regard to him now, by abiding in his doctrine and following his example, since he was the same man in his principles and practices now as then?
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-18 - The apostle desires that they would be of one mind with him respectin the law of Moses, as well as united with him in love. In reprovin others, we should take care to convince them that our reproofs are from sincere regard to the honour of God and religion and their welfare. The apostle reminds the Galatians of the difficulty under which he laboure when he first came among them. But he notices, that he was a welcom messenger to them. Yet how very uncertain are the favour and respect of men! Let us labour to be accepted of God. You once thought yourselve happy in receiving the gospel; have you now reason to think otherwise Christians must not forbear speaking the truth, for fear of offendin others. The false teachers who drew the Galatians from the truth of the gospel were designing men. They pretended affection, but they were no sincere and upright. An excellent rule is given. It is good to be zealous always in a good thing; not for a time only, or now and then but always. Happy would it be for the church of Christ, if this zea was better maintained.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 τον 3588 πειρασμον 3986 μου 3450 τον 3588 εν 1722 τη 3588 σαρκι 4561 μου 3450 ουκ 3756 εξουθενησατε 1848 5656 ουδε 3761 εξεπτυσατε 1609 5656 αλλ 235 ως 5613 αγγελον 32 θεου 2316 εδεξασθε 1209 5662 με 3165 ως 5613 χριστον 5547 ιησουν 2424
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. My temptation which was in my flesh (ton peirasmon umwn en th sarki mou). The correct reading is peirasmon uJmwn your temptation. The trial to which they were subjected by his bodily infirmity (verse 13), and which might have tempted them to treat him with indifference.
Ye despised not nor rejected (ouk exouqenhsate oude exeptusate). Commonly explained by making both verbs govern your temptation. Thus the meaning would be: "You were tempted to treat my preaching contemptuously because of my bodily infirmity; but you did not despise nor reject that which was a temptation to you." This is extremely far fetched, awkward, and quite without parallel in Paul's writings or elsewhere. It does not suit the following but received me, etc. It lays the stress on the Galatians' resistance of a temptation to despise Paul; whereas the idea of a temptation is incidental. On this construction we should rather expect Paul to say: "Ye did despise and repudiate this temptation." Better, make your temptation, etc., dependent on ye know (verse 13); place a colon after flesh, and make both verbs govern me in the following clause. Rend. "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel to you the first time, and (ye know) your temptation which was in my flesh: ye did not despise nor reject me, but received me." The last clause thus forms one of a series of short and detached clauses beginning with verse 10. Ouk ejxouqenhsate ye did not set at nought, from oujden nothing. The form oujqen occurs Luke xxii. 35; xxiii. 14; Acts xix. 27; xxvi. 26; 1 Cor. xiii. 2; 2; Corinthians xi. 8. For the compound here, comp. Luke xviii. 9; xxiii. 11; Acts iv. 11; 2 Cor. x. 10. o Class. Exeptusate spurned, N.T.o . Lit. spat out. A strong metaphor, adding the idea of contempt to that of setting at nought. Comp. Hom. Od. v. 322; Aristoph. Wasps, 792. The two verbs express contemptuous indifference. Emesai to vomit, as a figure of contemptuous rejection, is found in Apoc. iii. 16. The simple ptuein to spit only in the literal sense in N.T. Mark vii. 33; viii. 23; John ix. 6, and no other compound occurs.
As an angel. Bengel says: "The flesh, infirmity, temptation, are known to angels; wherefore to receive as an angel is to receive with great veneration." As Jesus Christ. With even higher honor than an angel. Comp. Matthew x. 40; John xiii. 20.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:14 {A temptation to you in my flesh} (ton peirasmon humwn en tei sarki mou). "Your temptation (or trial) in my flesh." Peirasmon can be either as we see in #Jas 1:2,12ff. If trial here, it was a severe one. {Nor rejected} (oude exeptusate). First aorist active indicative of ekptuw, old word to spit out (Homer), to spurn, to loathe. Here only in N.T. Clemen (_Primitive Christianity_, p. 342) thinks it should be taken literally here since people spat out as a prophylactic custom at the sight of invalids especially epileptics. But Plutarch uses it of mere rejection. {As an angel of God} (hws aggelon qeou), {as Christ Jesus} (hws criston iesoun). In spite of his illness and repulsive appearance, whatever it was. Not a mere "messenger" of God, but a very angel, even as Christ Jesus. We know that at Lystra Paul was at first welcomed as hermes the god of oratory (#Ac 14:12f.). But that narrative hardly applies to these words, for they turned against Paul and Barnabas qen and there at the instigation of Jews from Antioch in Pisidia and Iconium.
