SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:15
¿Dnde est pues vuestra bienaventuranza? Porque yo os doy testimonio que si se pudiera hacer, os hubierais sacado vuestros ojos para drmelos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Galatians 4:15
Verse 15. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of?] Ye spake of should be in italics, there being no corresponding word in the Greek text. Perhaps there is not a sentence in the New Testament more variously translated than this. I shall give the original: tiv oun hn o makarismov umwn? What was then your blessedness! Or, How great was your happiness at that time! Or, What blessings did ye then pour on me! It is worthy of remark, that, instead of tiv, what, ABCFG, several others, the older Syriac, the later Syriac in the margin, the Armenian, Vulgate, one copy of the Itala, and some of the fathers, have pou, where; and hn, was, is omitted by ACD, several others, also the Vulgate, Itala, and the Latin fathers. According to these authorities the text should be read thus: Where then is your blessedness? Having renounced the Gospel, you have lost your happiness. What have your false teachers given you to compensate the loss of communion with God, or that Spirit of adoption, that Spirit of Christ, by which you cried Abba, Father! If, however, we understand the words as implying the benedictions they then heaped on the apostle, the sense will be sufficiently natural, and agree well with the concluding part of the verse; for I bear you record, that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. You had then the strongest affection for me; you loved God, and you loved me for God's sake, and were ready to give me the most unequivocal proof of your love.
Dearer than one's eyes, or to profess to give one's eyes for the sake of a person, appears to have been a proverbial expression, intimating the highest tokens of the strongest affection. We find a similar form of speech in Terence, Adelphi, act iv., scene 5, ver. 67.- Di me pater Omnes oderint, ni magis te quam oculos nunc ego amo meos.
"O father, may all the gods hate me, if I do not love you now more than my own eyes."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. Where is then the blessedness you spake of ? etc..] Or, as some copies read, what was then your blessedness? what, and how great was it? meaning, when the Gospel was first preached to them by him; when Christ was revealed to them as God's salvation; when the doctrines of free justification by the righteousness of Christ, and full pardon by his atonement and satisfaction by his sacrifice, were published among them; when the love of God was shed abroad in their hearts, and the Spirit of Christ was sent thither, crying Abba, Father: but, alas! where was this blessedness now, since they were turning to the weak and beggarly elements of the ceremonial law, and were inclined to observe its ordinances, and bring themselves hereby into a state of bondage? They were happy persons while under the ministry of the apostle; as a Gospel ministry is a great happiness to any that enjoy it; for this is the way to find eternal life, to have spiritual peace and pleasure, joy and comfort, light and liberty, whereas a contrary doctrine leads to all the reverse. The apostle hereby puts them in mind how they were looked upon as happy persons by himself at that time, whom they received with so much respect and reverence, and his ministry with so much readiness and cheerfulness, and to so much profit and advantage; and also by other churches who were sensible of the high favour they enjoyed, by having so great a preacher of the Gospel among them; and even at that time they thought themselves the happiest persons in the world, and that they could not have been more so, unless they had had Christ himself in person among them; so beautiful were the feet of this bringer of glad tidings to them: for I bear you record, that if it had been possible ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me ; so fully persuaded was the apostle of their strong and sincere affection for him at that time, that he was ready to attest the truth of this in any form to any persons; that were it a possible thing for them, and could it have been of any advantage to him, they would even have plucked out their eyes, than which nothing is dearer, or more useful to a man, and have parted with them to him, and for his sake; and doubtless persons so affected would cheerfully have laid down their lives for him; but things had taken another turn since.
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
τις 5101 ουν 3767 ην 2258 5713 ο 3588 μακαρισμος 3108 υμων 5216 μαρτυρω 3140 5719 γαρ 1063 υμιν 5213 οτι 3754 ει 1487 δυνατον 1415 τους 3588 οφθαλμους 3788 υμων 5216 εξορυξαντες 1846 5660 αν 302 εδωκατε 1325 5656 μοι 3427
Vincent's NT Word Studies
15. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? (pou oun o makarismov umwn). Makarismov, P o . Comp. Rom. iv. 6, 9. Not blessedness, but pronouncing blessed, felicitation. "What had become of your self gratulation on my presence and teaching?" Ye spake of is an attempt to render uJmwn. Better, "Where is then that gratulation of yours?" I bear you record (marturw). Better, witness. Bear record is common in A.V. for bear witness. Record is used both of a person, as God is my record, Philip. i. 8; I call God for a record, 1 Cor. i. 23, and in the sense of evidence or testimony. So Shaks. Richard 2 1 i. 30: "First, Heaven be the record to my speech."
Plucked out (exoruxantev). Lit. dug out. Only here, and Mark ii. 4, of digging up the roof in order to let down the paralytic before Jesus. Your own eyes (touv ofqalmouv umwn). Better, your eyes. Eyes, as most treasured possessions. Comp. Psalm xvii. 8; Prov. vii. 2; Zechariah ii. 8. Some have found here evidence that Paul was afflicted with disease of the eyes. See Dr. John Brown's Horae Subsecivae. Accordingly they explain these words, "You would have given me your own eyes to replace mine." But uJmwn is unemphatic, your. All attempts to connect the passage with Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corninthians vii. 7) are to be dismissed as fanciful.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:15 {That gratulation of yourselves} (ho makarismos humwn). "Your felicitation." Rare word from makarizw, to pronounce happy, in Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch. See also #Ro 4:6,9. You no longer felicitate yourselves on my presence with you. {Ye would have plucked out your eves and given them to me} (tous ofqalmous humwn exoruxantes edwkate moi). this is the conclusion of a condition of the second class without an expressed which would have made it clearer. But see #Joh 16:22,24; Ro 7:7 for similar examples where the context makes it plain without an. It is strong language and is saved from hyperbole by "if possible" (ei dunaton). Did Paul not have at this time serious eye trouble?
