Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Galatians 1:22

At that time the members of the churches in Judea did not know me personally.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;   Paul;   Scofield Reference Index - Churches;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Church;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Corinth;   Galatians, the Epistle to the;   Paul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Apostles;   Church;   Flesh;   Galatians, Letter to the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Paul the Apostle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Acts of the Apostles;   Church;   Fellowship (2);   Galatians Epistle to the;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Judaea, Judea ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - He'brews, Epistle to the;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Church;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Acts of the Apostles;   Church Government;   Galatians, Epistle to the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ.
King James Version (1611)
And was vnknowen by face vnto the Churches of Iudea, which were in Christ.
King James Version
And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
English Standard Version
And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
New American Standard Bible
I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which are in Christ;
New Century Version
In Judea the churches in Christ had never met me.
Amplified Bible
And I was still unknown by sight to the churches which were in Christ in Judea (Jerusalem and the surrounding region);
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ;
Legacy Standard Bible
And I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which are in Christ;
Berean Standard Bible
I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
Contemporary English Version
But no one who belonged to Christ's churches in Judea had ever seen me in person.
Complete Jewish Bible
but in Y'hudah, the Messianic congregations didn't even know what I looked like —
Darby Translation
But I was unknown personally to the assemblies of Judaea which [are] in Christ;
Easy-to-Read Version
No one in any of Christ's churches in Judea had ever met me before.
Geneva Bible (1587)
for I was vnknowen by face vnto the Churches of Iudea, which were in Christ.
George Lamsa Translation
And I was unknown by face to the churches of Christ in Juda.
Lexham English Bible
but I was unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ,
Literal Translation
but I was not known by face to the assemblies of Judea in Christ.
American Standard Version
And I was still unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
Bible in Basic English
And the churches of Judaea which were in Christ still had no knowledge of my face or person:
Hebrew Names Version
I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Yehudah which were in Messiah,
International Standard Version
But I was unknown by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea.Romans 16:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:14;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Neither did the churches of Jihud which are in the Meshiha know me by face.
Murdock Translation
And the churches in Judaea which were in the Messiah; did not know me personally:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
and was vnknowen in face vnto the Churches of Iurie, which were in Christe.
English Revised Version
And I was still unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
World English Bible
I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
Weymouth's New Testament
But to the Christian Churches in Judaea I was personally unknown.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But Y was vnknowun bi face to the chirchis of Judee, that weren in Crist; and thei hadden oonli an heryng,
Update Bible Version
And I was still unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ:
Webster's Bible Translation
And was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ:
New English Translation
But I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
New King James Version
And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.
New Living Translation
And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn't know me personally.
New Life Bible
None of the Christians in the churches in the country of Judea had ever seen me.
New Revised Standard
and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And was still unknown, by face, unto the assemblies of Judaea which were in Christ, -
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ:
Revised Standard Version
And I was still not known by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and was vnknowen as touchinge my person vnto ye cogregacios of Iewrye which were in Christ.
Young's Literal Translation
and was unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea, that [are] in Christ,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but of face I was vnknowne to ye Christen congregacions in Iewrye.
Mace New Testament (1729)
but was personally unknown to the churches of Christ in Judea,
Simplified Cowboy Version
but none of the outfits in Judea knew me.

Contextual Overview

10 Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 Let me tell you, my friends, that the gospel I preach is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any human being, nor did anyone teach it to me. It was Jesus Christ himself who revealed it to me. 13 You have been told how I used to live when I was devoted to the Jewish religion, how I persecuted without mercy the church of God and did my best to destroy it. 14 I was ahead of most other Jews of my age in my practice of the Jewish religion, and was much more devoted to the traditions of our ancestors. 15 But God in his grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve him. And when he decided 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the Gentiles, I did not go to anyone for advice, 17 nor did I go to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went at once to Arabia, and then I returned to Damascus. 18 It was three years later that I went to Jerusalem to obtain information from Peter, and I stayed with him for two weeks. 19 I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord's brother.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the churches: Acts 9:31, 1 Thessalonians 2:14

in: Romans 16:7, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1

Reciprocal: Acts 20:25 - see 2 Corinthians 6:9 - well 2 Corinthians 12:2 - in Christ

Cross-References

Genesis 1:13
Evening passed and morning came—that was the third day.
Genesis 1:14
Then God commanded, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin;
Genesis 1:28
blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.
Genesis 8:17
Take all the birds and animals out with you, so that they may reproduce and spread over all the earth."
Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.
Genesis 30:27
Laban said to him, "Let me say this: I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.
Genesis 30:30
The little you had before I came has grown enormously, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I went. Now it is time for me to look out for my own interests."
Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, "I am Almighty God. Have many children. Nations will be descended from you, and you will be the ancestor of kings.
Leviticus 26:9
I will bless you and give you many children; I will keep my part of the covenant that I made with you.
Job 40:15
Look at the monster Behemoth; I created him and I created you. He eats grass like a cow,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And was unknown by face,.... Or "in person". This is said to prevent what might be objected, that though the apostle had not received the Gospel he preached from any of the apostles at Jerusalem; yet he might have had it from the churches that were in the land of Judea, and from some of the principal men in them; but this was so far from being truth, that he was not so much as known unto the churches of Judea which were in Christ; for there was not only a famous church of believers in Christ at Jerusalem, the metropolis of the land, but there were several congregated churches in the several parts of that country: by Judea we are to understand that part of the land of Israel so called, which was distinct not only from Samaria; but from Galilee and Perea, or the country beyond Jordan; for according to the Jews d, the land of Israel was divided into three parts, Judea, Perea, and Galilee. Judea again was divided into three parts, the hill country, the plain, and the valley; and the plain of Lydda is as the plain of the south, and its mountainous part as the king's mountain; from Bethhoron to the sea is one province: and elsewhere e it is said, that the hill country of Judea is the king's mountain, the plain of it is the plain of the south, and the valley is from Engedi to Jericho--from Bethhoron to Emmaus is mountainous, from Emmaus to Lydda is a plain, and from Lydda to the sea a valley; from which may be collected where this country lay, and where were these churches here spoken of; the foundation of which might be laid in the conversion of some in those parts, through the ministry of the disciples of Christ, who were appointed witnesses of him not only in Jerusalem, but in all Judea and Samaria, Acts 1:8 and about the time of the Apostle Paul's conversion, and his being at Jerusalem, there were churches gathered in Judea, as distinct from Galilee and Samaria, Acts 9:31 particularly at Caesarea, Lydda, Saron, and Joppa. It is very likely that all the apostles, when they first set out to preach the Gospel after the ascension of Christ and the effusion of the Spirit, began in Judea; though some might make a very short stay, and others a longer. The Apostle and Evangelist Matthew is generally thought to have exercised his ministry chiefly in Judea, and to have continued there long; here he wrote his Gospel for the sake of the Jews that believed f; and that, as a very ancient writer says g, when Peter and Paul preached at Rome, and founded the church there. Judas Thaddaeus is also said h to go through Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia; and certain it is, that Philip, after he had baptized the eunuch, preached in all the cities from Azotus to Caesarea, where he seems to have stayed awhile and preached, Acts 8:40 and where afterwards was a Gospel church state, of which Acts 8:40- : and at Lydda and Saron, which were both in Judea, there were saints who were visited by the Apostle Peter, and others converted by him, about the time that our apostle here refers to; of the church at Lydda; Acts 8:40- : at Joppa also, which was in the tribe of Dan, there were disciples at the same time, and very likely a church there; Acts 8:40- : and it may be observed that the Apostle Peter was the minister of the circumcision, he had the Gospel of the circumcision committed to him, and he continued with and preached much to the circumcised Jews; and so in all likelihood was the instrument of planting the churches in Judea here spoken of. These are said to be

in Christ, as the church at Thessalonica, and that at Corinth are elsewhere said to be; because they professed to believe in Christ, were called by his name, and called upon his name; and though every individual member of them might not be in Christ, really united to him, and have communion with him; yet since they were all under a profession of him, they are considered as in him. The Arabic version reads it, "the churches of Judea which believe in Christ"; which though not a literal translation, gives the true sense of the passage, and distinguishes those churches from the synagogues or assemblies of the Jews which did not believe in Christ.

d Misn. Sheviith, c. 9. sect. 2. e T. Hieros. Sheviith, fol. 38. 4. f Hieron. Catalog. Script. Ecclesiast. sect. 4. fol. 90. A. g Irenaeus adv. Haeres. l. 3. c. 1. h Hist. Eccles. Magdeburg. cent. 1. l. 2. c. 10. p. 449.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And was unknown by face ... - Paul had visited Jerusalem only, and he had formed no acquaintance with any of the churches in the other parts of Judea. He regarded himself at the first as called to preach particularly to the Gentiles, and he did not remain even to form an acquaintance with the Christians in Judea.

The churches of Judea - Those which were out of Jerusalem. Even at the early period of the conversion of Paul there were doubtless many churches in various parts of the land,

Which were in Christ - United to Christ; or which were Christian churches. The design of mentioning this is, to show that he had not derived his views of the gospel from any of them. He had neither been instructed by the apostles, nor was he indebted to the Christians in Judea for his knowledge of the Christian religion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. And was unknown by face — I was not personally acquainted with any of the Churches of Judea; I was converted in another place, and had not preached the Gospel in any Christian congregation in that country; I knew only those at Jerusalem.


 
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