Galatians 3:1

“O foolish Galatians, etc..] Referring not to any national character, as some have thought, by which they were distinguished from others for their rudeness in knowledge, their ignorance and folly, as the Cretians for their lying, etc.. nor to their former state in unregeneracy, it being common to all men, to God's elect themselves, before conversion, to be foolish in a moral and spiritual sense; but to their present stupidity about the article of justification, it being an instance of most egregious folly to leave Christ for Moses, the Gospel for the law, and the doctrine of free justification by the righteousness of Christ, which brings so much solid peace and comfort with it, for the…”

“REPROOF OF THE GALATIANS FOR ABANDONING FAITH FOR LEGALISM. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH VINDICATED: THE LAW SHOWN TO BE SUBSEQUENT TO THE PROMISE: BELIEVERS ARE THE SPIRITUAL SEED OF ABRAHAM, WHO WAS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. THE LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER TO BRING US TO CHRIST, THAT WE MIGHT BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD BY FAITH. (Gal. 3:1-29) that ye should not obey the truth--omitted in the oldest manuscripts. bewitched--fascinated you so that you have lost your wits. THEMISTIUS says the Galatians were naturally very acute in intellect. Hence, Paul wonders they could be so misled in this case. you--emphatical. "You, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been graphically set forth (literally, in writing,…”

“O foolish Galatians - That is, foolish for having yielded to the influence of the false teachers, and for having embraced doctrines that tended to subvert the gospel of the Redeemer. The original word used here (ἀνόητοι anoētoi) denotes void of understanding; and they had shown it in a remarkable manner in rejecting the doctrine of the apostles, and in embracing the errors into which they had fallen. It will be remembered that this is an expression similar to what was applied to them by others; see the introduction, Section I. Thus, Callimachus in his hymns calls them “a foolish people,” and Hillary, himself a Gaul, calls them Gallos indociles, expressions remarkably in accordance with…”

“O thoughtless Galatians - He breaks in upon them with a beautiful abruptness. Who hath bewitched you - Thus to contradict both your own reason and experience. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been as evidently set forth - By our preaching, as if he had been crucified among you. Galatians 3:2”

“3:1–5:12 Paul now defends the truth of his message—that right relationship with God comes by faith in Christ alone—and proves the fallacy of the message that Gentiles must keep the law in order to be acceptable to God. 3:1-9 Paul compares the Galatians’ spiritual experience (3:1-5) with Abraham’s (3:6-9), showing that they were made right with God in the same way, through faith and not through the law (Eph 2:8-9). 3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Their foolishness was both intellectual and spiritual (cp. Luke 24:25; see 1 Sam 25:1-38) as they turned away from Christ (Gal 1:6) and put faith in the law. • The Galatians were deceived by the teachers’ evil spell (cp. Gen 3:1-7)—not literal witchcraft,…”

“Foolish: Gal 3:3; Deu 32:6; Sa1 13:13; Mat 7:26; Luk 24:25; Eph 5:15; Ti1 6:4 \*marg. who: Gal 1:6, Gal 4:9, Gal 5:7, Gal 5:8; Mat 24:24; Act 8:9-11; Co2 11:3, Co2 11:13-15; Eph 4:14; Th2 2:9-12; Pe2 2:18; Rev 2:20, Rev 13:13, Rev 13:14, Rev 18:3 ye: Gal 2:14, Gal 5:7; Act 6:7; Rom 2:8, Rom 6:17, Rom 10:16; Co2 10:5; Th2 1:8; Heb 5:9; Heb 11:8; Pe1 1:22, Pe1 4:17 Jesus Christ: Co1 1:23, Co1 1:24, Co1 2:2, Co1 11:26; Eph 3:8 Galatians 3:2”