“If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?”
The full verse · Galatians 2:14 · KJV
I they according the of the , I unto them , , a , after the manner of , as do the , compellest the to live as do the ?
Asked by
Paul: the apostle to the Gentiles, recounting how he "withstood" Peter "to the face" at Antioch (Galatians 2:11)
Asked to
Peter: the apostle (also called Cephas, one of the "pillars" in Galatians 2:9), who had eaten with Gentile believers at Antioch and then withdrew (Galatians 2:12)
The Scene
At Antioch, Peter had been eating with Gentile believers, but when "certain came from James" he withdrew, and the other Jewish believers, even Barnabas, followed him (Galatians 2:11-13).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPeter's actions had stopped matching what he believed. He had been living free of Jewish food customs. Gill says he had eaten "as the Gentiles did, without regarding the laws and ceremonies of the Jews relating to meats and drinks." But when certain men came from James, Peter pulled back, "fearing them which were of the circumcision" (Galatians 2:12).
The text records no order from Peter to the Gentiles, but his withdrawal sent a message: to share the table fully, Gentiles must live like Jews. Barnes explains that "compellest" here "means here moral compulsion or persuasion." Paul's question exposes the inconsistency. Gill paraphrases it as asking with what "consistency with his own principles and former practice" Peter could press this on Gentiles. Paul spoke "before them all" because, as Matthew Henry says, "as Peter's offence was public, he publicly reproved him."
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe text does not record Peter's answer. Paul goes on to the truth at stake: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16). Barnes thinks Paul's words to Peter probably run "to the close of Galatians 2:21," ending with "if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 2:21). The question answers itself: Peter had no consistent ground for pressing Gentiles to live as Jews.
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsAntioch was the city where "the disciples were called Christians first" (Acts 11:26), a church where Jewish and Gentile believers met together. Peter's withdrawal from table fellowship affected the whole church: "the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away" (Galatians 2:13). Gill lists those who heard Paul's rebuke: Barnabas and the other Jews, the men from James, and "all the members of the church at Antioch."
Two Greek words sharpen the picture. "Walked not uprightly" is orthopodeo, to walk straight or be straight-footed. "To live as do the Jews" is ioudaizo, to live as a Jew in religious customs.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe question is about more than a meal. Paul says Peter and the others "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel." If Gentiles are justified "by the faith of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16), then making them live like Jews to be fully accepted denies the gospel itself. Matthew Henry explains that the gospel taught that "the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was taken down." Earlier Paul had refused to give way "that the truth of the gospel might continue with you" (Galatians 2:5).
The scene also shows that even a leading apostle could act from fear and be corrected. Matthew Henry notes that Paul "is not afraid to reprove him for it." The truth of the gospel stood above any person's standing.
Look Closer
What led Peter to withdraw from eating with the Gentiles?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, where am I living one way with some people and another way with others, and what would walking uprightly with Your truth look like there?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Peter acted out of fear of what certain people would think. Whose opinion most tempts you to act against what you know is true?
- Tell about a time someone lovingly pointed out an inconsistency in your life. What made it possible to hear it?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Your example teaches, even when you say nothing. No new rule from Peter is recorded, yet his withdrawal pressed Gentile believers to live like Jews. Who you sit with, and who you quietly avoid, can say something about the gospel.
When you feel pressure to keep the approval of an important group, remember that the truth of the gospel welcomes everyone who believes in Christ on the same terms (Galatians 2:16).
This doesn't mean every correction should be made in public. Paul spoke openly because the offense was public and had drawn the whole church in. Most of the time, love starts with a private word.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin?”
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?”
“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?”