What Does Galatians 2:8 Mean in the King James?
(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Greek repeats the same verb for Peter and Paul, where English gives you “wrought effectually” and “was mighty”: one working moves through two distinct missions.
THE MEANING
The same divine work moves through people in different directions. A difference in audience does not mean a different source; the verse names one working in Peter toward the circumcision and in Paul toward the Gentiles.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that different directions of service must come from competing sources.
THE ROOT
ἐνεργήσας
energēsas
GROWS FROM
ἐργ
erg
Work, deed, or action; in ἐνεργέω, the sense is to be at work or operate.
“wrought effectually / was mighty” in this verse is energēsas. The Greek uses forms of the same verb twice: God is at work in Peter and works in Paul. English gives the two actions different expressions, while the Greek keeps their shared working visible across their distinct missions.
ALSO GROWS
ergon: Work or deed
ἔργον
It shares the work-root and keeps the verse’s focus on active work rather than status or title.
energeia: Working or operation
ἐνέργεια
This related noun makes explicit the idea of an active operation, the same kind of working named for both Peter and Paul.
THE PATTERN
One divine source works through different people and forms of service.
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.THE THREAD
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?“Worketh” here is another form of the Greek verb ἐνεργέω, repeated in Galatians 2:8 for God’s work in Peter and Paul. The same working now appears among the Galatians, showing that it is not confined to those two missions.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us