What Does Galatians 5:6 Mean in the King James?
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
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
In Christ Jesus, neither the mark nor its absence has force; trust comes alive through love.
THE MEANING
In Christ Jesus, circumcision and uncircumcision have no force for you. What is active now is trust working through love. Love is where trust operates, not a badge added beside it.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This dissolves the belief that a visible religious marker, or the absence of one, has power in itself.
THE ROOT
ἐνεργουμένη
energoumenē
GROWS FROM
ἐργ-
erg-
Work, deed, activity
The form translated “worketh” means working or being active and belongs to the Greek work-family ἐργ- (erg-). That same family names both activity and deed, presenting trust as active through love.
ALSO GROWS
ergon: Work, deed
ἔργον
It shares the work-family with the verb describing trust in this verse.
energeia: Activity, operation
ἐνέργεια
It carries the same sense of something being active or at work.
synergeō: Work together
συνεργέω
Its shared root appears in James’s description of trust working together with deeds.
ἰσχύει
ischyei
GROWS FROM
ἰσχυ-
ischy-
Have strength, be powerful
The verb translated “availeth” also means to be strong or have power. It sharpens the contrast: neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries force here; trust takes effect through love.
ALSO GROWS
ischys: Strength, power
ἰσχύς
It names the strength the verse says neither outward condition has.
ischyros: Strong, mighty
ἰσχυρός
It shares the same root family of strength and power.
πίστις
pistis
GROWS FROM
πειθ-
peith-
Persuade, win confidence or trust
“faith” in this verse is pistis. Here πίστις (pistis) is trust: leaning your full weight on what is trusted. Its root family connects that reliance with being persuaded or confident, and the verse pictures this trust at work through love rather than as mere agreement.
ALSO GROWS
peithō: Persuade, convince
πείθω
It shares the root family linking trust with being persuaded.
pepoithēsis: Confidence, trust
πεποίθησις
It names the confidence that grows from reliance.
THE PATTERN
Trust takes effect through love, so inward reality matters beyond an outward religious distinction.
And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.THE THREAD
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?Galatians says trust is ἐνεργουμένη through love; James uses συνεργεῖ and ἔργοις, words from the same ἐργ- (erg-) work-family. The shared root reveals trust as active: here through love, there together with deeds.
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