Texts in Conversation
Paul quotes a curse from Deuteronomy to argue that everyone relying on the Torah is condemned. In Deuteronomy, that curse is for people who fail to obey the Torah, which Paul reinterprets as trying to obey the Torah at all.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Deuteronomy 27:26
Hebrew Bible
23 ‘Cursed is the one who goes to bed with his mother-in-law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 24 ‘Cursed is the one who kills his neighbor in private.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ 26 ‘Cursed is the one who refuses to keep the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
Galatians 3:10
New Testament
9 So then those who believe are blessed along with Abraham the believer. 10 For all who rely on doing the works of the law are under a curse because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep on doing everything written in the book of the law.” 11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law because the righteous one will live by faith.
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Notes and References
“... The same cannot be said for the quotations in 3:10–14, where a literate audience could have found ample reason to question the validity of Paul’s biblical argumentation. (1) In the case of 3:10 (quoting Deuteronomy 27:26), the primary problem is the apparent conflict between the wording of the quotation and Paul’s assertion in the first part of the verse. Where the quotation pronounces a curse on the person who does not continually follow the requirements of Torah, Paul appears to apply the curse to those who seek to comply with the laws of Torah. This blatantly contradicts the original sense of Deuteronomy 27, which contains a long series of curses on individuals who violate specific provisions of Torah. The fact that the verse fails to support Paul’s assertion (and could, in fact, be read as upholding the views of his opponents) could have raised serious questions about the legitimacy of Paul’s handling of Scripture and perhaps of his entire argument. ...”
Stanley, Christopher D.
"Paul's "Use" of Scripture: Why the Audience Matters" in Porter, Stanley E.; Stanley, Christopher D. (ed.) As It Is Written: Studying Paul's Use of Scripture
(p. 150) Society of Biblical Literature, 2008
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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