Writing a commentary on Galatians is a daunting task. Despite its relative brevity, this Pauline letter raises a number of foundational theological issues, and it has played a vital role in shaping Christian thought and practice over the centuries.

In this replacement of Ronald Y. K. Fung’s 1988 New International Commentary volume, David deSilva ably rises to the challenge, providing a coherent account of Galatians as a piece of strategically crafted communication that addresses both the immediate pastoral challenges facing Paul’s converts in Galatia and the underlying questions that gave rise to them.

Paying careful attention to the history, philology, and theology of the letter, and interacting with a wealth of secondary literature on both Galatians and the rest of the Pauline corpus, deSilva’s exegetically sound commentary will serve as an essential resource for pastors and theological students.

About the New International Commentary on the New Testament

"Faithful criticism" characterizes volumes in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), and is widely recognized by pastors, students, and scholars alike for its attention to the text of Scripture, its currency with contemporary scholarship, and its service to the global church.

The interpretive work reflected in these commentaries is based on careful study of the Greek text, but commentary readers need not be practiced in the biblical languages to benefit from them. In the same way, NICNT volumes reflect serious work in technical areas — such as linguistics, textual criticism, and historical concerns — but the commentary itself focuses on understanding the text rather than navigating scholarly debates. Readers can turn to the footnotes and excursuses for more specialized interaction with the Greek text and engagement with critical issues and literature.

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Reviews

“A commentary packed with value for church people and scholars alike. David deSilva is one of the world’s best at bringing historical social context into fruitful dialogue with judicious interpretation of the text.” Peter Oakes — University of Manchester

“This masterfully written study by David deSilva offers careful verse-by-verse exposition, a dozen timely and wise excursuses, thorough review of introductory questions, and balanced attention to both Hellenistic and Jewish backgrounds. It does not ignore theological questions but engages them to the full extent demanded by Paul’s language, interacting with (and often differing from) views of grace, faith, and law taken by Douglas Moo in his major Galatians commentary. Laying special emphasis on the Spirit and the new era of salvation history in which Paul writes, deSilva has produced a work that will long rank among the most significant English-language Galatians commentaries.” Robert W. Yarbrough — Covenant Theological Seminary