Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

GALATIANS 3:19KJV
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Galatians 3:19 (KJV)

What does Galatians 3:19 mean?

Galatians 3:19 explains that the law was given as a temporary measure because of wrongdoing, to last until the promised descendant arrived. The verse says the law was put in place through angels and a mediator, highlighting its role as something added for a specific time and purpose.

Paul is writing to the Galatian Christians, addressing confusion about the purpose of the Old Testament law after the coming of Jesus. He points out that the law was not the original or final way God related to people, but was introduced because of human transgressions, and was meant to last only until the "seed" (understood as Christ) came, to whom God’s promise was made.

The Greek behind Galatians 3:19

  • νόμος (nomos, G3551): This word means "law" and refers here to the Mosaic law given to Israel. Paul’s use of this term highlights the law as a specific set of commands, not just general rules.
  • προσετέθη (prosetethē, G4369): Translated "added," this word carries the sense of something being attached or introduced later, not part of the original arrangement. It suggests the law was not God’s first or final plan.
  • παραβάσεων (parabaseōn, G3847): This word means "transgressions" or "violations." It shows that the law was introduced because people were breaking boundaries, to make wrongdoing clear.
  • μεσίτου (mesitou, G3316): Meaning "mediator," this word points to someone who stands between two parties. Here, it underlines that the law came through intermediaries (angels and Moses), unlike the direct promise given to Abraham.

Why Galatians 3:19 matters

  • Galatians 3:19 clears up the misunderstanding that the law was always meant to be God’s main way of relating to people; instead, it was a temporary addition for a specific reason.
  • The verse emphasizes that the law’s purpose was to highlight and deal with transgressions, not to replace God’s promise to Abraham.
  • By mentioning angels and a mediator, Paul shows the law’s indirect delivery, contrasting it with the directness of God’s promise, which helps explain why faith in Christ, not law-keeping, is central in the Christian message.

Where else these words appear

“mediator” Greek G3316 · used in 6 verses

  • Galatians 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
  • 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
  • Hebrews 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

“transgressions” Greek G3847 · used in 7 verses

  • Romans 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
  • Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
  • Hebrews 2:2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

“of” Greek G5484 · used in 9 verses

  • Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
  • Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • Titus 1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

“made” Greek G1861 · used in 15 verses

  • Mark 14:11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.
  • 1 Timothy 6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.
  • Hebrews 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.