Galatians 5:16 (KJV)

What does Galatians 5:16 mean?

Galatians 5:16 describes a contrast between living under the direction of God’s Spirit and giving in to desires that pull people away from that direction. Paul tells his readers that walking in the Spirit means they will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

“Walk” pictures a way of living rather than a single step. Paul’s words follow his warning in verse 15 about people harming one another. Galatians 5:16 turns from that danger to the direction Paul wants his readers’ lives to take.

The Greek behind Galatians 5:16

• “Walk” — περιπατέω (peripateō): The word means to walk or move about. Here it carries the sense of a continuing way of life.
• “lust” — ἐπιθυμία (epithymia): The word means a strong desire. It can describe desire more broadly, not only sexual desire.
• “flesh” — σάρξ (sarx): The word can mean physical flesh. Here Paul uses it for the side of human life whose desires are set against the Spirit, as the following verse shows.

Why Galatians 5:16 matters

• Paul speaks about carrying a desire into action. The KJV phrase “shall not fulfil” points to acting on the desire, rather than simply naming its presence.
• The contrast involves competing directions, not merely two different feelings. Verse 17 says that the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to each other.
• Paul’s concern includes how people treat one another. The following list includes “hatred,” “strife,” and “envyings” as well as sexual wrongdoing.