Galatians 5:20 (DBY)

Passage

idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strifes, jealousies, angers, contentions, disputes, schools of opinion,

Nearby Context

Galatians 5:18 but if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under law.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness,

Galatians 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strifes, jealousies, angers, contentions, disputes, schools of opinion,

Galatians 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revels, and things like these; as to which I tell you beforehand, even as I also have said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit God's kingdom.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "idolatry", "sorcery", "hatred", "strifes", "jealousies", "angers", "contentions", and "disputes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "idolatry" and "sorcery", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Now the works of the flesh are..." into verse 21's "envyings murders drunkennesses revels and things like...", so "idolatry" and "sorcery" belong inside that flow. In Galatians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "idolatry" and "sorcery" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.