Galatians 5:15 (KJV)

Passage

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Nearby Context

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bite", "devour", "another", "take", "heed", and "consumed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bite" and "devour", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "For all the law is fulfilled in..." into verse 16's "This I say then Walk in the...", so "bite" and "devour" 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 "bite" and "devour" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.