Galatians 6:13 (GNV)

Passage

For they themselues which are circumcised keepe not the law, but desire to haue you circumcised, that they might reioyce in your flesh.

Nearby Context

Galatians 6:11 Ye see how large a letter I haue written vnto you with mine owne hand.

Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a faire shewe in the flesh, they constraine you to be circumcised, onely because they would not suffer persecution for the crosse of Christ.

Galatians 6:13 For they themselues which are circumcised keepe not the law, but desire to haue you circumcised, that they might reioyce in your flesh.

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should reioyce, but in ye crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified vnto me, and I vnto ye world.

Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Iesus neither circumcision auaileth any thing, nor vncircumcision, but a newe creature.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "themselues", "circumcised", "keepe", "desire", "haue", "might", and "reioyce". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "themselues" and "circumcised", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "As many as desire to make a..." into verse 14's "But God forbid that I should reioyce...", so "themselues" and "circumcised" 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 "themselues" and "circumcised" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.