MALLON DE (Galatians 4:9)

Eric Weiss (eweiss@gte.net)
Sun, 19 Jan 1997 03:23:21 -0600

Galatians 4:9

...NUN DE GNONTES QEON, MALLON DE GNWSQENTES hUPO QEOU...

The usual translation "but now that you have come to know God, or rather
to be known by God" (NASB, similar to others) bothers me. It's like Paul
is saying that the Galatians had never really known God (his choices of
GINWSKW vs. OIDA in this letter seem to be deliberate) - yet that would
seem to be contrary to the points he makes about them being sons, and
encouraging them to walk in the Spirit.

Anyway, comparing this to Romans 8:34

...XRISTOS IHSOUS O APOQANWN, MALLON DE EGERQEIS, hOS KAI ESTIN EN DEXIA
TOU QEOU...

which the NASB translates "Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who
was raised, who is at the right hand of God," it seems to me that based
on these two verses at least, MALLON DE might mean something like "but
more [than this]," making Galatians 4:9 mean something like "but now
that you have come to know God - but more than this, that you have come
to be known by God - i.e., you both know God AND - BETTER THAN THIS -
ARE ALSO KNOWN BY HIM (which when combined achieve the ne plus ultra of
human experience - i.e., the reason you were created) - how is it that
you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things...?" It
seems to me that if they had never really GINWSKW-ed God, but had only
been GINWSKW-ed by him, the apostle wouldn't or shouldn't have been so
surprised that they were returning to their former behavior - unless
he's being sarcastic here (which I wouldn't put past Paul), except I
don't think sarcasm in this clause supports his incredulity and dismay.

BAGD support the traditional translation, saying MALLON DE in these
verses "introduces an expr. or thought that supplements and thereby
corrects what has preceded" (MALLON p. 489, 3.d.), so maybe I'm just
wishing the translation could be something other than what everyone says
it is.

Is there any support for my thoughts?

Please cc: me any response, since all I get is the digest - and I have
to teach/preach on Galatians tonight (we probably won't get this far,
though)! Thanks.

-- 
"Eric S. Weiss"
http://home1.gte.net/eweiss/index.htm