What does it mean that the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin?

Explanation:

Paul explains that ἡ γραφή (the Scripture) confined all under sin. The term can mean the writing, but biblical authors often use it to refer to Scripture. When Paul uses the term to refer to Scripture, he will use it in either the singular or plural form. According to his normal practice, when he uses ἡ γραφή in the singular, as he does in Galatians 3:22, he refers to one passage or a small portion of Scripture (Romans 4:3; Romans 9:17; Romans 10:11; Romans 11:2). When he uses it in the plural, he refers to the whole of Scripture (Romans 1:2; Romans 15:4; Romans 16:26; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Since he uses ἡ γραφή in the singular in Galatians 3:22 he likely has in mind one passage or small portion of Scripture. Thus, he has in mind that a passage or small portion of Scripture imprisoned all under sin.

So what passage might he have in mind? Likely it is Deuteronomy 27:26.¹ That is because Paul has already quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 in Galatians 3:10 where he writes, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.

Counterargument:

It might be that Paul has Deuteronomy 27:26 in mind, but since he does not quote Deuteronomy 27:26 directly, this is unlikely.² Further, his point is that ἡ γραφή (the writing) imprisoned all under sin. The problem is that it is hard to see how Deuteronomy 27:26 imprisoned everything under sin.³ Thus, it is more likely that Paul has in mind all of Scripture when he writes ἡ γραφή.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this counterargument. First, Paul does not need to quote from a passage directly to refer to a passage or a small portion of Scripture. Rather, he can indirectly infer that he has a particular passage in mind.

Second, it is perfectly clear how Deuteronomy 27:26 confines all under sin. The statement is that anyone who cannot live according to the whole law and do them is cursed. Paul himself explains that if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would have been obtained through the law (Galatians 3:21). Unfortunately, because of the sinful nature of humans, total obedience to God’s laws is not possible. This means that in fact, we are all confined to sin, because, as Deuteronomy 27:26 explains, unless we can uphold the whole law, we are cursed.

Explanation:

In Galatians 3:10 Paul explains that all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. He then quotes Deuteronomy 27:26 where the author writes that unless one does all the works of the law, one is cursed. In Galatians 3:22 Paul uses the term under sin to explain that all are imprisoned under sin. Most likely under sin is equivalent to under a curse⁴ We can deduce that Paul likely uses the phrase under sin in an equivalent manner to under a curse because the concepts are similar. To be under sin is to be under a curse, and to be under a curse is to be under sin. Since under sin likely means something like under a curse we can see that when Paul refers to ἡ γραφή (the writing) he has Deuteronomy 27:26 in mind.

Counterargument:

It is not exactly clear that under a curse and under sin are equivalent. Besides the fact that both are preceded by the same preposition, the two nouns have quite different meanings. To be under a curse, in the context of Deuteronomy 27:26, is to be under the judgment of God. To be under sin has to do with one’s corrupt nature. In other words, because one’s nature is corrupt, one is under sin. Of course, to be corrupted by nature, and therefore under sin, will result in being under a curse, but the terms are not equivalent.

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument makes too much of the difference between being under a curse and being under sin, given the context. This can be shown by the strange consequence that follows if we take this argument to its logical conclusion. For the argument is that to be under sin is to be corrupted in nature. The problem with this view is that Paul writes that ἡ γραφή (the writing) is what confines all under sin. The counterargument implies that Scripture is what makes one’s nature corrupt, which is absurd. Scripture does not corrupt one’s nature but reveals sin as sin. It makes more sense to think that Scripture confines everyone under sin by making us aware of the standard of God’s law.⁵ By making us aware that unless we uphold every aspect of the law we are under a curse, Scripture confines us to sin, in that we now know that we fall short of God’s law.

Explanation:

Paul says that Scripture imprisoned everything under sin. We can see that he has a particular verse or collection of verses in mind because he does something similar in Romans. In Romans 3:9 Paul writes that all are under sin. He then offers a series of proof texts that indicate the corruption of human nature.⁶ Paul then explains that through the law comes knowledge of sin, so that no one will be made righteous by the law (Galatians 3:19–20). Most likely he is doing something similar in Galatians 3:22; that is, he is pointing out that according to Scripture, our natures are corrupt, and the law holds us accountable so that we have no excuse. Thus, the law, as revealed by Scripture, does not justify us before God, but consigns us under sin.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it undermines the notion that Paul has Deuteronomy 27:26 in mind when he says that Scripture imprisoned all under sin. Rather, it could be that Paul has in mind a collection of passages or the whole Old Testament.

Response to counterargument:

It is true that Paul uses various passages from the Psalms and Isaiah to make the case that all are under sin in Romans 3:10–18. Still, in Galatians 3:22 he likely uses Deuteronomy 27:26, which he has already quoted (Galatians 3:10). The point is that Paul’s practice of using a Scripture to show that all are under sin is the same between Romans and Galatians.

The one weakness of this view is that it takes it as a hard and fast rule that when Paul uses the singular ἡ γραφή (the writing), he refers to a passage or small portion of Scripture, and when he uses the plural form he refers to all of Scripture. It is possible that Galatians 3:22 is the exception to the rule, and Paul uses the singular to refer to the whole of Scripture. Still, we would need strong evidence from the immediate context to show that this is the case, when in fact the evidence suggests that Paul has Deuteronomy 27:26 in mind.

Explanation:

The term ἡ γραφή literally means the writing, which is often used by biblical authors to refer to Scripture. Although Paul puts ἡ γραφή (the writing) in the singular, he likely uses it to refer to Scripture as a whole and not one particular passage.¹⁰ And if he uses ἡ γραφή (the writing) to refer to Scripture as a whole, he likely has in mind the Old Testament, with a particular focus on the Mosaic law.¹¹ Thus, his meaning is that the whole Old Testament, which has much to do with the covenant, established by the law, between God and Israel, confined everyone to sin because the demands of the law exceed the ability of sinful humans.

We can detect that Paul likely has the whole Scripture in mind when he writes ἡ γραφή (the writing) because he uses the term to refer to the whole of Scripture in Galatians 3:8.¹² There Paul says that Scripture foresaw that the Gentiles would be justified by faith and preached the gospel to Abraham in advance. It only makes sense that if Paul used the singular of ἡ γραφή (the writing) to refer to the whole of Scripture in Galatians 3:8, he would use it again that way in Galatians 3:22.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it is not clear that Paul uses ἡ γραφή in Galatians 3:8 to refer to the whole of Scripture. Rather, he more likely uses it to refer to a particular portion of Scripture. Specifically, he has in mind the blessings of Abraham, where God promises that all the families and nations of earth would be blessed through Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18).¹³ This is made clear by the fact that Paul uses a ὁτι (saying) to indicate that he quotes from the blessings of Abraham when he writes, In you shall all the nations be blessed.

Of course, if Paul uses ἡ γραφή (the writing) to refer to a single portion of Scripture in Galatians 3:8, then his use of the term in Galatians 3:8 cannot be used to support the notion that he uses the singular to refer to the whole of Scripture in Galatians 3:22.

Explanation:

Paul opens Galatians 3:22 with the conjunction but. The conjunction reveals that Paul makes a contrast with what he wrote previously. What Paul wrote previously is that if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would be by the law (Galatians 3:21). But, Paul says, instead, the Scripture imprisoned all things under sin. Although Paul switches from the term law in Galatians 3:21 to Scripture in Galatians 3:22, the conjunction tells us that Paul still has the law in mind.¹⁴ Paul’s point is that the whole Scripture, with a particular emphasis on the law, does not make one righteous, but what it does do is consign all under sin.

Counterargument:

The problem with this argument is that it’s hard to see why Paul would refer to the whole of Scripture to suggest that the law consigns all under sin. In other words, since the conjunction ἀλλά (but) suggests that Paul has the same referent in mind between Galatians 3:21 and Galatians 3:22, it is unlikely that Paul has the whole of Scripture in mind in Galatians 3:22. His focus is on the fact that no one will be justified by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16). In fact, all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). Gal As it stands, Scripture consigns all under sin (Galatians 3:22).

So the Scripture, having to do with the law, consigns all under sin, but we know there is more in Scripture than the law. There is the primeval history, the exodus, Passover, Proverbs, Psalms, the history of the kingdom of Israel, prophecies, and more. Given Paul’s sharp focus on the law in the broader and immediate context, it is hard to see how he could have the whole of Scripture in mind here. Rather, he seems to have in mind a small portion concerning the law.

Response to counterargument:

The point is not that Paul has in mind every passage of the Old Testament, nor does he seem to have one verse in mind. Still, much of the Old Testament is about God’s interactions with Israel, including the giving of the law, the sacrificial system, the festivals, and so on. Thus, when Paul says that Scripture imprisoned all under sin, he likely has in mind the general theme of the Old Testament, and especially the Torah, where the law of God is given. The giving of the law reveals the demands of the holy God, and imprisoned all under sin because the corrupt sinful nature cannot attain the standards of the law.¹⁵

The problem with this view is that the whole of the Old Testament does much more than imprison everything under sin. It reveals the covenant promises to Abraham, and as Paul explains, announces the gospel (Galatians 3:8). Paul understands that the Old Testament not only consigns all to sin but reveals God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Further, if we concede that when Paul says ἡ γραφή (the writing) he really refers to the portions of Scripture related to the law, we collapse into interpretation 1, where it is argued that Paul has a passage or small portion of Scripture in mind.

Explanation:

When Paul says that the Scripture has confined all under sin, he uses the term ἡ γραφή (the writing) to personify the will of God.^18,19,20 In other words, Paul is saying that God has declared that all are imprisoned under sin. We can deduce this because Paul says something similar in Romans 11:32. There Paul writes, For God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all. Paul’s point is that God has willed it that all are imprisoned under sin.

Counterargument:

While it is the case that God speaks to us through Scripture, Paul does not refer to God in Galatians 3:22, but to Scripture. Added to this, Paul has referenced Scripture various times in his letter, which indicates that both he and his audience consider Scripture an authoritative source (Galatians 3:6; Galatians 3:8; Galatians 3:10; Galatians 3:13; Galatians 3:16). For Paul, and his audience, it is implicitly true that God speaks through the passages that Paul quotes from, but still, Paul refers directly to recorded Scripture. Thus, when Paul says that ἡ γραφή (the writing) imprisoned all under sin, he likely has Scripture in mind.

The problem with this view is that it fails to understand Paul’s intent in the context of Galatians. Of course, it is true that God speaks to us through Scripture, but our goal is to understand what Paul says. Since he says that Scripture consigns all under sin, it seems clear that he has Scripture in mind.