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Galatians 2 · a question people ask

"before some people came from James" (2:12). Did James send them?

In the text

The verse says only that they "came from James" (2:12). It doesn't say that James sent them, or what they said or did, and these notes don't either. The same verse names "those who were of the circumcision" (2:12), and doesn't say whether they are the same people. These notes say nothing of what happened afterwards, and apply none of it to any church or person today.

The verses

“For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.”
Galatians 2:12 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Galatians 2

Galatians 2: Christ lives in me

In Galatians 2, respected and reputed are one verb four times (2:2, 2:6, 2:9); by the WEB's marks the words said "to Peter before them all" (2:14) run to the end of the chapter; and in 2:20 live is one verb four times: "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me".

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Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions