But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Galatians 5:15
What does Galatians 5:15 mean?
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Galatians 5:15
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The vivid imagery of "biting and devouring" doesn't just describe arguments; it points to a deeper spiritual decay where internal conflict consumes the very lifeblood of the Christian community, leading to mutual destruction.
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing the Galatian churches, urging them to use their Christian freedom for love, not license. He's just explained that the whole law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor. Now, he warns that instead of this loving service, they're engaging in destructive infighting, like wild animals tearing each other apart. If they continue this way, he cautions, they'll end up destroying the very community they belong to.
When Christians turn on each other, it's not just a minor spat. The imagery Paul uses is intense, showing a dangerous downward spiral.
Paul uses the vivid, almost shocking, imagery of wild animals fighting to describe conflict within the church. He says, 'if you bite and devour one another.'
Biting and Devouring
The Inevitable End
Paul warns, 'watch out that you are not consumed by one another.' This isn't just about individual harm; it’s about the destruction of the entire community. When members attack each other relentlessly, the church itself is eaten away from the inside, losing its vitality and witness.
Freedom in Christ is a precious gift, but it can be twisted into a tool for causing division and harm.
Paul had just spoken about Christian liberty in Galatians, emphasizing freedom from the Mosaic law's requirements for salvation. However, this verse shows the danger of misusing that freedom.
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Freedom vs. License
The Galatian churches were experiencing intense internal conflict, likely fueled by a dispute over whether Gentile believers needed to adhere to Jewish customs. This verse warns that such internal strife, akin to wild animals tearing each other apart, would ultimately destroy the community itself.
c. AD 48-49
Council of Jerusalem
The early church leaders debated whether Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish law, including circumcision. The decision was made that they did not, aiming to unify Jewish and Gentile believers.
c. AD 50-55— this verse
Paul writes Galatians
Paul writes his letter to the churches in Galatia, likely addressing conflict arising from the influence of 'Judaizers' who insisted on adherence to Jewish law.
c. AD 60-62
Paul's Imprisonment in Rome
During his imprisonment, Paul continued to guide and encourage churches through letters, addressing issues of false teaching and Christian living.
This passage powerfully describes the destructive nature of uncontrolled envy and selfish ambition, mirroring the 'biting and devouring' that Paul warns against in Galatians.
Romans 14:1Paul addresses similar issues of internal division and judgment within the church, showing how differences can lead to strife instead of building each other up in love.
1 Corinthians 3:3Here, Paul directly calls out the Corinthians for being 'worldly' and 'jealous,' illustrating how such attitudes lead to quarreling and division, which can ultimately destroy the community.
Proverbs 18:21This proverb offers a stark warning about the power of the tongue, highlighting how words can be used to inflict deep wounds, much like the 'biting' Paul describes.
Matthew 12:25Jesus' teaching on a divided kingdom being laid waste directly parallels Paul's warning that a church divided against itself through internal conflict will ultimately destroy itself.
bengelGalatians 5:15: "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."
Galatians 5:15 . Δὲ , but ) The opposite of the service to be rendered by love.— δάκνετε , ye bite ) [ backbite ] in reference to character.— κατεσθίετε , devour ) in regard to possessions [resources].— ἀναλωθῆτε , be consumed ) strength of soul, health of body, character, and resources, are consumed by broils and sorrows. [ Ah! how lamentable the extraordinary number of those, of whom the…
meyerGalatians 5:15: "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."
Galatians 5:15 . Δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε ] A climactic figurative designation of the hateful working of party enmity , in which they endeavoured mutually to hurt and destroy one another. Figurative expressions of this nature, derived from ravenous wild beasts, are elsewhere in use. See Maji Obss . II. p. 86; Jacobs, ad Anthol . VIII. p. 230; Wetstein, in loc . κατεσθίειν is not, however, to…
The vivid imagery of "biting and devouring" doesn't just describe arguments; it points to a deeper spiritual decay where internal conflict consumes the very lifeblood of the Christian community, leading to mutual destruction.
Paul is addressing the Galatian churches, urging them to use their Christian freedom for love, not license. He's just explained that the whole law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor. Now, he warns that instead of this loving service, they're engaging in destructive infighting, like wild animals tearing each other apart. If they continue this way, he cautions, they'll end up destroying the very community they belong to.
Paul is addressing the Galatian churches, urging them to use their Christian freedom for love, not license. He's just explained that the whole law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor. Now, he warns that instead of this loving service, they're engaging in destructive infighting, like wild animals tearing each other apart. If they continue this way, he cautions, they'll end up destroying the very community they belong to.
"But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another." — The vivid imagery of "biting and devouring" doesn't just describe arguments; it points to a deeper spiritual decay where internal conflict consumes the very lifeblood of the Christian community, lead…
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Last reviewed October 2026