Les Feldick Bible Study

What does Paul mean by 'revelation' in Galatians 2:2?

In Galatians 2:2, 'revelation' means God revealed to Paul the necessity to go up to Jerusalem. It was divine direction, not a human decision, that sent him to communicate the gospel he preached among the Gentiles to the Jerusalem church.

Les explains that whenever Paul uses the word 'revelation,' he is referring to the fact that God had revealed to him the necessity to go. In Galatians 2, Paul went up to Jerusalem by revelation fourteen years after his previous visit, taking Barnabas and Titus. He went to meet with the leadership of the believing Jews, the Jerusalem church, and communicated the gospel he preached among the Gentiles. This occurred about twenty-two years after Pentecost, when Paul and Barnabas were called back to Jerusalem because of criticism for going to Gentiles.

Galatians 2:2

And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

More Questions

Why did Paul go up to Jerusalem according to Galatians 2:2?

Paul went up to Jerusalem by revelation, not by human instruction.