In verse 9, do Peter, James, and John go to the Gentiles?
No. Verse 9 does not show Peter, James, and John going to the Gentiles. The context contrasts Peter’s apostleship to the circumcision, the Jews, with Paul’s gospel to the uncircumcision, the Gentiles. The text indicates Peter, James, and John are not depicted as going to Gentiles in that verse.
Les explains that verse 9 is ironic: if you can see Peter, James, and John going to Gentiles in this verse, then you read English differently than he does. He points back to verse 7, where the gospel of the uncircumcision, the Gentile, was committed to Paul, while the gospel of the circumcision, the Jew, was to Peter. The twelve are still associated with the circumcision and the prophetic program, not a Gentile ministry. Paul came to Jerusalem to show the twelve the gospel he was now preaching to the Gentiles.
More Questions
Does Galatians 2:9 show Peter, James, and John going to the Gentiles?
In Galatians 2:9, you cannot legitimately see Peter, James, and John going to the Gentiles; to read that into the verse is to read English incorrectly.