King James Bible
"For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise."
Paul presents a logical impossibility: an inheritance cannot simultaneously depend on law-keeping and be a free gift. The 'inheritance' refers to the covenant blessings promised to Abraham's descendants, which some Galatians believed required observing Mosaic law. This phrase emphasizes the mutual exclusivity of law and promise as bases for receiving God's blessings. A promise depends solely on the giver's faithfulness, while law depends on the recipient's performance—they operate on fundamentally different principles. Paul appeals to historical precedent: God's covenant with Abraham (recorded in Genesis 12-17) was established 430 years before the Mosaic law existed. The Greek verb 'gave' is in the perfect tense, indicating a completed act with ongoing effects—the promise remains permanently valid.