3:1

O senseless Galatians!: The Greek word for “senseless” (a·noʹe·tos) does not necessarily mean that the Galatian Christians lacked intelligence. In this context, it refers to “unwillingness to use one’s mental faculties in order to understand,” as one lexicon puts it. Paul had just reminded the Galatian Christians that they had been declared righteous, not because they had kept the Mosaic Law, but because they had faith in Jesus Christ. (Ga 2:15-21) Jesus had freed them from the condemnation of the Mosaic Law. (See study note on Ga 2:21.) Foolishly, some Galatians were forsaking that precious freedom and were returning to an obsolete Law that could only condemn them. (Ga 1:6) By exclaiming “O senseless Galatians!” Paul rebuked them for taking this step backward.

Galatians: Apparently Paul here refers to the Christians in the congregations located in those southern parts of Galatia where he had preached.​—See study note on Ga 1:2.

has brought you under this evil influence: The expression is translated from the Greek verb ba·skaiʹno, used only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The term was sometimes used to mean “to bewitch” or “to put a spell on,” which is how many English Bibles render this word. However, in ancient Greek, that verb also had a figurative meaning, so it did not always signify that a magical power was at work to mislead someone. Paul uses the term in the broader sense of leading others astray and wrongly influencing them. He is vividly characterizing the negative influence of those who were trying to mislead the Galatians.