What point is Paul making in Galatians 5:15?

Question

Galatians 5:15 NASB

But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

What what point is Paul making here?

Answer 1

The NASB listed by the OP of Gal 5:15 represents the Greek quite well. The Cambridge commentary is succinct in its remarks:

15. To bite and to devour is to act like wild beasts. The words are of course used figuratively to denote attacks made under the influence of evil passions, and especially through the rancour of party spirit. These attacks would consist of abuse or slander, invective or innuendo, followed up perhaps by fraud or violence.

The result can only be mutual destruction—the ruin of both parties in the conflict.

The operative verb here is ἀναλίσκω (or ἀναλοω in some lexicons) means to destroy or consume completely. It occurs only in one other place, Luke 9:54.

Answer 2

The simple answer is that Paul is cautioning against rancorous arguments among members of the church. Rather than ugly debates full of hurtful words, they should remember that 'the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself."' (5:14)

Paul's "biting and devouring" is a metaphor similar to James' warning that "the tongue is a fire."

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell... [but] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3)

However the context of Paul's admonition is intriguing. It comes only three lines after he expresses his dismay toward the "circumcision party" in what seems to be inflammatory and hurtful terms:

if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! (5:11-12 NIV)

Perhaps Paul is only joking here. But it almost seems that, in telling the Galatians not to "bite and devour each other" Paul is instructing them to follow Christ's example of forgiveness and the Golden Rule, not his own penchant for rhetorical diatribe.

On the other hand, the verse in question could serve as a transition, so that Paul is no longer thinking about the circumcision debate, in which he participated so passionately. If so, he apparently forgot that earlier in his letter, he himself cursed his opponents if the harshest of language possible:

As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! (1:9)

It is hard to escape the feeling that Paul has not practiced what he preaches here. But the point he is making is that Christians should not metaphorically devour each other with hateful speech and should practice the Golden Rule instead, no matter how passionately the feel about the issue. Perhaps he is admonishing himself as well as his readers.