“They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.”
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good purpose. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. — Paul diagnoses the Judaizers' motivation: their 'zelos' (zeal, fervent intensity) aims to 'chorizo' (separate, alienate) the Galatians from Paul so that the Galatians transfer their zeal to the Judaizers themselves, a cultic capture rather than genuine gospel passion.
Church Fathers on Galatians 4:17
“They zealously seek you in no good way; nay, they desire to shut you out that you may seek them.” It is a wholesome emulation which leads to an imitation of virtue, but an evil one, which seduces from virtue him who is in the right path. And this is the object of those persons, who would deprive you of perfect knowledge, and impart to you that which is mutilated and spurious, and this for no other purpose than that they may occupy the rank of teachers, and degrade you, who…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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