“But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.”
It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. — Paul permits zeal ('kalon zelos' — good zeal) when its purpose ('kalos' — good, noble) is Christ and truth, but criticizes the Galatians for their selective devotion to Paul's presence, suggesting their zeal is person-dependent rather than truth-rooted.
Church Fathers on Galatians 4:18
“But it is good to be zealously sought in a good matter at all times, and not only when I am present with you.” Here he hints that his absence had been the cause of this, and that the true blessing was for disciples to hold right opinions not only in the presence but also in the absence of their master. But as they had not arrived at this point of perfection, he makes every effort to place them there.
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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