Charles Ellicott Commentary Galatians 2:12

"For before that certain came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing them that were of the circumcision." — Galatians 2:12 (ASV)

Certain came from James.—The expression used leaves it an open question whether the persons intended brought, or claimed to bring, any sort of official authorization from St. James , or whether they merely belonged to the Church of Jerusalem, in which, if St. James was not actually bishop, he at least exercised a sort of presidential jurisdiction.

He did eat with the Gentiles.—By eating with Gentiles, a Jew contracted Levitical defilement. St. Peter had been accused of this before, on account of his interaction with Cornelius . He did not, however, have enough stability and firmness to treat the question of principle as settled for him once and for all, and he yielded to a repetition of the old objections. Our Lord Himself had braved Jewish opinion on this point .

When they were come.—The reading of the oldest manuscripts here is “when he came,” which seems to make no satisfactory sense. It may have been a slip of the pen, either in the original or in some very early copy. Other instances of mistakes in the oldest manuscripts would be: Mark 4:21, “under a candlestick,” instead of “on a candlestick;”John 1:15, “he who said,” for “he of whom I said;” and a Greek form in Philippians 2:1.

Withdrew and separated himself.—The Greek expression brings out the timid and gradual withdrawal, ending in complete separation.

Them which were of the circumcision.—This appears to mean, not merely “those who advocated circumcision,” but “those who were made converts from a state of circumcision”—that is, from Judaism.