Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 4:13

"but ye know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time:" — Galatians 4:13 (ASV)

“You have done me no wrong” (v.12) really belongs with vv.13–15, verses describing Paul’s original reception by the Galatians. They had received him graciously and with compassion (see v.14). And this was all the more remarkable since he had not been at his best when among them. He had been sick. In fact, illness had brought about his visit to Galatia in the first place. While many attempts have been made to identify the precise nature of Paul’s illness (e.g., malaria, the physical abuse and resulting weakness he had suffered at Lystra [Acts 14:19], his “thorn in the flesh” [2 Corinthians 12:7], or bad eyesight), the only thing we can say with certainty is that some form of unpleasant sickness lay behind Paul’s first visit to the Galatians and that, though they could have despised him because of it, they did not but, instead, received him favorably.