Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Galatians 6:13

"For not even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep the law; but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh." — Galatians 6:13 (ASV)

Second, the legalizers persevered in their error because they desired to boast that they had been able to win over the Galatians to Judaism. There were two things wrong with this. (1) It was an attempt to win others to that which was itself bankrupt; for not even those who were circumcised (i.e., Jews) were able to keep the law. (2) It was based on pride; the legalizers wanted to boast in the “flesh” of the Galatians (i.e., in the number of circumcisions). They were trophy hunters and wanted to be able to report on mass “conversions” in Galatia. The humbling parallel would be in the tendency to take pride in counting the number of “decisions for Christ” or “baptisms” today.