873. The Mark

From: Manners and Customs of the Bible By: James M. Freeman

Galatians 6:17

Galatians 6:17¹⁷From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (Galatians 6:17). I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Slaves were branded with a peculiar mark to designate their masters. So Paul had in his body marks, received in persecution for Christ’s sake, which showed to whom he belonged. Some think there is an allusion here to his “thorn in the flesh,” which was a perpetual mark put upon him by his lord and master.

See also notes on Leviticus 19:28²⁸Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28) (#166); Isaiah 49:16¹⁶Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:16) (#521); Ezekiel 9:4⁴And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. (Ezekiel 9:4) (#571).

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