“If anyone thinks
That he is something,
When he is nothing,
He deceives himself.”
εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ τις εἶναί τι μηδὲν ὤν, φρεναπατᾷ ἑαυτόν.
Paul said, “If anyone thinks (εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ) that he is something (τις εἶναί), when he is nothing (τι μηδὲν ὤν), he deceives himself (φρεναπατᾷ ἑαυτόν).” This word φρεναπατᾷ, that means to deceive the mind or impose upon, is a unique word to Paul, only used here in Galatians. Paul told them to be careful. If anyone thought that he was someone important, when he was nothing, he was only deceiving himself. He was involved with self-deception. They should not be deceived into thinking that they were something more important than they truly were. Do you think that you are someone important?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 