Galatians 4:13

13. how through infirmity—rather, as Greek, "Ye know that because of an infirmity of my flesh I preached," c. He implies that bodily sickness, having detained him among them, contrary to his original intentions, was the occasion of his preaching the Gospel to them.

at the first—literally, "at the former time" implying that at the time of writing he had been twice in Galatia. See my :- also see on Galatians 4:16, and Galatians 4:16- :. His sickness was probably the same as recurred more violently afterward, "the thorn in the flesh" (Galatians 4:16- :), which also was overruled to good (2 Corinthians 12:9; 2 Corinthians 12:10), as the "infirmity of the flesh" here.