Bible Strands
Galatians 5:9
A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Galatian churches to counter false teachings that contradict the gospel of grace. He places this warning between a dismissal of human persuasion and a declaration of divine confidence regarding those who cause division.
The words — ζύμη (zumē) means leaven, and φύραμα (phurama) denotes a lump or batch of dough. Together they form the image of a small amount of leaven working through the whole batch.
The thread — Paul repeats this exact dough metaphor in 1 Corinthians 5:6 and echoes the warning about pervasive influence in Mark 8:15. He also parallels the idea of external corruption with the proverb about bad company corrupting good character in 1 Corinthians 15:33.
Why it lands — The text states that a small amount of leaven permeates an entire batch, demanding that readers recognize how quickly false teaching spreads. It asks them to reject persuasive but ungodly doctrines before they contaminate the whole community.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Mark 8:15 “Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
- Luke 12:1 In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- Luke 13:21 It is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
- Matthew 16:6 “Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
- 2 Timothy 2:17 and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
- Matthew 23:33 You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?