Galatians 3:13

Christ hath redeemed. The law made no provision for releasing men who had incurred its curse, and that included all who had ever sought justification by means of it. Release from the curse could be achieved only through faith in Christ. While under the tutorship of the law in OT times, all who chose to serve the Lord found salvation through faith in the promised Messiah. The law was not their savior, but only their “schoolmaster” (see v. 24) to lead them to the Saviour and to help them understand the provisions Heaven had made for their salvation. In and of itself the law was good, for God Himself had ordained it. But it was altogether without power to save anyone from his sins.

The curse. See on v. 10.

Made a curse. Our Lord Himself was “made under the law” (ch. 4:4) in order to be able to “redeem them that were under the law” (v. 5). His death upon the cross atoned for “the transgressions that were under the first testament” (Heb. 9:15) as well as those since the cross. Accordingly, He took upon Himself “the curse” incurred by those who, though living “under the law,” looked forward in faith to the atonement He would one day provide.

For us. See on Isa. 53:4-6.

It is written. The quotation is from Deut. 21:23. “It is written” was the common Jewish way of introducing a quotation from Scripture (see Matt. 2:5; Luke 2:23; etc.).

Cursed. The curse here referred to is not the same as “the curse” of v. 10 and the first part of v. 13. A criminal hanged by impalement, that is, by being transfixed on a sharp pole — the usual Jewish method of crucifixion — was considered under the curse of both God and man. In fact, this extreme manner of execution was a public display of the utter contempt in which he was held because of his crime.

Hangeth on a tree. The fact that Jesus was crucified, though in the Roman manner, reflected the opinion of the Jews and their leaders that He was accursed in God’s sight as well as in their own. With this in mind, Paul quotes Deut. 21:23 to illustrate the fact that Jesus died under “the curse of the law” (see on Gal. 3:10).