What physical infirmity is Galatians 4:13 referring to?

This leads him to recall the great reception that they gave him when first he came amongst them with the Gospel message. He was at that time in much infirmity of a physical sort, and it would seem that his eyesight was particularly affected. On turning to Acts 16:6 we note that his first visit to Galatia was during the early part of his second missionary journey. The stoning of Paul even to the point of death took place at nearly the end of his first journey, as recorded in Acts 14:19. It is more than likely that there is a connection between the two events, and that this "temptation … in my flesh" resulted from the ill-treatment that he received, and is the same as the "thorn in the flesh," of which he writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7. Be that as it may, he arrived amongst them in fullness of power and they received him with great gladness. Now it would appear that in speaking the truth to them he had become their enemy!

The Apostle continues: "You have not wronged me at all: on the contrary you know that through weakness of the flesh I announced the good news to you at the first, and your trial in my flesh you did not scorn nor loathe, but as an angel of God you received me, as Christ Jesus." Perhaps the Galatians would think that the Apostle's strong words were because he felt offended, because they had turned from his teaching to that of others. Oh, no, says Paul. It is not a matter of personal wrong: on the contrary, I only look back to the loving welcome you gave me on my first visit with you; then, you would have dug out your eyes, and given them to me. It seems as though Paul had not intended to preach the good news to the Galatians, but sickness of some kind kept him amongst them. "Through weakness of the flesh" (v. 13), might be translated, "on account of weakness of the flesh I announced the good news to you at the first." We do not know what this weakness was; but it evidently hindered the Apostle in his journey, and kept him in the place where he "happened" to be. It was one of those interruptions to our plans which often make us so cross, but let us remember God orders these interruptions. Paul, no doubt, was earnestly pressing on to some field of labor for the Lord ahead; and instead he is taken sick. Not only is he taken sick, but the sickness seems to have been one that was specially unpleasant, and made him in such a condition, that people who saw and heard him, would be likely to scorn and loathe him — not wish to have anything to do with him. It was on account of this sickness he first preached the gospel to the Galatians. It was at such a time as this that the Galatians gave him such a warm welcome that the Apostle could never forget it. They received him just as he was. It was a trial to them, ("your trial in my flesh," he calls it) but that made no difference to their love and their welcome. The most precious things they possessed, even their eyes, they would have dug out and given him if they could. Weak, sick, and perhaps loathsome, as he was, they received him, even as Christ Jesus. Could they have done more? No, indeed! And this love, still lived in the Apostle's heart, and this made the sorrow of their fall all the more bitter to him. This sickness may have been the "thorn in the flesh" which Paul three times asked the Lord to remove. But we do not know if this is so or not (See 2 Cor. 12:7).

"Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel to you at the first: and my temptation that was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." So far from coming in anything that savoured of fleshly confidence and authority, he came as a suffering man. This is just alluded to here, but it is more particularly brought forward in 2 Corinthians 12. And very sweet it is to consider how it was, and when it was, that the apostle had this humiliating mark in his flesh. We are not told what it was. It might have been some peculiarity in his speech, look, etc. We know it was something connected with his bodily state: it was "in his flesh." But it is quite clear, as it is affecting, to know, that the more the apostle was led on of God and blessed, only the deeper marks did he wear of suffering, weakness, and shame in his person. The thorn in the flesh followed his being taken up into the third heaven. This messenger of Satan buffeted him, and God turned it to excellent account, that the apostle might be kept low in his own eyes, and even in those of others. It was thus made manifest, that what wrought such wonders in Paul was the power of the Holy Ghost, in spite of the sentence of death being passed upon all the energy of nature. The day is coming when God will restore the Jews, and will put them in the position of "the head," and the Gentiles of "the tail;" and then all will be established in due order according to the mind of God. But now, he, as it were, says, it is not so at all. Being a Jew is nothing. It is all gone. I have come here as one suffering and despised, and in nothing asserting what I am as a child of Abraham. I am dead to it all; and as a proof, he refers to the well-known circumstances of his first preaching to them. Did they not remember that when he came to them, it was not with might or show, but deeply tried? Instead of outward attraction attached to his person, there was that which could not but be grievous trial to himself and to them. But what did they think of it then? They were so full of the gospel, so happy in finding the grace and the blessedness of the truth preached, that they regarded Paul as one would an angel. "Ye despised not, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus."

From chapter 6 where we see that Paul ended the epistle with some words of his own, it may suggest that Paul had a problem with his eyesight, but we have no further indication as to this from Scripture. There are also indications that he may have had a speech impediment and that people would have had a natural tendency to have contempt for him because of this, but we cannot be sure about this either. However, he must have had a physical problem and there was a danger that his audience would have been critical of him because of this, and that he might react; but they would have been wrong to think that Paul would react in this way. When Paul came to Galatia they did not reproach him nor reject or despise him, they received him “as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.”Paul was there really as Christ’s representative.

To keep him from being puffed up beyond measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to him by God a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, and this continued all the closing years of his strenuous life. Thrice did the apostle pray that this affliction might be removed, but his prayer was not answered. He was told that God’s grace was sufficient for him, so Paul eventually gloried in his infirmities. He himself wrote, “For his [Paul’s] letters, say they, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2 Cor. 10:10). Many have thought this referred to paralysis or stammering. Writing to the assembly at Galatia, he referred to his temptation, which was in his flesh, which the Galatians did not despise, nor reject him because of it. They received him as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus, and that, if it were possible, they would in their zeal and love have plucked out their own eyes to have given to him (see Gal. 1:14-15). This seems to imply blindness.

Paul had been in Galatia (Acts 16: 6). He had preached the Gospel in this province and God had blessed the preaching, so that many were saved and a number of churches were founded. From chapter 4: 13-14 in this epistle, we learn something additional. "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the Gospel unto you, at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus." It seems he was then troubled with the thorn in the flesh. They had received him as a messenger of God and sympathized with his affliction that if it had been possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to Paul (4: 15). From this statement some have concluded that Paul's affliction was the well-known oriental eye-disease, ophthalmia. Later he visited Galatia again and strengthened the disciples (Acts 18: 23).

We also think this illness was of such a kind as to make Paul lose face, and to take away his natural strength. Perhaps it also affected his eyesight. (See Gal. 4:14-15). Though the Galatians first knew Paul as a sick, feeble, homeless wanderer, they did not despise nor loathe the temptation in his flesh. They received him as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. They would have plucked out their own eyes, if they could, to give to him. (Gal. 4:15.) This was the way Paul remembered their loving welcome at the first, and it made more bitter the fact that now they are turning away from him.

Was Paul's heart in all he wrote? Was there no exaggeration in the words he used? Such might have been the questioning of the Galatians. Verse 11 shows that they and their spiritual conduct meant enough to Paul to write with his own hand, despite his "infirmity in the flesh," which possibly was, or included, very poor eyesight. This is likely the reason he employed a scribe in the penning of his other epistles, but in this case he wrote the letter himself.

As to the strong and peculiar language of the apostle's testimony, it agrees with the highly demonstrative and excitable character of the Gaulish race. There may or there may not be in it an allusion to opthalmic disease, as a feature of the "infirmity of the flesh" to which he had referred. As a strong expression of gratitude and personal attachment it has parallels in ordinary speech. The ebullitions of genuine emotion are seldom confined in their utterance to literal truth; and the more constitutionally eager the temperament of the speaker, the more widely extravagant will be the speech.

282 We find in Philippians this confidence in the flesh (not lusts of corruption) judged by the apostle. All that made Paul of undue importance to himself or to others, and so reflectively to himself, was rejected. It would have been confidence in self. Our part is to be in the presence of God, that all which is of self may be judged. But God, as I have said, helps us. Here God had, by the abundance of the revelations given to Paul, given an occasion which the flesh could use. In His mercy He meets the danger for Paul, which he might not, surely would not, have rightly met; for God does not afflict willingly. He lets loose this messenger of Satan at him, but to do His own work as with Job. And Paul has some infirmity which tends to make him despicable in preaching. "My temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not," says he to the Galatians; a natural counterpoise to the abundance of revelations. What can the flesh do with this then? Well, it would be spared what seemed a hindrance. To whom? Why, to Paul. Just right. Paul had to be kept down - terrible truth for us. Must we be made weak and inefficient in order to be blessed and used? Yes, if, wretched worms as we are, we are in danger of leaning as man on the flesh's efficiency and strength.