Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
not justified by the works of the law—as the GROUND of justification. "The works of the law" are those which have the law for their object—which are wrought to fulfil the law [ALFORD].
but by—Translate, "But only (in no other way save) through faith in Jesus Christ," as the MEAN and instrument of justification.
Jesus Christ—In the second case, read with the oldest manuscripts, "Christ Jesus," the Messiahship coming into prominence in the case of Jewish believers, as "Jesus" does in the first case, referring to the general proposition.
justified by the faith of Christ—that is, by Christ, the object of faith, as the ground of our justification.
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified—He rests his argument on this as an axiom in theology, referring to Psalms 143:2, "Moses and Jesus Christ; The law and the promise; Doing and believing; Works and faith; Wages and the gift; The curse and the blessing—are represented as diametrically opposed" [BENGEL]. The moral law is, in respect to justification, more legal than the ceremonial, which was an elementary and preliminary Gospel: So "Sinai" (Galatians 4:24), which is more famed for the Decalogue than for the ceremonial law, is made pre-eminently the type of legal bondage. Thus, justification by the law, whether the moral or ceremonial, is excluded (Romans 3:20).
Connect these verses together, and read with most of the oldest manuscripts "But" in the beginning of Galatians 2:16 : "We (I and thou, Peter) by nature (not by proselytism), Jews, and not sinners as (Jewish language termed the Gentiles) from among the Gentiles, YET (literally, 'BUT') knowing that . . . even we (resuming the 'we' of Galatians 2:15, 'we also,' as well as the Gentile sinners; casting away trust in the law), have believed," etc.
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Galatians 2:16:
Song of Solomon 8:9
Romans 3:21-23
1 Corinthians 13:2
Galatians 2:15-16
James 2:14
Revelation 3:7
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