G.K. Beale, «Peace and Mercy Upon the Israel of God. The Old Testament Background of Galatians 6,16b», Vol. 80 (1999) 204-223

This essay has contended that Paul’s reference to "new creation" and the pronouncement of "peace and mercy" on the readers in Gal 6,15-16 is best understood against the background of Isa 54,10 and the surrounding context of similar new creation themes elsewhere in Isa 32–66, which are echoed also earlier in Galatians, especially in 5,22-26. The analysis confirms those prior studies which have concluded that "the Israel of God" refers to all Christians in Galatia, whether Jewish or Christian. Lastly, the demonstration of an Isaianic background for the concept of new creation in Gal 6,15-16 falls in line with Paul’s other reference to "new creation" in 2 Cor 5,17 and John’s allusion to new creation in Rev 3,14, where Isa 43 and 65–66 stand behind both passages. Isa 54,10 was likely not the sole influence on Gal 6,16, but such texts as Psalm 84 (LXX), the Qumran Hymn Scroll (1QH 13,5), and Jub 22,9 may have formed a collective impression on Paul, with the Isaiah text most in focus; alternatively, the texts in Qumran and Jubilees may be mere examples of a similar use of Isaiah 54 on a parallel trajectory with that of Paul’s in Galatians 6.

        Isa 54,10 was a prophecy about the "peace" and "mercy" Israel would have in the coming new order after their restoration³⁶. If Paul has this verse in mind in Gal 6,16, then he sees all believers in the Galatian church who experience "peace" and "mercy" to be composing end-time Israel in partial fulfillment of Isa 54,11. Such an Old Testament background makes it unlikely that he sees two separate ethnic groups (respectively Christian Gentile and Jew) as having "peace and mercy" pronounced upon them; at the least, in view of the OT and Galatians’ context, the burden of proof is on one to demonstrate that "the Israel of God" is a reference only to ethnic Jewish Christians.

        This line of argumentation confirms further that the sense of Gal 6,16b is that of "peace and mercy be upon them, that is, upon the Israel of God" or some such similar rendering which equates the "them" with the "Israel of God"³⁷. Redeemed Gentiles now form true Israel, "Abraham’s seed" (Gal 3,29) together with Jewish Christians because they are identified with and represented by the individual "seed of Abraham," Christ, who sums up Israel in himself (Gal 3,16)³⁸. Consequently, Paul did not consider it "twisting" the prophetic meaning of Isaiah 54 to apply it to Gentile believers, since they are now viewed as true Israelites and their return to God is part of the fulfillment of the restoration and new creation promise made to Israel. Even in the LXX interpretative paraphrase of Isaiah 54 noted above, the salvation of Gentiles could not occur separately from that of Jews but was to happen as Gentiles were to become identified with Israel’s God and Israel