Paul says Peter used to eat with Gentiles but drew back when certain men came from James. Paul says Peter’s conduct was “not in step with the truth of the gospel,” so he confronted him publicly (Galatians 2:11–14).
In Galatians 2:11–14 Paul recalls a public clash in Antioch. Peter (Cephas) had been eating with non-Jewish believers, but stopped when certain people arrived “from James,” apparently worried about a pro-circumcision group. Others followed his lead, including Barnabas. This episode appears inside Paul’s longer defense of his message and mission (Galatians 1–2). He has been narrating key moments that show how his work relates to leaders in Jerusalem, including a prior meeting where his outreach to Gentiles was recognized (2:1–10).
Paul describes a real conflict, not a minor misunderstanding. In Antioch, Peter (Cephas) had been sharing meals with Gentile believers, then stopped when visitors arrived “from James.” Paul reads that shift as blameworthy and confronts Peter publicly. The main issue is table fellowship: eating together signaled full acceptance and equal standing.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Galatians 2:11-14, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
11But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because he stood condemned.
12For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13The rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy; so much that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
14But when I saw that they didn`t walk uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?