The Greek verb anakoptō (G348) means to cut back, to beat back, to check or hinder someone's progress. It appears once in the New Testament in Galatians 5:7, where Paul asks: "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?"
The metaphor is from athletic competition — a runner being impeded, tripped, or forced off course by an outside obstruction.
Paul's use of anakoptō in the running metaphor of Galatians 5:7 captures the anguish of watching a community derailed from the gospel. The Galatians had been running beautifully — then someone tripped them up with the false teaching of works-righteousness.
The question "who cut in on you?" implies external interference — the Galatians' failure was not primarily moral but doctrinal; they had been hindred by false teachers. This is a perennial pastoral warning: the enemy rarely attacks Christians through open sin but through subtle theological distortion that subtly redirects the race. The antidote is to keep the eyes fixed on "Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2).