Galatians 4

Galatians · Chapter 4

Galatians 4:8

1Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;2But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.8Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.9But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?10Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.11I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.12Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.13Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.14And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.15Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.16Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?17They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.18But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.19My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,20I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.21Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.30Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.31So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
8Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods:

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Galatians 4:8-20Paul's plea to the Galatians

About Galatians 4An heir under age is no different from a servant, and so "we, when we were children, were in bondage," but "when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Paul pleads with the Galatians not to turn back to "weak and beggarly elements," recalls how they once received him "as an angel of God," and travails for them "until Christ be formed in you." He then sets out an allegory of Abraham's two sons: Agar the bondwoman stands for mount Sinai and "Jerusalem which now is," but "Jerusalem which is above is free," and "we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." Galatians 4:1Galatians 4:3Galatians 4:4Galatians 4:5Galatians 4:9Galatians 4:14Galatians 4:19Galatians 4:22Galatians 4:24Galatians 4:25Galatians 4:26Galatians 4:31

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
ButἈλλὰAllaG0235
but

ἀλλά (alla) ἀλλά (ἀλλ᾽ usually bef. α and υ, often bef. ε and η, rarely bef. ο and ω, never bef. ι; Tdf., Pr., 93 f.; WH, App., 146), adversative particle, stronger than δέ; prop. neuter pl. of ἄλλος, used adverbially, with changed accent; hence prop. otherwise, on the other hand (cf. Rom.3:31); …

at that timeτότεtoteG5119
then

τότε (tote) τότε, demonstr. adv. of time, correlat. of ὅτε, then, at that time; (a) of concurrent events: Mat.2:17 3:5 and freq., Rom.6:21; before ptcp., Mat.2:16, Gal.4:8; opposite to νῦν, Gal.4:29, Heb.12:26; ὁ τ. κόσμος, 2Pe.3:6; (b) of consequent events, then, thereupon: Mat.2:7 3:5 4:1 and freq., Luk.11:26; τ. οὖν, Jhn.11:14 19:1, 16 20:8; εὐθέως τ., Act.17:14; ὅτε . . . τ., Mat.13:26 21:1, Jhn.12:16; ἀπὸ τ., Mat.4:17 16:21 26:16, Luk.16:16; …

indeedμὲνmenG3303
on the other hand

μέν (men) μέν, conjunctive particle (originally a form of μήν), usually related to a following δέ or other adversative conjunction, and distinguishing the word or clause with which it stands from that which follows. It is generally untranslatable and is not nearly so frequent in NT as in cl. Like δέ, it never stands first in a clause. …

notοὐκoukG3756
no

οὐ (ou) οὐ, before a vowel with smooth breathing οὐκ, before one with rough breathing οὐχ (but improperly οὐχ ἰδού, Act.2:7, WH, mg.; cf. WH, Intr., §409; M, Pr., 44, 244), [in LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,לֹא ;] neg. particle, not, no, used generally with indic, and for a denial of fact (cf . μή); 1. absol. (accented), οὔ, no: Mat.13:29 Jhn.1:21 21:5; οὒ οὕ, Mat.5:37 Jas.5:12. …

knowingεἰδότεςeidotesG6063
to know

οἶδα (oida) 1. to know , εὖ οἶδα I know well; εὖ ἴσθι be assured : often with accusative rei, νοήματα οἶδε, μήδεα οἶδε he is versed in counsels, (Homer); with neut. Adjs., πεπνυμένα, φίλα, ἀθεμίστια εἰδώς (Homer); also with genitive, τόξων εὖ εἰδώς cunning in the use of the bow; οἰωνῶν σάφα εἰδώς (Odyssey by Homer): —; χάριν εἰδέναι τινί to acknowledge a debt to another, thank him , (Iliad by Homer), etc.:—;the Imperat. in protestations, ἴστω Ζεὺς αὐτός be Zeus my witness , (Iliad by Homer); doric ἴττω Ζεύς, ἴττω (Aristophanes Comicus): —; εἰδώς absolute one who knows , εἰδυίηι πάντ᾽ ἀγορεύω (Iliad by Hom …

GodθεὸνtheonG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

you were enslavedἐδουλεύσατεedouleusateG1398
be a slave

δουλεύω (douleuō) δουλεύω (δοῦλος), [in LXX for עָבַד, as Gen.14:4, exc. Da TH Dan.7:14, 27 (פְּלַח), Isa.56:6 (שָׁרַת pi.)* ;] to be a slave, be subject to, serve: absol., Rom.7:6, Gal.4:25, 1Ti.6:2; with dative of person(s), Mat.6:24, Luk.15:29 16:13, Rom.9:12" (LXX) ; of nations, Jhn.8:33, Act.7:7" (LXX) ; θεῷ, τ. κυρίῳ, Mat.6:24, Luk.16:13, Act.20:19, Rom.12:11 (R, mg., καιρῷ) Rom.16:18, Eph.6:7, Col.3:24, 1Th.1:9; τ. Χριστῷ, Rom.14:18, Col.3:24; νόμῳ θεοῦ, Rom.7:25; τ. θεοῖς, Gal.4:8; τ. καιρῷ, Rom.12:11 (R, mg. for κυρίῳ); ἀλλήλοις, Gal.5:13; σὺν ἐμοί Php.2:22; τ. ἁμαρτίᾳ, Rom.6:6; νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας, Rom.7:2 …

by natureφύσειphuseiG5449
nature

φύσις (phusis) φύσις, -εως, ἡ (φύω) [in LXX: Wis.7:20 13:1 19:20 אΑ, 3Ma.3:29, 4Ma.1:20 4Mac 5:7-8 4Mac 5:25 4Mac 13:27 4Mac 15:13 4Mac 15:25 4Mac 16:3 * ;] nature, i.e., (a) the nature (natural powers or constitution) of a person or thing: Jas.3:7, 2Pe.1:4; τέκνα φυσει ὀργῆς, Eph.2:3; (b) origin, birth (Soph., Xen., al.): Rom.2:27, Gal.2:15; (with) nature, i.e. the regular order or law of nature: 1Co.11:14; dative, φύσει adverbially, by nature, Rom.2:14, Gal.4:8; παρὰ φύσιν, against nature, Rom.1:26 11:24; καρὰ φ., according to nature, naturally, Rom.11:21, 24.† (AS)

notμὴmēG3361
not

μή (mē) μή, subjective negative particle, used where the negation depends on a condition or hypothesis, expressed or understood, as distinct from οὐ, which denies absolutely. μή is used where one thinks a thing is not, as distinct from an absolute negation. As a general rule, οὐ negatives the indic, μή the other moods, incl, ptcp. [In LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,אַל ] I. As a neg. adv., not; 1. with ref. to thought or opinion: Jhn.3:18, Tit.1:11, 2Pe.1:9. 2. In delib. questions, with subjc. (M, Pr., 185): Mrk.12:14, Rom.3:8. …

beingοὖσινousinG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

gods;θεοῖς·theoisG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.