Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
Parallel translations
- WEB But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a bondservant, though he is lord of all;
- BSB What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything.
- NKJV Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,
- NASB Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything,
- NLT Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
An heir who is still a minor is, in practice, no different from a slave, even though he owns everything. Paul uses this to picture Israel's status under the law before Christ came.
Overview
Paul opens an illustration from family law: a child destined to inherit still lives under restriction until he comes of age. This pictures God's people in the period before Christ, possessing the promise yet living under the constraints of the law. The point is that the law was a temporary stage of immaturity, not the goal, preparing the way for the freedom of full sonship in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gal 4:23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
- Gal 4:29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
- Gen 24:2–3And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
- 2 Kgs 11:12And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.
- 2 Kgs 10:1–2And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying,
- 2 Kgs 12:2And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
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Christ at the center
Christ became a curse for us to redeem us from the law's curse, that we might receive the Spirit and be sons — justified by faith in him, not by works.
How Galatians 4:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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