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Galatians 4

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1 Λέγω δέ, ἐφ' ὅσον χρόνον ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει δούλου κύριος πάντων ὤν, 2 ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους ἐστὶν καὶ οἰκονόμους ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός. 3 οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἤμεθα δεδουλωμένοι: 4 ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, 5 ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν. 6 ὅτι δέ ἐστε υἱοί, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, κρᾶζον: Αββα ὁ πατήρ. 7 ὥστε οὐκέτι εἶ δοῦλος ἀλλὰ υἱός: εἰ δὲ υἱός, καὶ κληρονόμος διὰ θεοῦ. 8 Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες θεὸν ἐδουλεύσατε τοῖς φύσει μὴ οὖσιν θεοῖς: 9 νῦν δὲ γνόντες θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα, οἷς πάλιν ἄνωθεν δουλεύειν θέλετε; 10 ἡμέρας παρατηρεῖσθε καὶ μῆνας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἐνιαυτούς. 11 φοβοῦμαι ὑμᾶς μή

1 Consider this; one who comes into his property while he is still a child has no more liberty than one of the servants, though all the estate is his; 2 he is under the control of guardians and trustees, until he reaches the age prescribed by his father. 3 So it was with us; in those childish days of ours we toiled away at the schoolroom tasks which the world gave us,[1] 4 till the appointed time came. Then God sent out his Son on a mission to us. He took birth from a woman, took birth as a subject of the law, 5 so as to ransom those who were subject to the law, and make us sons by adoption. 6 To prove that you are sons,[2] God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out in us, Abba, Father. 7 No longer, then, art thou a slave, thou art a son; and because thou art a son, thou hast, by divine appointment, the son’s right of inheritance. 8 Formerly you had no knowledge of God; you lived as the slaves of deities who were in truth no deities at all. 9 Now you have recognized the true God, or rather, the true God has recognized you. How is it that you are going back to those old schoolroom tasks of yours, so abject, so ineffectual, eager to begin your drudgery all over again? 10 You have begun to observe special days and months, special seasons and years.[3] 11 I am anxious over you; has all the labour I have spent on you been useless?

1 Dico autem: quanto tempore hæres parvulus est, nihil differt a servo, cum sit dominus omnium: 2 sed sub tutoribus et actoribus est usque ad præfinitum tempus a patre: 3 ita et nos cum essemus parvuli, sub elementis mundi eramus servientes. 4 At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum factum ex muliere, factum sub lege, 5 ut eos, qui sub lege erant, redimeret, ut adoptionem filiorum reciperemus. 6 Quoniam autem estis filii, misit Deus Spiritum Filii sui in corda vestra, clamantem: Abba, Pater. 7 Itaque jam non est servus, sed filius: quod si filius, et hæres per Deum. 8 Sed tunc quidem ignorantes Deum, iis, qui natura non sunt dii, serviebatis. 9 Nunc autem cum cognoveritis Deum, immo cogniti sitis a Deo: quomodo convertimini iterum ad infirma et egena elementa, quibus denuo servire vultis? 10 Dies observatis, et menses, et tempora, et annos. 11 Timeo vos, ne forte sine causa laboraverim in vobis.

12 Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ ὡς ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοί, δέομαι ὑμῶν. οὐδέν με ἠδικήσατε: 13 οἴδατε δὲ ὅτι δι' ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν τὸ πρότερον, 14 καὶ τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενήσατε οὐδὲ ἐξεπτύσατε, ἀλλὰ ὡς ἄγγελον θεοῦ ἐδέξασθέ με, ὡς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. 15 ποῦ οὖν ὁ μακαρισμὸς ὑμῶν; μαρτυρῶ γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι εἰ δυνατὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν ἐξορύξαντες ἐδώκατέ μοι. 16 ὥστε ἐχθρὸς ὑμῶν γέγονα ἀληθεύων ὑμῖν; 17 ζηλοῦσιν ὑμᾶς οὐ καλῶς, ἀλλὰ ἐκκλεῖσαι ὑμᾶς θέλουσιν, ἵνα αὐτοὺς ζηλοῦτε. 18 καλὸν δὲ ζηλοῦσθαι ἐν καλῷ πάντοτε, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐν τῷ παρεῖναί με πρὸς ὑμᾶς, 19 τέκνα μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω μέχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, 20 ἤθελον δὲ παρεῖναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἄρτι, καὶ ἀλλάξαι τὴν φωνήν μου, ὅτι ἀποροῦμαι ἐν ὑμῖν.

12 Stand by me; I have taken my stand with you. I appeal to you, brethren. You have never treated me amiss.[4] 13 Why, when I preached the gospel to you in the first instance, it was, you remember, because of outward circumstances which were humiliating to me.[5] Those outward circumstances of mine were a test for you, 14 which you did not meet with contempt or dislike; you welcomed me as God’s angel, as Christ Jesus.[6] 15 What has become now of the blessing that once was yours? In those days, I assure you, you would have plucked out your eyes, if you had had the chance, and given them to me. 16 Have I made enemies of you, then, by telling you the truth? 17 Oh, they are jealous over you, but for a dishonourable purpose; their aim is to shut you out from their company, so that you may be jealous of them. 18 Your jealousy should be for the honourable gifts you see in a man of honour; always, not only when I am at your side.[7] 19 My little children, I am in travail over you afresh, until I can see Christ’s image formed in you! 20 I wish I were at your side now, and could speak to you in a different tone; I am bewildered at you.

12 Estote sicut ego, quia et ego sicut vos: fratres, obsecro vos. Nihil me læsistis. 13 Scitis autem quia per infirmitatem carnis evangelizavi vobis jampridem: et tentationem vestram in carne mea 14 non sprevistis, neque respuistis: sed sicut angelum Dei excepistis me, sicut Christum Jesum. 15 Ubi est ergo beatitudo vestra? testimonium enim perhibeo vobis, quia, si fieri posset, oculos vestros eruissetis, et dedissetis mihi. 16 Ergo inimicus vobis factus sum, verum dicens vobis? 17 Æmulantur vos non bene: sed excludere vos volunt, ut illos æmulemini. 18 Bonum autem æmulamini in bono semper: et non tantum cum præsens sum apud vos. 19 Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in vobis: 20 vellem autem esse apud vos modo, et mutare vocem meam: quoniam confundor in vobis.

21 Λέγετέ μοι, οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε; 22 γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺς ἔσχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας. 23 ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται, ὁ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας δι' ἐπαγγελίας. 24 ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα: αὗται γάρ εἰσιν δύο διαθῆκαι, μία μὲν ἀπὸ ὄρους Σινᾶ, εἰς δουλείαν γεννῶσα, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἁγάρ. 25 τὸ δὲ Ἁγὰρ Σινᾶ ὄρος ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ: συστοιχεῖ δὲ τῇ νῦν Ἰερουσαλήμ δουλεύει γὰρ μετὰ τῶν τέκνων αὐτῆς. 26 ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν: 27 γέγραπται γάρ, εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα: ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα: ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. 28 ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, κατὰ Ἰσαὰκ ἐπαγγελίας τέκνα ἐστέ. 29 ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τότε ὁ κατὰ σάρκα γεννηθεὶς ἐδίωκεν τὸν κατὰ πνεῦμα, οὕτως καὶ νῦν. 30 ἀλλὰ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή; ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς, οὐ γὰρ μὴ κληρονομήσει ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ τῆς ἐλευθέρας.

21 Tell me, you who are so eager to have the law for your master, have you never read the law? 22 You will find it written there, that Abraham had two sons; one had a slave for his mother, and one a free woman.[8] 23 The child of the slave was born in the course of nature; the free woman’s, by the power of God’s promise. 24 All that is an allegory; the two women stand for the two dispensations. Agar stands for the old dispensation, which brings up its children to bondage, the dispensation which comes to us from mount Sinai. 25 Mount Sinai, in Arabia, has the same meaning in the allegory as Jerusalem, the Jerusalem which exists here and now; an enslaved city, whose children are slaves.[9] 26 Whereas our mother is the heavenly Jerusalem, a city of freedom. 27 So it is that we read, Rejoice, thou barren woman that hast never borne child, break out into song and cry aloud, thou that hast never known travail; the deserted one has more children than she whose husband is with her.[10] 28 It is we, brethren, that are children of the promise, as Isaac was. 29 Now, as then, the son who was born in the course of nature persecutes the son whose birth is a spiritual birth. 30 But what does our passage in scripture say? Rid thyself of the slave and her son; it cannot be that the son of a slave should divide the inheritance with the son of a free woman.[11]

21 Dicite mihi qui sub lege vultis esse: legem non legistis? 22 Scriptum est enim: Quoniam Abraham duos filios habuit: unum de ancilla, et unum de libera. 23 Sed qui de ancilla, secundum carnem natus est: qui autem de libera, per repromissionem: 24 quæ sunt per allegoriam dicta. Hæc enim sunt duo testamenta. Unum quidem in monte Sina, in servitutem generans, quæ est Agar: 25 Sina enim mons est in Arabia, qui conjunctus est ei quæ nunc est Jerusalem, et servit cum filiis suis. 26 Illa autem, quæ sursum est Jerusalem, libera est, quæ est mater nostra. 27 Scriptum est enim:

Lætare sterilis, quæ non paris;
erumpe et clama, quæ non parturis:
quia multi filii desertæ,
magis quam ejus quæ habet virum. 28 Nos autem, fratres, secundum Isaac promissionis filii sumus. 29 Sed quomodo tunc is, qui secundum carnem natus fuerat, persequebatur eum qui secundum spiritum: ita et nunc. 30 Sed quid dicit Scriptura? Ejice ancillam, et filium ejus: non enim hæres erit filius ancillæ cum filio liberæ.

31 διό, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐσμὲν παιδίσκης τέκνα ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐλευθέρας.

31 You see, then, brethren, that we are sons of the free woman, not of the slave; such is the freedom Christ has won for us.

31 Itaque, fratres, non sumus ancillæ filii, sed liberæ: qua libertate Christus nos liberavit.

[1] ‘Schoolroom tasks’; the same word is used in Greek of the elements of nature, or of the sun, moon, etc., and some commentators think that this is the sense here; the Apostle is reminding the Galatians of the heathen gods they used to serve.

[2] The rendering given follows St Chrysostom; others would translate ‘because you are sons’.

[3] This will refer to the Hebrew sabbaths and other observances, which are here represented as a bondage no lighter than that which was imposed by the rules of heathen worship.

[4] That is, abandon the Jewish customs for my sake, as I abandoned them for yours.

[5] ‘In the first instance’; some commentators think this means ‘on the earlier of my two visits’; others would take the phrase generally, holding that this letter was written before the visit mentioned in Ac. 15. ‘Outward circumstances which were humiliating to me’; literally, ‘infirmity of the flesh’. It does not seem likely, however, that illness would have made St Paul preach to the heathens in Galatia, or that this illness would have been a test for them, or that they would have been tempted by it to despise and dislike him. Many of the Fathers, therefore, understand this phrase of the persecutions which St Paul suffered at the hands of the Jews; cf. Ac. 13.45 and following. It is certain that St Paul speaks of ‘the flesh’ when he is referring to disappointments and controversies (II Cor. 7.5), and that ‘infirmity’ for him can mean any kind of humiliation (II Cor. 11.30). He also speaks of ‘the flesh’ in special reference to the Jews, his kinsmen according to the flesh (Rom. 11.14).

[6] ‘God’s angel’; in the Greek, this might mean, ‘God’s messenger’. It is perhaps worth noting that when St Paul healed a cripple at Lystra, the heathen mistook him for Mercury, the messenger of the gods. In the next verse, ‘that blessing’ perhaps means ‘that occasion on which you called me blessed’, the Greek word being one especially used in addresses to the pagan gods.

[7] The Greek here has ‘It is honourable in you to be jealous for what is honourable’; the sense of the words is in any case uncertain.

[8] Cf. Gen. 16 and 21.

[9] Many Greek manuscripts here have ‘Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia’, perhaps referring to some local name. It is in any case Agar, not Sinai, that is represented as corresponding to the earthly Jerusalem, in the Greek manuscripts.

[10] Is. 54.1.

[11] Gen. 21.10.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd