Galatians 4:3

Even so we Both Jews and Gentiles, as such, i.e. before conversion to Christ.

children minors, as in Galatians 4:1.

the elements of the world The exact meaning of this expression is doubtful. The word rendered -elements" is translated -rudiments" in Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:20, and there, as in this passage, it has the qualifying addition, -of the world". The senses assigned to the word are: (1) the material elements, which are supposed to constitute the physical universe, such as earth, fire, water, air and the heavenly bodies; and (2) rudimentary instruction, the alphabet of the human race, which it was taught in times antecedent to the Gospel revelation a system of rites and ceremonies, the picture-lessons of its childhood.

It is used in the formersense in two passages of St Peter (2 Peter 3:10; 2 Peter 3:12) and is so understood in this place by most of the older commentators. Theod. Mops. explains it of the sun and moon, by which months and years are measured, and refers it to that observance of days and seasons and months, which the Apostle condemns Galatians 4:10. Others see a reference to the worship of the great powers of nature among the heathen, and the honours virtually paid to them by the Jews in their observance of weeks and years.

Most modern expositors adopt the secondexplanation, and suppose St Paul to represent "the religion of the world before Christ, especially the Jewish, as an elementary religion, or a religion of childhood, full of external rites and ceremonies, all of which had a certain educational significance, but pointed beyond themselves to an age of manhood in Christ". These systems are characterised (Galatians 4:9) as -weak and beggarly" (see note there). In Colossians 2:8 these -rudiments of the world" are placed in parallelism with -the traditions of men", and are closely associated with -philosophy and vain deceit" which Clement of Alexandria explains as referring to Greek philosophy. The expression here seems to include all those systems of religion and philosophy which prevailed in the world, prior and preparatory to the dispensation of the Spirit, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Subservience to these was slavery. Of the Jewish ceremonial we read that it consisted "only in meats and drinks and divers washings and ordinances of the flesh imposed, pressing heavily on them, until the time of reformation." Hebrews 9:10. Yet more burdensome were the requirements of Rabbinic Judaism, and of most heathen systems of religion.

of the world Not only sensuous, material, as opposed to spiritual; but as embracing under various systems the whole human race.