Galatians 4:8

Danger of going back to the observance of the legal ceremonial. 8 11

8. Notwithstanding, is it so that you who once were idolaters and ignorant of God, yet after having been brought to the knowledge of the true God, are turning back to a system of ceremonial observances? If this be so, I fear the labour I have bestowed on you is thrown away.

The emphaticwords in Galatians 4:8 are -did service", -to be in bondage". The verb is the same in the original. The tense is different. -Before your conversion you were in slaverywill you go back to a state of slavery?Thenyou served demons will you nowsubmit to the bondage of weak and beggarly elements?"

knew not God Comp. 1 Thessalonians 4:5 -The Gentiles, which know not God". They might have known something of Him from the universe or from tradition or intuitively, but -they did not like to retain God in their knowledge", Romans 1:28.

them which by nature are no gods The order of these words, so far as the position of the negative particle is concerned, is uncertain in the original. Adopting the A.V. we explain, -which by nature (in reality) are not gods, but demons". If however the negative stand earlier in the sentence, the rendering will be, -which are not by nature, (not really, but only by repute) gods". If the former be retained, comp. 1 Corinthians 10:20, "The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God." If the latter order be adopted, we may compare 1 Corinthians 8:5, "there be that are called gods."