Galatians 4:8

Galatians 4:8. Here the Apostle evidently addresses Gentile Christians. But some may have been before their conversion proselytes to Judaism.

But formerly (before your conversion, comp. Galatians 4:7) when ye knew not God. A description of the heathen state, which, compared with the knowledge of the only true and living God through revelation, was dark ignorance. Indefinite Knowledge is definite ignorance. Comp. 1Th 4:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Ephesians 2:12. Paul admits, however, Romans 1:21, that the heathen have or might have an inferior order of knowledge from the light of nature (Romans 1:21) and a moral sense of right and wrong (Romans 2:14-16), and are therefore without excuse.

Ye were in bondage to those who by nature are not gods. This reading which connects the negative (‘not') with ‘gods,' and not with ‘nature,' is best supported. It means that the heathen idols are not pods, but something else, namely, demons or evil spirits. Comp. 1 Corinthians 10:20: ‘the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.' Accordingly the heathen divinities had a real existence, and idolatry was the religion of the devil and his army of fallen angels or evil spirits. Comp. also Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalms 106:37. If the negation is put before ‘nature': ‘to those who are gods not by nature,' we must supply: ‘but only in repute' (comp. 1 Corinthians 8:5: ‘though there be that are called gods'). In this case the Apostle would deny the existence of the heathen gods altogether and hold them to be mere creatures of fancy (or personifications of the powers of nature).