Galatians 4:9

Galatians 4:9. But now tuning come to know (or, to discern, to recognize) God, or rather being known of God, recognized and adopted as His own, as His children; comp. 1 Corinthians 8:2. Formerly the Galatians were left to themselves and, as it were, ignored by God. Then their knowledge of God was not their own merit, but a free gift of God, who condescended to dwell in them and to enlighten their minds and hearts. Man's knowledge of God is very imperfect and has no value except as far as it flows from God's perfect knowledge and recognition of man.

How is it that ye are turning back again to the weak and beggarly elements. The term ‘elements,' or ‘rudiments' embraces here both the heathen and the Jewish religion. Even Judaism is merely a poor elementary school and a system of slavery, as compared with the riches and freedom of the gospel. If we deprive Judaism of its Messianic features and divest the ritual law of its typical reference to Christ, it sinks virtually to the same level with the false religions. The relapse of the Galatians to such an unspiritual Judaism was therefore at the same time a relapse to their original heathenism. Hence the words ‘again' and ‘once more.'