IV. (1-31) The present chapter continues the argument of the last. St. Paul had been reproaching the Galatians with their relapse. They had fallen back from a spiritual system to a material system; from a system that brought blessing to a system that brought a curse; from faith and the promise to th... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW I SAY. — This phrase introduces a further and fuller explanation of what is involved in the state of nonage, as compared with that of adult freedom. A CHILD — _i.e.,_ an infant, a minor; though the term _is_ not technically chosen. DIFFERETH NOTHING FROM A SERVANT. — Both the child and the sla... [ Continue Reading ]
(1-7) A further description, continued from the last chapter, of the state of wardship, with its restraints and servitude, compared with that Christian freedom — the freedom of sons — to which the Galatians had been admitted through their adoption into the Messianic family by adhesion to Christ. It... [ Continue Reading ]
UNDER TUTORS AND GOVERNORS. — The distinction between these two terms is that between guardians of the person and stewards of the property. It would be better to translate, _guardians and stewards._ UNTIL THE TIME APPOINTED OF THE FATHER. — From this it would appear that the length of the minority w... [ Continue Reading ]
WE. — That is, in the first instance, and specially, the Jews; but the Gentiles are also included. The Apostle is speaking from the point of view of the Christians: “all who are now Christians, whatever their antecedents.” Before the coming of Christ both Jews and Gentiles had been subject to law; a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FULNESS OF THE TIME. — That which was predetermined in the counsels of God as the right and proper time when the whole course of previous preparation both for Jew and Gentile was complete. Here we have a very clear expression of the conception of religion as progressive, divided into periods, an... [ Continue Reading ]
TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW. — To redeem, or ransom, at the price of His death, both Jew and Gentile at once from the condemnation under which the law, to which they were severally subject, placed them, and also from the bondage and constraint which its severe discipline involved. THAT W... [ Continue Reading ]
It is because you are sons that you are able to address your Heavenly Father in such genuine accents of filial emotion. It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of Christ which has been given to you in virtue of your adoption. He prompts your prayers. This verse should be read in connection with Rom... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus, by your redemption, adoption, and the gift of the Spirit, it is distinctly proved that the old state of servitude and minority is past. You have entered upon the full privileges of the adult son. And the son is also called to the Messianic inheritance. THOU. — The singular is used in order to... [ Continue Reading ]
THEM WHICH BY NATURE ARE NO GODS. — The gods of the heathen are called by St. Paul “devils.” (See 1 Corinthians 10:20 : “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.”)... [ Continue Reading ]
(8-11) The results of the foregoing argument are now turned against the Galatians. In their old heathen state they had been in bondage to gods that were no gods. From this bondage they had been delivered. They had been raised to a true knowledge of God, and received a Father’s recognition from Him.... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOWN GOD. — The word for “known” is different from that so translated in the verse above. It brings out more distinctly the process of obtaining knowledge, especially with reference to a state of previous ignorance. _Having come to know God._ OR RATHER ARE KNOWN OF GOD. — In speaking of the Galati... [ Continue Reading ]
YE OBSERVE. — A compound word, signifying not only “to observe,” but “to observe _scrupulously.”_ The word is used by Josephus in his paraphrase of the fourth commandment: “Remember the sabbath day to _keep_ it holy” (_Ant. iii._ 5, § 5). DAYS — _i.e.,_ in the first instance and especially, the Jew... [ Continue Reading ]
BE AS I AM. — Use the same Christian freedom that I use. FOR I AM AS YE ARE. — I lay no stress on my pure Jewish descent. I claim no privileges because I was circumcised the eighth day. I do not count myself holier than you because I belonged to the strictest of all sects, the Pharisees. I stripped... [ Continue Reading ]
(12-16) Let me beg of you: cast off the bondage of Judaism as I have done, just as I gave p its privileges to place myself on a level with you. I have no complaint to make against you. You remember the illness which detained me among you, and led me first to preach to you the gospel. You received me... [ Continue Reading ]
THROUGH INFIRMITY OF THE FLESH. — Rather, _because_ (or, _on account_)_ of infirmity of flesh_ — _i.e.,_ some bodily weakness or ill-health. We should gather from this that St. Paul was detained in Galatia accidentally by illness, and that this led to his preaching the gospel there. AT THE FIRST. —... [ Continue Reading ]
MY TEMPTATION WHICH WAS IN MY FLESH. — The true reading is here, _your temptation in my flesh_ — _i.e.,_ my bodily infirmities, which might have been a temptation to you to reject me. St. Paul seems to have suffered from grievous bodily infirmity, which he elsewhere (2 Corinthians 12:7) describes as... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE. — The reading of the Received text is “What,” which, however, must be taken as if it were equivalent to “where,” the reading which has the strongest attestation. THE BLESSEDNESS YE SPAKE OF. — The Greek is a single word: _your felicitation of yourselves; your boast of blessedness;_ or (as we... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR ENEMY. — “The enemy” was the name by which St. Paul was commonly referred to by the party hostile to him in the next century. It is quite possible that the phrase “your enemy” ought to be placed, as it wore, in inverted commas, and attributed to the Judaising sectaries — ”your enemy,” as these... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY ZEALOUSLY AFFECT YOU. — “Zealously affect” is a single word in the Greek, and means “to show zeal towards,” “to court,” “to curry favour with,” “to canvass eagerly, so as to win over to their side.” The subject of this verse is the Judaising teachers. THEY WOULD EXCLUDE YOU. — They desire to s... [ Continue Reading ]
(17-20) All this eagerness to court your favour springs from an interested motive: they wish to make a sect of you, in which they shall be masters and courted in their turn. Not but that it is a good thing for teachers and taught — you and I — to seek favour with each other, so long as it is done di... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS GOOD TO BE ZEALOUSLY AFFECTED ALWAYS IN A GOOD THING. — A disinterested zeal between teachers and taught is indeed good in itself. The Apostle does not wish to dissuade the Galatians from that. He would be only too glad to see such a mutual interchange himself — in his absence as well as in hi... [ Continue Reading ]
MY LITTLE CHILDREN. — The form is a diminutive, not found elsewhere in the writings of St. Paul, though common in St. John. It is used to heighten the tenderness of the appeal. The simple form, however, “my children,” is found in some of the best MSS., and perhaps should be adopted. St. Paul regards... [ Continue Reading ]
I DESIRE. — The Greek is not quite so definite: “I could indeed wish.” CHANGE MY VOICE. — Rather, _change my tone;_ speak in terms less severe. I STAND IN DOUBT OF YOU. — Rather, as in the margin, _I am perplexed about you_ — _i.e.,_ I do not know what to say to you — how I ought to deal with you... [ Continue Reading ]
YE THAT DESIRE TO BE UNDER THE LAW. — A direct appeal to those who were inclined to give way to the Judaising party. DO YE NOT HEAR THE LAW? — “Hear” is probably to be taken in the sense of “give heed to,” “listen to with attention,” as in Matthew 10:14; Matthew 13:9; Matthew 13:13; Luke 16:29; Luk... [ Continue Reading ]
(21-31) The next eleven verses contain an elaborate argument from the history of the two sons of Abraham, as types of the two covenants, in further proof that freedom is the essential character of the Christian dispensation. We have seen that St. Paul applies the history of the natural Israel allego... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR. — This particle would naturally not be expressed in English. It was a reason for the question which had been asked just before: “For the Law _does_ supply a case in point.” THE ONE BY A BONDMAID. — Hagar, it seems from Genesis 16:1, was an Egyptian. The word for “bondmaid” was not confined to... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT. — Both were alike in being children of Abraham; they were unlike in that one was born naturally, the other by divine instrumentality. WAS BORN. — Strictly, _is born_ — _i.e.,_ is stated to have been born, was born _as we still read._ AFTER THE FLESH — _i.e.,_ in the regular course of nature.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH THINGS ARE AN ALLEGORY. — Literally, _Which things are allegorised_ — _i.e.,_ spoken in double sense, — “Where more is meant than meets the ear.” The allegorical sense does not exclude the literal sense. but is added to it. In like manner St. Paul speaks of the events which happened to the Is... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS AGAR IS MOUNT SINAI IN ARABIA. — This clause will be, perhaps, best dealt with in an excursus, of which we will at present merely summarise the result by saying that the true (or, rather, most probable) reading appears to be: _Now this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;_ and the sense: “By the... [ Continue Reading ]
JERUSALEM WHICH IS ABOVE. — The ideal or heavenly Jerusalem. (Comp. Hebrews 12:22, “Ye are come to... the heavenly Jerusalem;” Revelation 21:2, “the holy city, new Jerusalem.” This “new” or “heavenly” Jerusalem is the seat or centre of the glorified Messianic kingdom, just as the old Jerusalem had b... [ Continue Reading ]
REJOICE, THOU BARREN. — The quotation is from Isaiah 54:1. It has reference, in the first instance, to the restoration of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem and to the coming greatness of the newly-settled city. Though at present it is desolate and in ruins, it shall become greater and more populous than... [ Continue Reading ]
WE. — The better reading appears to be _Ye._ Children of promise. — Children born in accomplishment of the promise. (See Romans 9:8, and Note.)... [ Continue Reading ]
PERSECUTED. — The expression used in Genesis 21:9 is translated in our version “mocking.” It seems doubtful whether the Hebrew can really mean more than “playing.” The Jewish traditions added that Ishmael took out the child Isaac and “shot at him with arrows under pretence of sport.” The Arab tribes... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURE? — In Genesis 21:10 the words are put into the mouth of Sarah, but they are afterwards endorsed by the divine command. THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE HEIR. — A bold declaration of the incompatibility of Judaism with Christianity, by which the Apostle clinches his arg... [ Continue Reading ]