Chapter 4
Set Free by Christ. 1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is a minor, he is no different from a slave, even though he is the owner of it all. 2 He remains under the supervision of guardians and trustees until the date designated by the father. 3 This is also true of us. As long as we were children, we were enslaved to the forces of this world.
4 However, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son, crying out “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son; and if you are a son, then through God you are also an heir.
No Return to Slavery.[a] 8 Previously, when you did not know God, you were slaves to forces who were not really gods at all. 9 But now that you have come to know God—or rather to be known by God—how can you turn back once again to those powerless and destitute forces? How can you consider becoming enslaved once again? 10 You even observe special days and months and seasons and years. 11 Now I am afraid for you, that I have labored among you in vain.
12 Appeal To Enter into Freedom from the Law. I beg you, brethren, to be like me, just as I have become like you. You never did me any wrong. 13 As you remember, it was because of illness[b] that I originally preached the gospel to you. 14 And though my illness was a trial to you, it did not lead to any scorn or revulsion; rather, you welcomed me as an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.
15 What has become of your blessedness? For I can testify that, if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I have told you the truth?
17 Others are seeking to curry your favor, but they are not sincere. They are attempting to alienate you from us so that you may make them the sole object of your attention. 18 It is good to be made much of for a good purpose at all times, and not just when I am in your presence. 19 You are my children, and I am experiencing the pain of giving birth to you all over again, until Christ is formed in you. 20 I truly wish that I could be with you now and be able to alter my approach to you, because I do not know what to think about you.
21 Sarah and Hagar Foreshadow the Two Covenants.[c] And so tell me, you who are so eager to be subject to the Law: why do you not listen to the Law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 The son by the slave woman was born through the flesh. The son by the free woman was born through a promise.
24 Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One covenant is given on Mount Sinai and bears children who are born into slavery; this is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Sinai, a mountain in Arabia, and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, for she is in slavery together with her children. 26 However, the Jerusalem that is above is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you barren woman
who never bore a child;
break forth in song and shout with joy,
you who never were in labor.
For more numerous are the children of the deserted wife
than the children of the one who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brethren, are, like Isaac, the children of the promise. 29 But just as in those days the child who was born through the flesh persecuted the child who was born through the Spirit, so is it now also. 30 However, what does Scripture say?
“Drive out the slave woman and her son!
For the son of the slave woman shall not share the inheritance
with the son of the free woman.”
31 Therefore, brethren, we are the children not of the slave woman but of the free woman.
Footnotes
- Galatians 4:8 The baptized have suddenly become concerned with the calendar of Jewish feasts or of pagan cults; do they, then, believe themselves to be slaves of the forces that they think rule the world and do they therefore desire to conciliate those forces by rites? God is not to be confused with any force, known or unknown, of this world.
- Galatians 4:13 Illness: a sickness, of what kind we do not know, that afflicted Paul during his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:6).
- Galatians 4:21 A famous allegory, but one that is obscure and subtle for the modern reader. Paul wants to show by means of the Old Testament itself that we must go beyond the Law. In this perspective, he gives a free interpretation of an incident in the life of Abraham (see Gen 16:15; 21:2-14). The text explains the meaning of the enmity between two women, two descendants, two cities, two covenants.