Galatians 4:2

Galatians 4:2

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1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,

2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.

3 Even so we, when we were children, ^awere in bondage under the elements of the world.

4 But ^awhen the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, ^bborn ^cof a woman, ^dborn under the law,

5 ^ato redeem those who were under the law, ^bthat we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth ^athe Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,¹ “Abba, Father!”

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, ^aand if a son, then an heir of God² through Christ.

Fears for the Church

8 But then, indeed, ^awhen you did not know God, ^byou served those which by nature are not gods.

9 But now ^aafter you have known God, or rather are known by God, ^bhow is it that you turn again to ^cthe weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Under guardians (upo epitropouv). Old word from epitrepw, to commit, to intrust. So either an overseer (Matthew 20:8) or one in charge of children as here. It is common as the guardian of an orphan minor. Frequent in the papyri as guardian of minors.

Stewards (oikonomouv). Old word for manager of a household whether freeborn or slave. See Luke 12:42; I Corinthians 4:2. Papyri show it as manager of an estate and also as treasurer like Romans 16:23. No example is known where this word is used of one in charge of a minor and no other where both occur together.

Until the time appointed of the father (axri thv proqesmiav tou patrov). Supply hmerav (day), for proqesmiov is an old adjective "appointed beforehand" (pro, qesmov, from tiqhmi). Under Roman law the tutor had charge of the child till he was fourteen when the curator took charge of him till he was twenty-five. Ramsay notes that in Graeco-Phrygia cities the same law existed except that the father in Syria appointed both tutor and curator whereas the Roman father appointed only the tutor. Burton argues plausibly that no such legal distinction is meant by Paul, but that the terms here designate two functions of one person. The point does not disturb Paul's illustration at all.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Galatians 4:2:**

Galatians 4:4

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Galatians 4:3 >>

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