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Galatians · Literal Standard Version

Galatians 4 Literal Standard Version

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About LSV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Majority (Byzantine) text
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Very literal
  • 2020
  • CC BY-SA 4.0

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 And I say, now as much time as the heir is a child, he differs nothing from a servant, [though] being lord of all, 2 but is under tutors and stewards until the time appointed of the father, 3 so we also, when we were children, were in servitude under the elements of the world, 4 and when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, come of a woman, come under law, 5 that He may redeem those under law, that we may receive the adoption as sons; 6 and because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So that you are no longer a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. 8 But then, indeed, having not known God, you were in servitude to those [that are] not by nature gods, 9 and now, having known God—and rather being known by God—how [do] you turn again to the weak and poor elements to which you desire anew to be in servitude? 10 You observe days, and months, and times, and years! 11 I am afraid for you, lest I labored in vain for you. 12 I implore you, brothers, become as I [am]—because I also [am] as you; you did not hurt me; 13 and you have known that through weakness of the flesh I proclaimed good news to you at the first, 14 and you did not despise nor reject my trial that [is] in my flesh, but you received me as a messenger of God—as Christ Jesus; 15 what then was your blessedness? For I testify to you, that if possible, having plucked out your eyes, you would have given [them] to me; 16 so have I become your enemy, being true to you? 17 They are zealous for you—[yet] not well, but they wish to shut us out, that you may be zealous for them; 18 and [it is] good to be zealously regarded, in what is good, at all times, and not only in my being present with you; 19 my little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ may be formed in you, 20 indeed I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you. 21 Tell me, you who are willing to be under law, do you not hear the Law? 22 For it has been written that Abraham had two sons, one by the maidservant and one by the free [woman], 23 but he who [is] of the maidservant has been according to flesh, but he who [is] of the free [woman], through the promise, 24 which things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from Mount Sinai, bringing forth to servitude, which is Hagar; 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the Jerusalem that now [is], and is in servitude with her children, 26 and the Jerusalem above is the free [woman], which is mother of us all, 27 for it has been written: “Rejoice, O barren, who is not bearing; break forth and cry, you who are not travailing, because many [are] the children of the desolate—more than of her having the husband.” 28 And we, brothers, as Isaac, are children of promise, 29 but as he then who was born according to the flesh persecuted him [born] according to the Spirit, so also now; 30 but what does the Writing say? “Cast forth the maidservant and her son, for the son of the maidservant may not be heir with the son of the free [woman]”; 31 then, brothers, we are not a maidservant’s children, but the free [woman’s].

Cross references (30)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Galatians 4:23; Galatians 4:29; Genesis 24:2–3
  2. 3 Colossians 2:20; Colossians 2:8; Galatians 4:9; Galatians 2:4; Galatians 4:31–5:1
  3. 4 Isaiah 7:14; Mark 1:15; Romans 1:3; John 1:14; Matthew 1:23
  4. 5 Hebrews 9:15; Ephesians 1:5; 1 Peter 1:18–20; Ephesians 1:7; Galatians 3:13
  5. 6 Romans 8:15–17; Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 2:18
  6. 7 Galatians 3:29–4:2; Romans 8:16–17; Galatians 3:26; 1 Corinthians 3:21–23; Galatians 4:5–6
  7. 8 1 Corinthians 8:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:5; Ephesians 2:11–12; 1 Corinthians 10:19–20
  8. 9 1 Corinthians 8:3; Galatians 3:3; Romans 8:3; 1 John 5:20; 2 Peter 2:20
  9. 10 Colossians 2:16–17; Romans 14:5; Leviticus 23:1–44; Numbers 28:1–29; Leviticus 25:13
  10. 11 1 Thessalonians 3:5; Philippians 2:16; 2 John 8; Galatians 2:2; Galatians 4:20
  11. 12 2 Corinthians 2:5; 1 Kings 22:4; 1 Corinthians 9:20–23; Genesis 34:15; Galatians 6:14
  12. 13 1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; 2 Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 10:10; Galatians 1:6
  13. 14 Matthew 10:40; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:2; 2 Samuel 19:27; 2 Corinthians 5:20
  14. 15 Romans 5:2; Colossians 4:13; 1 John 3:16–18; Romans 9:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:13
  15. 16 Amos 5:10; Proverbs 9:8; John 8:45; Galatians 5:7; Psalm 141:5
  16. 17 2 Corinthians 11:13–15; Romans 16:18; 2 Peter 2:3; Matthew 23:15; 1 Corinthians 4:8
  17. 18 Philippians 2:12; Revelation 3:19; Philippians 1:27; Psalm 119:139; 1 Corinthians 15:58
  18. 19 Ephesians 4:13; Romans 13:14; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 4:12
  19. 20 1 Thessalonians 2:17–18; 1 Corinthians 4:19–21; 1 Thessalonians 3:9
  20. 21 Galatians 3:10; Romans 3:19; Matthew 22:29–32; Galatians 3:23–24; Galatians 4:9
  21. 22 Genesis 16:15; Genesis 21:10; Genesis 21:1–2; Genesis 16:2–4
  22. 23 Hebrews 11:11; Romans 9:7–8; Genesis 21:1–2; Genesis 18:10–14; Galatians 4:28–29
  23. 24 Genesis 21:9–13; Hosea 11:10; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 10:15–18; Hebrews 12:24
  24. 25 Matthew 23:37; Galatians 1:17; Psalm 68:17; Psalm 68:8; Deuteronomy 33:2
  25. 26 Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2; Philippians 3:20; Micah 4:1–2; Revelation 3:12
  26. 27 Isaiah 54:1–5; Psalm 113:9; Ruth 4:14–16; 1 Samuel 2:5; 1 Timothy 5:5
  27. 28 Galatians 4:23; Romans 9:8–9; Romans 4:13–18; Galatians 3:29; Acts 3:25
  28. 29 Genesis 21:9; Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:14–15; Galatians 4:23
  29. 30 Genesis 21:10–12; John 8:35; Romans 8:15–17; Galatians 3:22; Romans 4:3
  30. 31 Galatians 5:13; Galatians 5:1; John 8:36; John 1:12–13; 1 John 3:1–2

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 4:27 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book I, Chapters X–XI)

    … in what sense [God] says, "That is a people who was not a people; and she is beloved who was not beloved;" and in what sense He says that "more are the children of her that was desolate, than of her who possessed a husband." For in reference to these points, and others of a like nature, the apostle exclaims: …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  2. Quotes verse 4:19 Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (Book IX, Chapters IX–X)

    For she had "been the wife of one man," had requited her parents, had guided her house piously, was "well-reported of for good works," had "brought up children," as often travailing in birth of them as she saw them swerving from Thee.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)

  3. Quotes verse 4:4 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily IV)

    For that He did come forth of the Virgin's flesh, He hath declared by speaking of "that which was conceived in her;" and Paul, by saying, "made of a woman;" whereby he stops the mouths of them that say, Christ came among us as through some conduit.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  4. Quotes verse 4:4 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture XII)

    For God sent forth His Son, says Paul, not made of a man and a woman, but made of a woman only, that is of a virgin.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)

  5. Quotes verse 4:7 Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit (Chapter V)

    … (di' ou) ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son," and "Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by (dia) the will of God;" and again, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." And "like as Christ was raised up from the dead by (dia) the glory of …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)