Galatians 4
Even an heir, while an infant, differs nothing from a slave — we too were enslaved under the elements of the world, until in the fullness of the time God sent forth his Son, come from a woman and under law, to buy us out and give us the adoption as sons; the Spirit of the Son cries in our hearts, Abba, Father. Having known God — been known by God — why turn back to the weak and poor elements, observing days, months, times and years? Become as I am; you did not despise my flesh’s weakness but received me as an angel of God and would have dug out your eyes for me — have I become your enemy by speaking the truth? They are zealous to shut you out. My children, I am in birth-pangs again until Christ is formed in you. Hear the law: Abraham’s two sons, one from the servant girl according to flesh, one from the free woman through promise — two covenants: Hagar of Sinai stands in line with the present Jerusalem in slavery; the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. Cast out the servant girl and her son — we are children of the free woman.
Why this rendering
Gal.4.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐφ’ ὅσον χρόνον ὁ κληρονόμος νήπιός ἐστιν, οὐδὲν διαφέρει δούλου κύριος πάντων ὤν, ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἐπιτρόπους ἐστὶ καὶ οἰκονόμους ἄχρι τῆς προθεσμίας τοῦ πατρός … ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἤμεθα δεδουλωμένοι· ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν … ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ … κρᾶζον· Αββα ὁ πατήρ — for as long a time as the heir is an infant, he differs in nothing from a slave, though being lord of all … under stewards and household managers … enslaved under the elements of the world; but when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, who came from a woman, who came under law … receive the adoption as sons … God sent forth the Spirit of his Son … crying out, “Abba, Father.” ἐπίτροπος (Matt 20:8 ‘steward’) and οἰκονόμος (Luke 12:42 ‘household manager’) in one verse — two words kept two. προθεσμία occurs once in the New Testament — ‘the appointed day’. στοιχεῖον in v.3 and v.9 — ‘elements’. ἐξαπέστειλεν in the same form in v.4 and v.6 — the Son, the Spirit of the Son. The two γενόμενον are the participle of Rom 1:3, ‘came from the seed of David’. ἐξαγοράζω is the verb of 3:13. υἱοθεσία (Rom 8:15 ‘adoption as sons’) — υἱός four times in vv.5-7. Αββα ὁ πατήρ is the pair of Mark 14:36 and Rom 8:15 — all three places in the same form. Verse 7 ⸂διὰ θεοῦ⸃ — the Received Text ‘an heir of God through Christ’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Matt 20:8 ἐπίτροπος ‘steward’ · Luke 12:42 οἰκονόμος ‘household manager’ as fixed — not ‘guardians and trustees’.
Basis The familiar legal paraphrase.
Rejected It moves ‘steward’ to guardian and makes the household manager a steward — both threads break.
Basis One verb with Acts 17:14 ‘send away’; in English, God sending his Son into the world is ‘sent forth’ (recorded as site-bound).
Lost in translation
ἐξαπέστειλεν ×2 (v.4, v.6) — one ‘sent forth’ links the Son and the Spirit.
υἱός ×4 · υἱοθεσία — ‘son · adoption as sons’ share the root.
ἐξαγοράζω (v.5) ↔ 3:13 — one ‘buy out’.
The ἀπο- of ἀπολάβωμεν — ‘receive’ carries no ‘duly · back’.
Why this rendering
Gal.4.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες θεὸν ἐδουλεύσατε τοῖς φύσει μὴ οὖσι θεοῖς· νῦν δὲ γνόντες θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα, οἷς πάλιν ἄνωθεν δουλεύειν θέλετε; ἡμέρας παρατηρεῖσθε καὶ μῆνας καὶ καιροὺς καὶ ἐνιαυτούς. φοβοῦμαι ὑμᾶς μή πως εἰκῇ κεκοπίακα εἰς ὑμᾶς — But then, not knowing God, you were slaves to those that by nature are not gods; but now, having known God — or rather having been known by God — how is it that you turn again to the weak and poor elements, to which you want to be slaves again from the beginning? You observe days and months and times and years. I fear for you … Three verbs of knowing — εἰδότες (οἶδα) · γνόντες · γνωσθέντες (γινώσκω, active then passive) — ‘not knowing · having known · having been known’. μᾶλλον δέ takes the sentence back. δουλεύω in v.8 and v.9 — to gods, to elements. πάλιν twice; ἄνωθεν is the word of Luke 1:3 and Acts 26:5, ‘from the beginning’. Verse 10 lists four objects — no article, no modifier; παρατηρέω is the verb of Acts 9:24, ‘watch’ (the gates). In v.11 φοβοῦμαι ὑμᾶς has the form ‘I fear you’ and means ‘I fear for you’. εἰκῇ is the word of 3:4; κοπιάω the ‘labour’ of 1 Cor 15:10.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Both οἶδα and γινώσκω are ‘know’ in Korean and English, so the three stand on one root; the difference of the two verbs is a recorded loss.
Basis An attempt to divide the two verbs.
Rejected It breaks the fixed ‘know’ for οἶδα in one place, and ‘perceive’ belongs to another verb.
Basis Not filled in as ‘special days, new moons, seasons, sabbath years’ — the text gives no modifier.
Lost in translation
οἶδα / γινώσκω — the two verbs of vv.8-9 both arrive as ‘know’.
γνόντες / γνωσθέντες — ‘having known / having been known’: the voice stands.
The form φοβοῦμαι ὑμᾶς — ‘I fear for you’ resolves the accusative.
στοιχεῖα ×2 (v.3, v.9) — one ‘elements’.
Why this rendering
Gal.4.12 Observation
Syntactic observation
Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ ὡς ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοί, δέομαι ὑμῶν. οὐδέν με ἠδικήσατε· οἴδατε δὲ ὅτι δι’ ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν τὸ πρότερον, καὶ τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενήσατε οὐδὲ ἐξεπτύσατε, ἀλλὰ ὡς ἄγγελον θεοῦ ἐδέξασθέ με, ὡς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. ποῦ οὖν ὁ μακαρισμὸς ὑμῶν; … εἰ δυνατὸν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν ἐξορύξαντες ἐδώκατέ μοι. ὥστε ἐχθρὸς ὑμῶν γέγονα ἀληθεύων ὑμῖν; — Become as I am, for I also am as you are … You wronged me in nothing … your testing in my flesh you did not treat with contempt nor spit out, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. Where then is your blessedness? … you would have dug out your eyes and given them to me. So have I become your enemy by speaking the truth to you? In v.12 κἀγὼ ὡς ὑμεῖς has no verb — ‘I also as you’. τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν carries ⸀ — the Received Text ‘my testing’ (μου); this edition follows the base text, ‘your testing’ (my flesh was a test to you). ἐκπτύω occurs once in the New Testament — ‘spit out’; whether it recalls the custom of spitting against the evil eye the text does not say. μακαρισμός is the ‘blessedness’ of Rom 4:6, 9. ἐξορύσσω is the verb of Mark 2:4, ‘dig through’ (the roof) — here, eyes. ἀληθεύω occurs here and at Eph 4:15 — ‘speak the truth’. Verse 15 ⸀ποῦ (the Received Text τίς).
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text reads ὑμῶν — ‘your testing in my flesh’: my body was a test to you.
Basis The Received Text μου.
Rejected Not the base text — and ‘my testing in my flesh’ changes who is tested.
Basis Not paraphrased as ‘reject’ — the word of spitting kept.
Lost in translation
ἐκπτύω — ‘spit out’ keeps the spittle.
σάρξ ×2 (v.13, v.14) — one ‘flesh’.
The verbless κἀγὼ ὡς ὑμεῖς — ‘I also am as you are’ supplies the copula.
ἐξορύσσω ↔ Mark 2:4 — ‘dug out / dug through’ share the digging.
Why this rendering
Gal.4.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
ζηλοῦσιν ὑμᾶς οὐ καλῶς, ἀλλὰ ἐκκλεῖσαι ὑμᾶς θέλουσιν, ἵνα αὐτοὺς ζηλοῦτε. καλὸν δὲ ζηλοῦσθαι ἐν καλῷ πάντοτε … τέκνα μου, οὓς πάλιν ὠδίνω μέχρις οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν· ἤθελον δὲ παρεῖναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἄρτι, καὶ ἀλλάξαι τὴν φωνήν μου, ὅτι ἀποροῦμαι ἐν ὑμῖν — They are zealous for you, not well; rather, they want to shut you out, so that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealously sought in a good thing always … my children, for whom I am again in birth-pangs until Christ is formed in you; and I could wish to be present with you now and to change my voice, because I am at a loss over you. ζηλόω three times in two verses — active · active · passive (ζηλοῦσθαι) — the verb of 2 Cor 11:2, ‘be zealous for’. καλῶς · καλόν · καλῷ also three. ἐκκλείω is the verb of Rom 3:27, ‘be shut out’ — here active. In v.19 τέκνα carries ⸀ (the Received Text τεκνία) — ‘my children’ occurs in the letter only here. ὠδίνω (be in birth-pangs) makes the apostle the mother; once more in the quotation of v.27. μορφόω occurs once in the New Testament — ‘be formed’, from the μορφή of Mark 16:12 ‘another form’. ἤθελον is imperfect — ‘I could wish’. ἀποροῦμαι is the ‘be at a loss’ of 2 Cor 4:8.
Rendering options · 3
Basis As fixed at 2 Cor 11:2; the passive as ‘be zealously sought’.
Basis The courting sense.
Rejected It cuts the thread to 2 Cor 11:2 and 1 Cor 12:31 and loses the root of ζῆλος.
Basis Not ‘labour to bring forth’ — one word with the quotation of v.27.
Lost in translation
ζηλόω ×3 — one ‘zealous’ for all three.
καλῶς · καλόν · καλῷ — ‘well · good · good thing’: the third pair keeps the root, the first does not.
ὠδίνω ×2 (v.19, v.27) — one ‘birth-pangs’.
The imperfect ἤθελον — ‘I could wish’ carries the unattainable wish.
Why this rendering
Gal.4.21 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀβραὰμ δύο υἱοὺς ἔσχεν, ἕνα ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ ἕνα ἐκ τῆς ἐλευθέρας … κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται … δι’ ἐπαγγελίας. ἅτινά ἐστιν ἀλληγορούμενα· αὗται γάρ εἰσιν δύο διαθῆκαι … συστοιχεῖ δὲ τῇ νῦν Ἰερουσαλήμ … ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν … Ἔκβαλε τὴν παιδίσκην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς — Abraham had two sons, one from the servant girl and one from the free woman … born according to flesh … through promise. These things are spoken allegorically; for these women are two covenants … stands in line with the present Jerusalem … the Jerusalem above is free … ‘Cast out the servant girl and her son.’ παιδίσκη five times, ἐλευθέρα four — the pair carries eleven verses. παιδίσκη is the word of Luke 22:56, the ‘servant girl’ at the fire — a low word; Sarah is never named. ἀλληγορέω occurs once in the New Testament — ‘speak allegorically’. In vv.24-25 Ἁγάρ twice, Σινᾶ twice — ⸀δέ (the Received Text γάρ). συστοιχέω also once — one root with στοιχεῖον of v.3 (row · element). Ἰερουσαλήμ is a different form from the Ἱεροσόλυμα of 1:17-18 and 2:1 — the letter uses both (Korean and English have one). Verse 27 is Isa 54:1 — ὠδίνω links back to v.19. Verse 28 ⸂ὑμεῖς … ἐστέ⸃ (the Received Text ἡμεῖς … ἐσμέν). Verse 30 is Gen 21:10 — ‘cast out’ is the base rendering of ἐκβάλλω. Verse 31 ⸀διό (the Received Text ἄρα).
Rendering options · 3
Basis Not raised to ‘slave woman’ — the low word the text chose is kept, set against ‘the free woman’.
Basis Building the pair with δουλεία into the word.
Rejected The word is παιδίσκη, not δούλη — it cuts the thread to Luke 22:56 and Acts 16:16.
Basis Not ‘corresponds to’ — it shares its root with the στοιχεῖον of v.3.
Lost in translation
παιδίσκη ×5 · ἐλευθέρα ×4 — two renderings carry all nine places.
Ἰερουσαλήμ / Ἱεροσόλυμα — the letter’s two forms become one ‘Jerusalem’.
συστοιχέω ↔ στοιχεῖον — ‘in line / elements’ lose the shared root.
ὠδίνω ×2 (v.19, v.27) — the apostle’s pangs and the quotation’s in one word.