Galatians 4:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

GALATIANS CHAPTER 4 Galatians 4:1-3 The Jews were for a while held under the law, as an heir under his guardian till he be of age. Galatians 4:4-7 But Christ came to redeem those that were under the law, and to give both to Jew and Gentile the adoption, and consequently the freedom, of sons. Galatians 4:8-10 Paul therefore reproveth the Galatians, who from serving idols had been received of God, for falling back to the bondage of legal observances. Galatians 4:11-20 He expresseth his fears and tender regard for them, and calleth to mind their former respect and good will to him, from which he admonisheth them not to be seduced in his absence. Galatians 4:21-31 He allegorically describeth the Jewish and Christian churches under the types of Agar and Sara, and inferreth that we, being children of the free-woman, are free. The apostle had before determined, that the whole body of such as believed in Jesus Christ, were that seed of Abraham to which the promise was made, and so heirs of the promises made to him; yet so, that, as it is among men, though a child be a great heir, and lord of a great estate, yet while he is under age he is used like a servant; so the time of the law being as it were the time of believers nonage, those who lived in that time were used like servants.

Galatians 4:1

1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;