translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: GAL

label: NET translator note

text: Grk “a small child.” The Greek term νήπιος ( nhpios ) refers to a young child, no longer a helpless infant but probably not more than three or four years old (L&N 9.43). The point in context, though, is that this child is too young to take any responsibility for the management of his assets.


text: Grk “master” or “lord” ( κύριος , kurios ).


text: The Greek term translated “guardians” here is ἐπίτροπος ( epitropo" ), whose semantic domain overlaps with that of παιδαγωγός ( paidagwgo" ) according to L&N 36.5.


text: Grk “the,” but the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun ( ExSyn 215).


text: See the note on the word “minor” in 4:1 .


text: Or “basic principles,” “elemental things,” or “elemental spirits.” Some interpreters take this as a reference to supernatural powers who controlled nature and/or human fate.


text: Grk “the fullness of time” (an idiom for the totality of a period of time, with the implication of proper completion; see L&N 67.69).


text: The Greek term υἱοθεσία ( Juioqesia ) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”


text: Grk “calling.” The participle is neuter indicating that the Spirit is the one who calls.


text: The term “ Abba ” is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic אַבָּא (’ abba ’), literally meaning “my father” but taken over simply as “father,” used in prayer and in the family circle, and later taken over by the early Greek-speaking Christians (BDAG 1 s.v. ἀββα ).


text: Grk “and if a son, then also an heir.” The words “you are” have been supplied twice to clarify the statement.


text: lat bo Cl).


text: Grk “those that by nature…” with the word “beings” implied. BDAG 1070 s.v. φύσις 2 sees this as referring to pagan worship: “Polytheists worship… beings that are by nature no gods at all Gal 4:8 .”


text: Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.


text: See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3 .


text: Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.


text: The adjective “religious” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that the problem concerns observing certain days, etc. in a religious sense (cf. NIV, NRSV “special days”). In light of the polemic in this letter against the Judaizers (those who tried to force observance of the Mosaic law on Gentile converts to Christianity) this may well be a reference to the observance of Jewish Sabbaths, feasts, and other religious days.


text: Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11 .


text: Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”


text: Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG , 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation , 324-35.


text: Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.


text: Or “blessedness.”


text: Or “have I become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” The participle ἀληθεύων ( alhqeuwn ) can be translated as a causal adverbial participle or as a participle of means (as in the translation).


text: Or “They are zealous for you.”


text: Or “but not commendably” (BDAG 505 s.v. καλῶς 2).


text: Or “so that you would be zealous.”


text: Or “commendable.”


text: Or “to be zealous.”


text: Grk “But it is always good to be zealous in good.”


text: Grk “My children, for whom I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you.” The relative clauses in English do not pick up the emotional force of Paul’s language here (note “tone of voice” in v. 20 , indicating that he is passionately concerned for them); hence, the translation has been altered slightly to capture the connotative power of Paul’s plea. sn That is, until Christ’s nature or character is formed in them (see L&N 58.4).


text: Grk “voice” or “tone.” The contemporary English expression “tone of voice” is a good approximation to the meaning here.


text: Or “will you not hear what the law says?” The Greek verb ἀκούω ( akouw ) means “hear, listen to,” but by figurative extension it can also mean “obey.” It can also refer to the process of comprehension that follows hearing, and that sense fits the context well here.


text: Paul’s use of the Greek article here and before the phrase “free woman” presumes that both these characters are well known to the recipients of his letter. This verse is given as an example of the category called “well-known (‘celebrity’ or ‘familiar’) article” by ExSyn 225.


text: Grk “born according to the flesh”; BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4 has “Of natural descent τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκός children by natural descent Ro 9:8 (opp. τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ). ὁ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παιδίσκης κατὰ σάρκα γεγέννηται Gal 4:23 ; cp. vs. 29.”


text: Grk “which things are spoken about allegorically.” Paul is not saying the OT account is an allegory, but rather that he is constructing an allegory based on the OT account.


text: The direct object “children” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.


text: Grk “because more are the children of the barren one than of the one having a husband.” sn A quotation from Isa 54:1 .


text: 0278 33 1739 al sa. It is more likely that a copyist, noticing the first person pronouns in vv. 26 and 31 , changed a second person pronoun here to first person for consistency.


text: Grk “according to the flesh”; see the note on the phrase “by natural descent” in 4:23 .


text: Or “the one born by the Spirit’s [power].”


text: Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11 .