Galatians 3:15

Inheritance Comes from Promises and not Law

3:15 Brothers and sisters, ¹  I offer an example from everyday life: ²  When a covenant ³  has been ratified, ⁴  even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it.

Galatians 4:9

4:9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ⁵  basic forces? ⁶  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ⁷ 

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

² tn Grk “I speak according to man,” referring to the illustration that follows.

³ tn The same Greek word, διαθήκη (diaqhkh), can mean either “covenant” or “will,” but in this context the former is preferred here because Paul is discussing in vv. 16-18 the Abrahamic covenant.

⁴ tn Or “has been put into effect.”

⁵ tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

⁶ tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.

⁷ tn 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.