Discovery BoxGalatians 4:9 
Context4:9 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 1 basic forces? 2 Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? 3
Galatians 4:21
ContextAn Appeal from Allegory
4:21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not understand the law? 4
1 tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.
2 tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.
3 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.
4 tn 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.
