Galatians 4:3

Galatians 4:3 Meaning and Explanation

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

King James Version (KJV)

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So too, while we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental principles of the world.

What Does Galatians 4:3 Mean?

Paul applies the picture to the human condition before Christ. We were like children, held in bondage under the elemental forces of the world — the rudimentary system of religion and rule that governed us. We were not yet free.

This was a kind of slavery, however ordered it appeared. The world's basic principles kept people in their grip, unable to enter the freedom of mature sons and daughters. Paul names the bondage plainly so that the coming rescue will shine all the brighter.

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What does Galatians 4:3 mean?

So too, while we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental principles of the world.

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