Galatians 4:3

4:3 So also we, when we were minors, ¹  were enslaved under the basic forces ²  of the world.

Galatians 4:9-10

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 ³  basic forces? ⁴  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ⁵  4:10 You are observing religious ⁶  days and months and seasons and years.

Galatians 4:25

4:25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

Isaiah 51:23

51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors ⁷ 

who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’

You made your back like the ground,

and like the street for those who walked over you.”

Isaiah 51:2

51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,

and Sarah, who gave you birth. ⁸ 

When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, ⁹ 

but I blessed him ¹⁰  and gave him numerous descendants. ¹¹ 

Colossians 1:20

1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, ¹²  whether things on earth or things in heaven.

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

² tn 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.

³ tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

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

⁵ 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.

⁶ tn 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.

⁷ tn That is, to make them drink it.

⁸ sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.

⁹ tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”

¹⁰ tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.

¹¹ tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”

¹² tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally important witnesses have it (Ì⁴⁶ א A C D¹ Ψ 048^vid 33 Ï). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as original. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In short, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original.