Galatians 4:1-3

4:1 Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, ¹  is no different from a slave, though he is the owner ²  of everything. 4:2 But he is under guardians ³  and managers until the date set by his ⁴  father. 4:3 So also we, when we were minors, ⁵  were enslaved under the basic forces ⁶  of the world.

[4:1]  ¹ tn 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.

[4:1]  ² tn Grk “master” or “lord” (κύριος, kurios).

[4:2]  ³ tn The Greek term translated “guardians” here is ἐπίτροπος (epitropo"), whose semantic domain overlaps with that of παιδαγωγός (paidagwgo") according to L&N 36.5.

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “the,” but the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[4:3]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “minor” in 4:1.

[4:3]  ⁶ 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.