Christian Standard Bible
Galatians 4:21
21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?
Galatians 4:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
- New International Version (NIV)Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
Context of Galatians 4:21
19My children, I am again suffering labor pains for you until Christ is formed in you. 20I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you. Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. 23But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.
Read all of Galatians 4Galatians 4:21 word by word
Λέγετέ μοι, οἱ ὑπὸ νόμον θέλοντες εἶναι, τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἀκούετε;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Galatians 4:21
- Galatians 4:9But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?
- Galatians 3:10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.
- Romans 6:14For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.
- Romans 7:5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us to bear fruit for death.
- Romans 9:30What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness — namely the righteousness that comes from faith.
- Romans 10:3Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.
- Matthew 21:42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes?
- Matthew 22:29Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.
- John 5:46For if you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.
- John 10:34Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods?
- John 12:34Then the crowd replied to him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah will remain forever. So how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
- John 15:25But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.
- Romans 3:19Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.
Commentaries on Galatians 4:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Ye that desire to be under the law - Ye who desire to incorporate the Mosaic institutions with Christianity, and thus bring yourselves into bondage to circumcision, and a great variety of oppressive rites. Do ye not hear the law? - Do ye not understand what is written in the Pentateuch relative to Abraham and his children. It is evident that the word law is used in two senses in this verse. It first means the Mosaic institutions; secondly, the Pentateuch…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Tell me - In order to show fully the nature and the effect of the Law, Paul here introduces an illustration from an important fact in the Jewish history. This allegory has given great perplexity to expositors, and, in some respects, it is attended with real difficulty. An examination of the difficulties will be found in the larger commentaries. My object, without examining the expositions which have been proposed, will be to state, in as few words as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-27Verses 21-27 The difference between believers who rested in Christ only, and those who trusted in the law, is explained by the histories of Isaac and Ishmael. These things are an allegory, wherein, beside the literal and historical sense of the words, the Spirit of God points out something further. Hagar and Sarah were apt emblems of the two different dispensations of the covenant. The heavenly Jerusalem, the true church from above, represented by Sarah…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21Do you not understand what the law actually says?: The Galatians tried to achieve righteousness through the law, but they did not truly understand its meaning (see Luke 24:25–27; 1 Timothy 1:7).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. desire--of your own accord madly courting that which must condemn and ruin you. do ye not hear--do ye not consider the mystic sense of Moses' words? [Grotius]. The law itself sends you away from itself to Christ [Estius]. After having sufficiently maintained his point by argument, the apostle confirms and illustrates it by an inspired allegorical exposition of historical facts, containing in them general laws and types. Perhaps his reason for using…Read the comment
Topics related to Galatians 4:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Galatians 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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